Outdoor Lighting | 3 Winning Tips to Plan Perfect Garden Lighting

Designing the perfect garden is so much more than landscaping — it involves planning a seamless layout, choosing furniture and preparing adequate lighting. Lighting up your garden is an important aspect that can transform the look of your outdoor living space dramatically. Not only does it enliven the space, but it also embraces the home with a feeling of warmth and brightness. Whether you're planning on new lighting fixtures or planning to update old ones, it's ideal to hire a professional electrician with the right tools to address issues of proper installation and safety. Here are a few tips to help you design the perfect garden lighting layout.

Consider The Look and Function You Desire

Make sure you consider the look and function you desire before proceeding with your garden lighting. Do you want the lighting for aesthetic appeal or is the lighting meant for get-togethers? Are you looking to highlight any particular garden features like a water fountain or sculpture? Are there any dangerous areas you want to light up? For example, perhaps you want to add ambient light to light up the entire garden, but you would like to install additional focus lighting for your dining table and decorative fixtures to create special garden focal points. You can also use powerful lights where security is a concern. Determine the areas with existing lighting and new spaces where you would like to add lights. Addressing these considerations with your electrician will help you plan the look and function you desire from your lighting. 

Choose Lights Judiciously

Just because you're excited about your lighting project doesn't mean you can't be practical. If you're interested in a cost-effective alternative, you should discuss the option of solar lighting with your electrician. Some solar lights don't need any external connections, giving you tremendous flexibility to use them. Keep in mind that outdoor lights wear more easily than indoor ones because they are more powerful. LED lights are a great solution for the outdoors because they are far more durable than traditional lights and they don't emit heat — keeping your garden cool even when the lights run at full capacity.

Address Light Placement Issues Carefully

Poorly installed or excess lighting will create unwanted shine and brightness that may flood your indoor area unnecessarily. It may also create unnecessary glare that can temporarily blind people, not to mention the high energy consumption. To prevent this, you must position your lights carefully and use lights that have shields to concentrate the light as you desire. You can also control the light by creating separate light zones with controls, dimmers, motion sensors and timers — so that lights turn on only when necessary. 

Use these winning tips and work with your electrician to plan a perfect garden light design. Contact an electrician with a business like Barry Allen Electrical Services to learn more about installing new light fixtures.