The right type of lighting is vital to our wellbeing and impacts greatly on our mood and the way we feel. Lighting is equally important for the garden as it is for inside the home, but often our outdoor area is overlooked while the home takes precedence. However, lighting your gardens effectively will help to enhance its level of comfort, while also making it safer in terms of security and wayfinding.
Garden lighting technology and design has improved exponentially. You may find that there’s just about as many exterior light fittings as interior ones. Which is great for choice but can be downright confusing. This comprehensive outdoor lighting guide will provide you with advice and technical information to help you choose the right lighting for your garden.
Learn about:
- The 3 main advantages of exterior lighting
- 12 types of outdoor lights
- 6 factors to consider when choosing outdoor lighting
- Garden lighting most frequently asked questions
3 main advantages of exterior lighting
Ambience
Outdoor accent lighting can be cleverly used to accentuate areas in the garden that work well and turn them into a nice focal point, while also detracting from the less attractive areas. Look for the features of your garden and use outdoor lighting to enhance them. This could be a garden bed, beautiful tree, pool area, steps or along a fence to showcase plants.
Safety
Installing garden lighting will not only help in achieving a lovely ambiance, but it will also make entertaining easier, safer, and more enjoyable if pathways and steps are lit for clear wayfinding. Lighting can also assist with making a home more secure if trespassers can be seen by neighbors. Fittings such as motion detection sensors can also help to deter trouble.
Wellbeing
Good lighting is vital to the way we feel. Just like within our home, we feel at ease and relaxed when the right type of lighting is used. The same applies to our garden. It’s unlikely you will feel content by having a bright glaring flood light illuminate your garden versus soft accent lighting.
12 types of outdoor lights
With several types of garden lights to choose from, we have listed 10 of the most popular types below. These can assist in creating a successful outdoor lighting scheme.
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- Garden spotlights – can be used to uplight plants, trees, hedges, garden beds and even garden statues or sculptures.
- Garden wall lights – Garden wall lights are LED and come in and up & down directional configurations for casting light both up onto the wall and down onto a pot or planter box.
- LED strip lighting – Another great option for highlighting a planter box is a waterproof LED strip light. It can be housed in an aluminum extrusion with frosted diffusers to create a warm glow.
- Pendant lighting and lamps
Feature hanging pendant lamps and table, floor lamps have become popular for patio areas as they help to create that indoor / outdoor connection and make your patio feel like an extension of your living area. - Garden bollard lights – (Also known as garden spikes) bollards work well for lighting garden beds, pathways and driveways.
- Deck lighting – is an LED spotlight type of fitting in which the faceplate is fixed into the deck and sits flush.
- Outdoor stair lights – stair lights can be positioned to cast light over a step or can be recessed or surface mounted within or onto a step.
- Garden fairy lights – or string lights provide a lovely cozy and cute ambiance under a patio, or along a fence. Just make sure they are designed for outdoor use.
- Pool lighting – Pool lights are available in both LED and halogen in a single color and multi-color.
- Pond lighting – The beauty of a pond or water feature can be greatly enhanced with warm LED accent lighting in the form of a directional spotlight. There are fittings specifically designed for fountains, ponds, and waterfalls.
- Motion detection sensors – A great energy-efficient option for security and deterring trespassers, but will also make guests feel welcome when greeted by light.
- Floodlights – Emitting a wide beam of light, floodlights are used for very dark areas of the garden that need to be lit for security or safety purposes such as a driveway. It will overshadow any other type of garden lighting so not recommended as a rear garden lighting option.
6 factors to consider when choosing outdoor lighting
- Consider your budget
Like most things the cost of outdoor lighting and installation can creep up if you don’t have a set budget in mind. In order to ascertain a realistic budget, start researching the costs of fittings and labour. It’s ideal to have a drafting professional team like Superdraft who can do this tedious task for you. - Look for fittings with certified IP ratings
What is a certified IP rating?
A product with a certified IP rating means it has been tested to ensure its safety and level of protection and determines how water or dust resistant a fitting is. - Choose good quality materials that are suitable for their application
In order for the light fitting to survive the elements, it must be fit for purpose and made from a long-lasting, weather-resistant material that won’t corrode or rust, especially if you live by the sea. - Consider colour temperature
Outdoor lighting is available with cool or warm color temperatures. It’s best to match your existing lighting scheme if you have one. However, a warmer colour temp will create soft mood lighting, while a cooler temp can be good for practical areas that are being lit for safety reasons. - Consider the style of your home and what type of interior fittings you have in your home
Is your home modern, traditional, coastal, farmhouse, country, or classic? Look for fittings that reflect the style of your home to maintain a good flow and to keep the design consistent. - Consider how the garden lighting scheme will look from inside your home
Garden lighting isn’t just to be enjoyed from your outdoor entertaining area, it can create a beautiful focal point through a window in the evening. As such, you want to avoid bright lights and choose soothing low light or accent color options.
For more advice, read this article on tips on choosing outdoor lighting.
Garden lighting most frequently asked questions
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- What are the best types of materials for outdoor lighting?
Garden lighting fittings come in an array of suitable materials such as stainless steel, brass, and copper. Deciding between these comes down to style preference. 316 stainless steel won’t age like brass or copper.
Other materials that aren’t as hard-wearing are aluminum or powder-coated aluminum and plastic. For obvious reasons plastic should be avoided unless you’re happy to replace all of your lighting in a short space of time. Aluminum won’t hold up as well as the other materials mentioned but should last a few years if powder coated or marine coated.
- What are the best types of materials for outdoor lighting?
- Do I need a professional to install my garden lighting?
Whether you need a professional, like Brite Creations, to install depends on if your garden lighting is 12 volt or 24 volts or on how confidently you think you can do the job.
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- What is the difference between 12 volt and 24 volt?
12-volt lighting is the safer of the two options as it won’t cause an electric shock. Typically outdoor fittings will be 12V which allows for cables to sit above the ground. If the fittings are 240V, the cabling must be channeled into the ground and installed by a qualified electrician only. - What is the difference between LED and halogen?
LEDs are the most energy-efficient type of lighting. Approx. 70-80% more efficient than a halogen, therefore will last longer. - Do garden lights need a transformer?
A transformer is required for both LED and Halogen garden light fittings to reduce excess voltage and prevent lights from burning out.
- What is the difference between 12 volt and 24 volt?
- How will my garden lights turn on and off?
Garden lights can be connected to a switch installed by an electrician, or they run on a digital timer. A timer is a great option as it allows you to program your lights to come on at a specific time.
- Do solar lights really work?
If you choose a quality product from a reputable supplier – yes. Solar lights do have their advantages and their disadvantages. They are safe, cost-effective, and can be easily and quickly installed without needing an electrician, and as they run on solar, won’t contribute to your energy bill. On the downside, they may not work properly if they don’t receive adequate sunlight, get particularly dirty or if water becomes trapped. They can sometimes have a faulty sensor and over time the battery will wear out, however, they can easily be replaced. - How do I decide what type of lighting should go where in my garden?
If your garden lighting project is quite complex and after reading this article you are still undecided about how to best proceed with your lighting scheme, it’s best to engage a designer.
Author: Sarah McCahey, Superdraft
Sarah McCahey is an experienced interior designer and works for Superdraft, a project coordination platform that helps customers plan, design, and build their dreamspace. You can view more of her educational and informative blog pieces to help you plan your renovation or new home build here.
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