Outdoor Lighting Schemes

It’s always around this time of the year that I appreciate the design elements of our outdoor lighting scheme. The days are getting shorter and I find that I am turning on our outdoor lights slightly earlier each day. The result of decent outdoor lighting is that we can still use our outdoor space into late August and September.

During the earlier summer months my backyard was a functional and safe place to socialize and relax without resorting to outdoor lights. Where I live the sun can still be shining until 9.30pm. In fact, during the month of June the skies became dark and the backyard becomes too dark to be safe right around the time I wanted some BBQ guests to leave so it worked out perfectly.

My love of designing outdoor lighting schemes really only began when my partner and I bought our current house. I first saw how charming and romantic an interesting lighting scheme and a few well placed spotlights could be one time I was dining at a downtown restaurant patio after dark. Since then, we have experimented with the lighting plan in our backyard every year, adding and moving string lights, sometimes adding rope lights, sometimes using twinkly lights. Generally the color palette is only white, though sometimes I use color as an accent.

The first thing you need to consider when developing an outdoor lighting scheme is safety. The pathways and the doorways need to be properly illuminated in order to prevent any unexpected stumbles. Properly lit entrance ways including any back alleys that might border your property also increase your level of personal safety. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 100 watts of light at every door, set of steps, or any other place that you might want to go to at night ie alleys or garbage bin areas,

After making sure you have enough light in the main areas, now is the time to have fun with some softer lighting for effect. Remember that uncovered lights can be quite blinding if you need to look directly at them, so try using some subdued lighting, such as an outdoor fixture with a copper “lampshade” which will develop a lovely patina. You can also add lighting in your trees, which will add a lovely effect without creating too much light.

Spending some time to design the lighting scheme of your backyard can be a very rewarding experience. Having guests over to enjoy the outdoor ambiance that you have created is a perfect way to enjoy your outdoor space. Remember that changing the outdoor lighting design is easy and inexpensive, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different placements and types of lighting. You could change your lighting design every year, or your might end up finding the perfect combination, and decide to keep it as a permanent backyard lighting design.

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