Outdoor lighting is a necessity around our home and improves safety as we navigate nighttime aisles, driveways and entrances.Beyond its functional contribution, however, lighting can add valuable aesthetic elements to our exterior living spaces, from directing the eye to specific landscape features, to creating the right atmosphere for a festive evening on the patio.
Residential owners can learn from companies that work on creating a nighttime vibe, such as Commellini Estate, an elegant venue with plenty of indoor and outdoor events.For example, patios are lovely during the day.At night, it becomes fairy tale material, transformed by railings and twinkling lights throughout the trees.
Commellini Estates managing director Michael Paul used a combination of string lights, solar and motion-sensing lights to achieve a variety of effects in the backyard of his Mead home.
”Fun things and plants deserve respect day and night,” said Paul, who transformed his modest yard to create layers, “so that it adds a sense of space and space.”
Paul uses light to add focal points, such as the wicker peace sign under his eaves or to cast shadows on his Japanese maples.
”Mine is on the wall near the front door steps. It’s fantastic,” says Paul, who also likes the shadows cast by the various cacti in the yard.
Lights can be used for increased safety, such as on or near stairs, and hard wiring makes them more reliable.
”We also can’t always rely on the sun to give us enough light to excite these things,” Paul said.”That’s why I put battery-powered motion sensor lights here and there,” like in the back of his garage.
Blend Outdoor Design often includes outdoor lighting kits in its design projects, such as the outdoor living spaces of HDG Buildings remodeled in 1971 by respected local architect Moritz Kundig for a Nanshan rancher.
”Our two most popular applications are ‘downlights’ on paths or driveway surfaces and ‘uplighting’ on existing or new tree canopies to create some ambient light reflections in surrounding areas,” Collin Schweikl said. He co-owns Blend with Chris Thorson.
The lighting they do is hardwired to a transformer installed somewhere outside the house, Schweikl explained.Amenities include “sensors that automatically turn the lights on and off at dusk and dawn, (and) a Wi-Fi-enabled transformer that allows you to manually control the lighting from within,” he said.
Another advantage of high-end systems is that the lamps are less likely to suffer from weather damage, Schweikl explained.”If water can get in, then our freeze-thaw cycle in the interior northwest could damage the fixtures.”
Of course, removing portable lighting such as string lights or solar lights at the end of the season is one way to get around this, Schweikl said, but it’s a lot more work, and you’ll miss out.
He added that a permanent system “allows you to enjoy and see your outdoor space for longer during shoulder season,” while also maximizing the safety features that outdoor lighting can provide.
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Assess your needs.Are you more motivated by safety, such as lighting paths, or aesthetics, such as adding curb appeal by illuminating evergreens in your front yard?
Decide if you want to use a larger transformer now so you can add to the system, or handle adding later as needed.
Check out lighting styles, finishes, colors and options, and have some fun daydreaming about what this would look like in your yard.
Get help with the part you least understand, whether it’s design, installation, or both.
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Post time: Jun-14-2022
