Congratulations! You’ve decided to add some lightning to the outside of your home which is a great way to kick up the notch on curb appeal. However, before you begin your lightning project, check out these 4 important tips below.
1. Make Sure Your Light Entries and Exits
Many people are interested in outdoor lighting to showcase a flagpole or interesting architectural features. These are great items to brightly light! However, don’t forget that the most important areas to keep well-lit are the entry and exit areas around your home. This also extends to driveways, paths and doors. Remember, outdoor lighting is for both safety and decoration. Keeping the previously mentioned areas well-lit looks great and keeps people safe.
Photo by Simpatico Interior Design
2. Make Lighting Decisions at Night
It can be tempting to start a lightning project during the day. However, to get a great lightning project, you really need to make key decisions at night. Your lights will be invisible during the day. Drafting and installing a lightning scheme at night is the only way you will be able to know if your lights are truly doing what you want them to do. Also, don’t be afraid to draft different lighting ideas over the course of several nights. Using these different lighting schemes, take photographs of your home all lit up at night. These pictures will allow you to make final lighting decisions when you and others in your home are wide awake and clearheaded.
3. Use Different Types
Don’t let yourself get boxed in with only one type of outdoor light. Use a mixture of floodlights, track lights, and accent lights on your home. There are even ways you can tastefully use Christmas lights on your home throughout the entire year. The diversity of lights will add depth and flavor to your home. However, keep in mind that different lights will require you to keep track of numerous light bulbs. Keep a master list of all of the lights you own to make shopping for replacement bulbs much easier. Remember, a single extinguished bulb can ruin an entire lighting display.
Photo by peter_pan
4. Don’t Light Too Much Or Too Little
Getting the right balance of outdoor lighting can be tricky. You don’t want areas of your house to seem unnecessarily dim. This can make those areas of your home look almost abandoned and unsafe. However, you also don’t want certain areas to be too bright. This will create light pollution, and it will bother your neighbors. Take your time to strike the perfect balance between light and darkness outside your home. One great way to capture this balance is to make sure many of your lights shine solely downward. This increases brightness in targeted areas and inhibits light pollution.
Photo by Michael Abrams Limited
Great outdoor lighting adds value to your home, increases safety, and can provide you with plenty of comfort on a dark night. Use the above tips to starting placing lights outside of your home as soon as you can. Remember, make sure you light all of those entries and exits, make all of your critical lighting decisions at night, use a variety of different lights, and don’t use too many or too few lights on your home. If you follow these tips, your home will be the best house on the block!