There is an increasing trend: outdoor living areas are becoming important to families who seek to expand their space, with emphasis on areas for both function and entertainment.
Unfortunately, most states in the U.S. don’t receive a significant amount of time during the year to lounge around outside comfortably, while some states enjoy comfortable weather year round.
Whether you’re trying to take advantage of the limited time you have or you are trying to enhance the outdoor living spaces you use frequently, the easiest way to do this is with landscape lighting.
Extend the nighttime and enhance your outdoor living spaces with some of these beautiful and functional outdoor lighting ideas.
Hardscape Lights
Linear-style LED hardscape lights are ideal for adding low-profile illumination to a variety of outdoor living spaces such as kitchens, firepits, or seating areas. These lights can be installed underneath countertops, retainer wall capstones, or outdoor steps.
The subtle illumination produced by hardscape lights helps to create a relaxing ambiance while simultaneously adding safety to areas such as outdoor kitchens and staircases. The versatile hardscape mounting options offered by VOLT® also allow for easy installation in any setting.
Deck & Step Lights
Typically mounted on deck or fence posts, LED deck lights help to illuminate entertainment areas with soft light. Deck lights can also be positioned on rails to provide subtle illumination for outdoor staircases and increase safety. Most deck lights allow for direct surface mounting, which makes them easy to install for any application.
For lining outdoor steps or recessing in retainer walls, LED step lights provide safe guidance, signal elevation changes, and help defines perimeters within a landscape. VOLT® step lights are available in two different styles: one version requires recessed installation, and the other is a more compact style that allows for direct surface mounting.
Downlights
When the living space allows, downlighting is a technique used to light from above. Downlights are mounted high up in a tree, architectural feature, or other structure to illuminate spaces below.
Another term for downlighting is ‘moonlighting’ since light comes from above and provides a natural ambiance. Downlights are ideal for illuminating outdoor kitchens, or outdoor dining areas with functional yet beautiful light.
Bistro Lights
Bistro lights, also known as string lights or cafe lights, are hanging lights ideal for adding a festive ambiance to outdoor living spaces. Bistro lights provide light from above and create a feeling of occasion, a desire to be outdoors, and provide functionality.
These lights are typically easy to install and plug directly into 120V outlets via traditional 3-prong plugs. Guide wire kits are also available for safe and secure mounting.
Specialty Lights
Unique landscape lights such as tiki torch lights or decorative path lights can also enhance outdoor living spaces.
Tiki lights can help transform a living space into a tropical oasis by providing beautiful, functional area lighting while also using citronella oil to repel flies, mosquitoes, and ticks.
Decorative lights such as coach-style path lights, or bollard lights, can provide unique and beautiful area lighting effects with flame simulating LEDs or intricate designs used to blend light and shadow.
Whether you’re lighting for security, safety, festivities, or beauty, installing landscape lighting is the solution. With VOLT, you can create fully-functioning entertainment areas for their family and guests while also enhancing the natural beauty of your nightscape.
