Create a Backyard Oasis with Lighting
Summers in New England are the best time to be outside enjoying the sunshine, warm breezes and cool nights. Many of us love to host get-togethers with our family and friends, but if your outdoor patio, deck or backyard pool area is dimly lit, it’s not the best entertaining space. Whether you’re hosting a casual party or major social event, rather than gathering everyone inside on a nice evening or renting an expensive banquet room, transform your outdoor space with the right lighting. What steps can you take?
Add Layers of Light
The simplest way to add a soft glow to your backyard without the glare of too many bright lights is to layer with ambient, task and accent lighting. What’s the difference between each?
Ambient Lighting
This is your main source of lighting for the space. An ambient fixture should bathe the backyard in gentle light that is not too dim or harsh. Depending on the size of your yard, this could be a large chandelier over the dining table or spotlights attached to the home.
Task Lighting
What will guests be doing in the backyard? If you have activities or an outdoor bar set up across the grass, people should be able to see what they’re doing while they’re doing it. A table lamp or under-cabinet lighting can help you safely accomplish these tasks.
Accent Lighting
Finally, accent lighting can create depth and highlights the aesthetic features of your space. When you want to show off your manicured lawn and shrubbery or your favorite garden gnomes, post and path lights help illuminate these characteristics of your landscape.
Hang String Lights
Depending on the time of day in the summer, you will need more or less lighting. As daylight shifts to dusk, we still see plenty of sunshine in Connecticut until after 7pm. When you want to add a soft glow to your patio, consider string lighting. These stylish LED bulbs provide just the right amount of light your guests need to see before nightfall. String lighting adds a romantic feel that will help create a more relaxed atmosphere as the party continues.
Focus on Decorative Accents
Many of our lighting fixtures at Connecticut Lighting and Restoration Lighting Gallery incorporate decorative accents in their design, with different geometric, architectural and natural details. For a pop of individual style, consider adding fixtures that feature your favorite colors and comforting patterns to the space.
Advantages of Outdoor Lighting
A backyard oasis may make your landscape more inviting to guests, but there are other important benefits of outdoor lighting, other than style points.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
In the past, homeowners would have to be more cautious about their use of electricity outdoors with incandescent bulbs. Now, with the growing popularity of LED lighting, homeowners actually save on these costs when they install energy-efficient landscape lighting.
Homeowner Satisfaction
Although proper lighting for your backyard can be great for entertaining guests, your oasis can also be a perfect spot for alone time or date night. What could be more relaxing than snuggling around the fire pit and looking over at the soft glow of light dancing off the trees?
There is still time in the season to create the backyard oasis of your dreams. Our staff is on the showroom floor 7 days a week, ready to help you design the perfect landscape. Visit our store in Hartford or Southington today to learn more about outdoor lighting for your home!