Creating A Multi-Purpose Outdoor Lighting Design

By Matt Adams

If you have been thinking about updating your outdoor lighting, there are lots of things to consider. First, what are the advantages? Exterior lights add security to your property, both in terms of protecting it from intruders, as well as making it safer for you to walk your property at night. The second biggest reason for outdoor lights is to add a nice ambiance to your home. If you plan properly, you can accomplish both of these goals with one lighting design.

Let's first talk about the security aspect of creating an outdoor lighting design. This should be one of the primary reasons for installing outdoor lighting, because by installing security lighting, you also cover the personal safety factor as well. If your yard and house lights up for intruders, then it automatically lights up for you as well. Installing motion detecting lights will ensure that intruders can't sneak up on or escape from your house un-noticed. Motion sensing lights also keep your house dark when there is no danger present, saving energy for you and the planet.

Having a security system of lighting installed means covering all corners of your home, as well as any main entry and exit spots of your property. If you happen to have a party during the motion sensing period of your lighting cycle, you can avoid the annoying on/off cycle by turning the motion detector lights off and just having your ambient lighting on. This means you'll have to turn it back on when your party ends, so that you are protected again.

Even if your security lighting lights up your main entry ways, you might want to add extra lighting to your pathways, or for example the back steps where you take out the garbage every night. Ensuring that your walkways and steps are well lit at night will prevent any tripping accidents that are all too common in unlit areas. In addition to creating a safe travel area at night, these lights will also add some nice ambiance to your yards walk-ways and steps.

As previously mentioned, outdoor lighting is a great way to add mood or ambiance to your outdoor living areas. This type of lighting is not necessarily meant to brighten things up but rather create high lights, low lights and depth to your setting. A favorite outdoor light for aesthetic purposes are the rope lights. Rope lights coiled around trees can be magical. Furthermore strategically placed small spot lights can high light outdoor art.

Adding lighting to your outdoor living space can serve a number of purposes. Whether you want to protect your property, increase visibility for your walkways, or just add some outdoor lighting ambiance, thinking about how all these types of outdoor lighting schemes work together can often result in achieving all of these goals with one lighting design. - 33393

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