Outdoor lights can make or break the landscape or overall design of your house facade, backyard, walkway or garden. With the perfect type and location of your lighting, your home could appear romantic, elegant, festive or whatever mood you want it to have. It is used to simply have the basic function of illuminating areas at night so you would not stumble while walking and also to discourage any criminals or intruders.
Innovative designs by light manufacturers have broadened its function. These days, you have a vast selection of lighting products to choose from. They are particularly created to withstand conditions outside your house. They are also generally easy to install. Outdoor lights are usually classified according to how or where you will place it.
Flood or down lighting are usually bright bulbs set on a high location and pointed down towards the ground. They generally function as security lighting. This type includes those with motion sensors, which causes the light to automatically switch on as soon as any movement is detected in the area.
Walkway or path lighting are installed low on the ground along the sides of your walkway or even driveway. You can also use them for dramatic effects on your front lawn and backyard. Designers often suggest you put considerable space in between walkway lights, varying from 6 feet to 10 feet, depending on the size of your area. Placing them too close to one another can create an airport runway feel. Halogen bulbs are the most commonly used for this purpose; however, LED bulbs for walkway lighting are easily available in the market, too. Environmental issues have also made solar-powered lighting in demand for this function.
Scenic lighting, as its name implies, is used to create the scene that you want in a certain area of your patio, garden or front yard. Diffused down lights are used to illuminate an object downward. Sometimes, foot lighting is done using a spot light placed on the ground and directed towards a plant, bird bath or fountain. Back lighting is a favorite among designers as it creates a silhouette of a featured object like a statue or a tree projected on an outside wall or a fence.
These are just some of the common outdoor lights you will see around. If you are enhancing your outside area, you may even place Oriental lanterns hanging on your trees, Tiki torches in your patio, and marine lights in your pool. With the many options available in the market today, you will never run out of ideas.