In the Dark about Outdoor Lighting? Tips for Brightening Up


(ARA) – Nothing says “summer” like outdoor entertaining. But if poor lighting means your outdoor activities end when the sun goes down, it may be time to brighten up.

From the front door to the backyard deck, lighting plays an important role in the beauty, usability and safety of your outdoor living space. Small changes in lighting can have a big impact on your home’s curb appeal and your ability to enjoy outdoor living.

Daniel Auer, a lighting expert with LightingShowplace.com, offers a few tips on how to improve exterior lighting.

Light the Way

“Night-time visitors should feel welcomed with light as soon as their car stops in front of your house,” Auer says. That means driveways and walkways leading to your front door should be well-lit enough to ensure safe footing, yet not so bright that they overpower the main lights above or beside your front door.

At the door, if your home currently has just one lantern next to the door, consider replacing it with matching lanterns. Flanking the door with matched lights will create a warm, even glow while assuring the safety of those who enter. If your home has a porch or overhang, you have even more options: a recessed, chain-hung or ceiling fixture.

Light the Landscape

“When it comes to landscape lighting, many homeowners tend to forget about the back yard,” Auer says. While simple canister lights, directed on key landscape elements like trees or planting beds, can create drama for your home’s façade, don’t overlook the value of more whimsical choices or of lighting your back yard.

More powerful, practical path lighting makes sense for front areas where guests may be walking from car to house. In back yards, consider using more delicate path lights to highlight areas, like water features and seating arrangements. For example, LightingShowplace.com sells path lights shaped like graceful flowers, with a gentle light subtly nestled within the bowed head of the bloom.

Deck it Out

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, a great deck is its crowning glory. Americans are now building and expanding decks more than ever before, as the trend towards great outdoor living spaces continues. Just as you employ lighting to create usability, mood and appeal in your kitchen, the right lighting outdoors can enhance the safety and enjoyment of your deck.

“There are numerous ways to light your deck, from lanterns that sit on the post caps of your deck rails to outdoor lamps that work with your outdoor furniture much as lamps do indoors,” Auer says.

One of the hottest trends in deck lighting plays to a hot trend in deck construction – decorative rails, all the rage right now, require decorative lighting. From strand lighting designed to mimic the twinkling of the stars overhead to sconces shaped like flowers and animals, the options for adding light to deck railings have boomed in the past few years.

You’ll be a Fan

Overhead fans are a great way to add multiple layers of lighting – not to mention comfort – to outdoor spaces like gazebos, screened porches and decks. Any fan that you love indoors can easily be used outdoors with the proper wiring. What’s more, most fans offer dimmer options so you can adjust light levels to match the mood of your gathering.

Fans with blades that evoke the look of leaves or fern fronds are particularly attractive in outdoor settings, helping underscore the natural appeal of the space.

When you’re ready to begin brightening your outdoor spaces, consider an online resource, like LightingShowplace.com, rather than a big box home improvement store. With a few mouse clicks, you can instantly assess what’s in inventory from thousands of choices, and access customer service personnel who are trained to answer questions about the brands and products offered.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

 

Outdoor Lighting Shines Bright this Summer


(ARA) - Every year a wave of new products hits the shelves at lawn and garden stores, home improvement centers and online retailers. For 2008, a major trend is innovative outdoor lighting. Driving this trend toward creative outdoor lighting is the desire of homeowners to spend time outdoors and extend their outdoor time into the comfortable summer evening hours.

The abundance of interesting products for patios, decks and gardens is a testament to just how important outdoor living areas have become. According to a survey by the American Institute of Architects on Home Design Trends, there is surge in interest in building outdoor patios, kitchens and decks, and outdoor lighting extends the use of these spaces.

“With every deck I build I now factor in lighting solutions,” says Bob Lehman, owner of Creative Deck Designs in Maryland.

Today’s lighting comes in a variety of forms, including energy efficient illumination sources. “There are so many uses for lighting in an outdoor environment, both from a functional standpoint and a decorative one,” says Jay Savignac, senior vice president for Aurora Deck Lighting, one of the nation’s largest outdoor lighting manufacturers.

Building codes have also been an important driving force, as safety concerns have forced communities to require builders to add lights when outdoor stairs are involved. “Increasing the safety factor is definitely a reason for adding lights, and security has always been important. Today people want lighting that allows them to cook outside at night or entertain in a candle-lit sort of environment. Products on the market today make it possible to do both,” Savignac says.

Aurora’s Web site (www.auroradecklighting.com) showcases a variety of different types of outdoor lighting. The company’s most popular products are lighted post caps, which are designed to integrate into a backyard deck or fence and add both design features and function.

“Our newest products include solar powered lights, like the Polaris, which has a traditional lamp look that is designed to fit on a variety of post sizes. Because it is powered by the sun, the lights are easy to install and no special wiring or electrical knowledge is required,” Savignac says.

Lehman says his clients also are incorporating path lights into their backyard environments. New versions, like the Quasar Pathway Deck Light, mount on the bottom of a porch post, deck post or fence to illuminate stairs or highlight landscaping.

LED lights, like the award-winning Eclipse LED and the Nova LED from Aurora, are growing in popularity as technology has improved their intensity. These lights burn for thousands of hours without requiring a bulb change and are among the most efficient sources available today.  

Ron and Nancy Snyder of Rootstown, Ohio, had a new deck added to their home and shopped extensively for outdoor lighting to compliment its design. They decided on simple lights that mounted on the posts on their deck.

“We are extremely pleased with these lights and have received many complements from our guests and friends. We especially like the way the glass defuses the light, and we are amazed at how well the lights weathered our vicious Northeast Ohio winter. They still look perfect in spite of record severe weather,” Ron says.

“We’ve come a long way from the ‘runway lights’ that people would stick in their yards along the sidewalk. Today the quality of the lighting and the options that are available make it possible to completely customize the look of your home and create a fantastic ambiance that lights up the night,” Savignac says.

For more information and outdoor lighting inspiration, visit www.auroradecklighting.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent