Whether you own a large backyard with a shed or a small garden, leaving your outdoor space dark can make your home look uninviting and unappealing – no matter how much work you put into gardening and decorating.
Installing the right outdoor lighting can boost ambiance, improve home security, help you avoid tripping hazards, repel bugs and raccoons, and more.
Improve Your Home’s Aesthetic
Want to stand out from your neighbours? Good outdoor lighting can help you achieve that. Adding warm string lights, lanterns, or lamp posts can amp up the ambiance of your living space, making it look gorgeous to visitors.
Floor lights can highlight the texture of your stone pathway, lamp posts can focus light on your pretty flower beds, and bollards can subtly illuminate the street around your home.
Added Safety
Trespassers are least likely to break into a home that’s well-lit. Furthermore, lighting is necessary to keep your backyard safe for guests to check out and avoid tripping and falling.
Bug Repellent
Everyone hates bugs – cockroaches, spiders, and everything in between. But did you know that a bright light in your backyard will repel these pesky creatures from infiltrating your garden and attacking those plants you care for daily? It’s good to install LED lights on your deck railing to push back bugs.
Décor For Events
So, you’ve decided to host a birthday, baby shower, wedding, or casual dinner party in your backyard? No matter the theme of your party, solid lighting is necessary to make the event lively and make sure the pictures turn out great!
Lights are also essential to highlight lakeside features, fountains, pools, and gazebos.
Choosing Outdoor Lights
Before you pick lighting options for your outdoors, there are some factors to consider.
First is the fixtures. While most fixtures are metallic and durable, various types of metal have different properties.
Aluminum is a more affordable choice. It’s dust and rust-resistant; however, the aluminum paint oxidizes over time. Powder-coated aluminum is more expensive, but the colour is long-lasting. Stainless steel looks great with open concepts and modern architecture, though it rusts quickly. Use it if you can clean and replace them regularly. Lastly, brass is more robust and weather resistant but less affordable.
Secondly, consider where you’re installing these fixtures. If you get dry-rated lights that can easily be damaged by moisture, install them on patios only. Usually, though, the waterproof coating should be a priority.
Lastly, the fixture style you pick also matters. Remember, the lights are switched off during the daytime, so they need to match the aesthetic of your home. Traditional lights with curved, ornate designs match Colonial/Victorian houses. Contemporary, minimalistic lights in geometric shapes work better for modern homes.
Cool Outdoor Lighting Ideas
There are numerous outdoor lighting options to enhance your landscape in Calgary. We’ve listed them down to make the selection process easier for you.
Post Lights. These fixtures are placed on top of poles, which is helpful to illuminate a larger area.
Wall Lights. These are good for garages and patios. Lantern wall lights can be installed around outdoor furniture to create warmth and play with the architectural details (work well by an older brick wall). However, they’re accent lights and must be paired with a lamp or hanging light.
Hanging Lights. These are great to put underneath a pergola/over an outdoor sitting area. String-hanging lights are a go-to for most people.
Security Lights. They can be installed to improve home security near the backyard wall and your front gate. They’re usually the brightest.
Landscape Lights. These lights are added to pathways, garden beds, driveways, etc. Add small lamp posts and floor lights around the walkway or flower bed to make the area bright and safe. Landscape lights also draw attention to the plants you’ve worked hard to grow.
Deck Lights. Deck lights are moderate-intensity lights fixed in grooves on the surface, surrounding a perimeter like a deck or stairs. They accentuate the texture of your wood deck while helping you avoid tripping hazards.
Spot Lighting. Last but not least, spotlighting is another excellent way to highlight some garden features, such as large trees or lawn ornaments. These are bullet-shaped and fixed into the ground, shining light at the object above.
So, are you looking to enhance your outdoors with a landscaping project? If so, be sure to explore landscape supplies in Calgary. The right landscape supplies will supplement your outdoor lighting, making your garden or backyard look visually appealing.
