Today’s 3 Options for Home Exterior Accent Lighting

Whatever the size or complexity of your landscaping is, exterior accent lighting is used to highlight  certain stylistic and architectural features of your home’s lawn or garden. With accent lighting, you do not flood the area with light. Rather, it is the artistic placement of the elements,  creating an atmosphere is that is garish, usually imitating the soft and warm glow of the moon, casting shadows and illuminating select features. In order to properly adorn an outdoor space with accent lights, you need to have an artistic eye and a philosophy of natural sparseness.

There are so many options in the world of accent lighting today, from recessed walkway lights to solar post lights and everything in between. You will need to consider some of the following in the planning stages to ensure that you are on the right path.

Uplighting

As a  great way to illuminate architectural fixtures, shrubs and trees, uplighting uses ground lights that shine upward. Conically-shaped ground accent lights create a glow from the ground up, expanding light as it softens. It does not have to be glaring, but it should have enough wattage to give a delicate yet visible illumination. Ground lighting has to be placed where it cannot be trampled by by feet or lawn tools. Also, if possible, hide the source of light. Ground lights are supposed to be unassuming, although you can position them stealthily behind obstacles.

Path Lighting

If your outdoor area has a pathway of some sort, whether it winds through your lawn, surrounded by decorative foliage, or lined with flowers, lighting up the path using soft solar lantern lights or recessed lights will provide  a lovely atmosphere and, at the same, a measure of safety. With solar lights like the 6 LED Solar GardenGlo Planter by Patio Living Concepts, though, you have to make sure that they are completely exposed to sunlight during daytime. Another option is to connect them to a large solar panel that sits under direct sunlight. Recessed lights partially buried in mulch or gravel create  a warm glow that will define the features of the path so you do not trip over steps or pavers. Lantern lights hung on small stakes like the Solar Stake Light – Espresso Finish by Outdoor Greatroom Company create a similar glow, but they are higher off the ground. What’s great about these is that they are contained in decorative features so you do not have to hide the source.

Downlighting

Producing the opposite effect of uplighting, downlighting illuminates surfaces and landscape features from the top moving  downward. They are usually overlapped with other accent lights that shine up, down or along surfaces to help make the shadows appear softer in the dark. Downlighting like the Fairbanks Small Lantern by Kenroy Home works best when it is concealed, so putting it in a tree or along the roof of an arbor or gazebo should do the trick.

There are so many options for outdoor accent lighting that can help to turn your outdoor landscape into a softly-glowing night time panorama. Exterior accent lights will help with security as much as floodlights without being too obtrusive. Consider what you have to work first with before you start looking into your options.