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Outdoor Entertaining: Light it Right

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Warm weather calls for outdoor entertaining of all kinds. It’s easy enough to hang string lights and light some candles in hurricane style lanterns, but why not take it a step further and install some permanent outdoor lighting? There’s a wide selection of decorative fixtures that are designed especially for outdoor use, adding just the right amount of light to make the outdoors come alive at night.

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Just like inside the home, layering light outside is essential to create a welcoming atmosphere and the perfect outdoor living area. Light layering uses three layers of light: ambient, task, and accent lighting. Begin by selecting ambient lighting that provides a general, comfortable level of brightness. Try flush mount ceiling fixtures, hang a pendant or chandelier, or choose a lighted ceiling fan that provides a pleasant breezy atmosphere while lighting up the night.

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Task lighting is necessary over grills, outdoor stoves, sinks, and bars. Several small pendant lights work well in these areas or install recessed lighting into the ceiling to provide direct light over work areas.

Finally, add accent and decorative lighting that accentuates the home’s architectural features and style. For entertaining areas, select wall-mounted fixtures such as sconces or lanterns. Outdoor chandeliers and pendants are a stylish way to bring the design appeal of indoor lighting outside. For a professional, pulled-together look, choose light fixtures with the same finish as the door pulls, fencing, and outdoor furniture.

Lighting, Outdoor Lighting, Decorative Fixtures, Decorative Hardware, Track Lighting, Design Lighting Group, Atlanta Georgia
Lighting, Outdoor Lighting, Decorative Fixtures, Decorative Hardware, Track Lighting, Design Lighting Group, Atlanta Georgia

 

As a final touch, control the lights with timers, dimmers, or motion sensors to turn on lights only when needed or turn them down as desired to create the perfect atmosphere.

Remember that any lighting for the outdoors must be rated for outdoor use, even in areas that are covered. A damp or wet location rating ensures that the fixture is waterproof and that dust and rain won’t interfere with the bulb or circuitry. Outdoor lighting must be durable enough to stand up to the elements.

 

Article Provided By: Progress Lighting

Design Lighting Group offers a large variety of lighting systems, Decorative Fixtures, Recessed/Track, Outdoor Lighting, LED Lighting, Antiques, and more. If you would like to discuss your lighting needs please do not hesitate to call us at 404-351-5010 or                                                               email us at info@dlightinggroup.com.

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Outdoor Lighting, Lighting, Design Lighting Group LLC, Design Lighting Group, Atlanta, GA

Guide to Outdoor Lighting

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Whether you are revamping your entire outdoor lighting plan or just adding a few fixtures to the mix, this guide will help you efficiently illuminate your outdoor space.

As staples in any home lighting plan, outdoor lighting is great for highlighting your landscape and yard , as well as the facade of your home. Outdoor lights can highlight focal points and hide eyesores in your outdoor space. This outdoor lighting guide will help you make the right lighting choices for your entry way, garden, yard, patio or porch.

Think Ambiance

Carefully planned lighting in your outdoor areas adds to the ambience. In your backyard, the lighting also sets a mood for outdoor dining. A well-lit outdoor dining area makes your backyard useable at night for entertaining, essentially adding an entirely new “room” to your home.

Highlight Features

Consider adding spotlights to highlight key parts of your yard, such as a tree or fountain. The spotlights will draw the eye in that direction and transform the feature that is being illuminated.

Placement of your outdoor lighting is essential. The key is to make your lighting blend into its surroundings to create a mood without making the source of light obvious. Small fixtures and spotlights are ideal for this, as they can be easily hidden in foliage or rocks.

Stay Up to Date on the Trends

Lighting styles for outdoor fixtures are often influenced by current interior design trends. For instance, sleek and modern fixtures are becoming more popular for outdoor spaces. Choose a style that blends well with the general exterior of your home, whether it is classic, modern, rustic or industrial.

Rustic Lanterns and Novelty Lights

Lanterns bring a rustic yet chic style to your home’s exterior and are perfectly at-home on wooden patios. Whether your exterior is classic or modern, there are different style fixtures to match any theme.

Security Lighting

No outdoor lighting buying guide would be complete without discussing security lights. Well-lit areas around entrances, windows, and garage doors increase your sense of safety while leaving concerns at bay. Whether you choose motion-activated lights or not, consider the angle and wattage of the light — as you want to increase the safety of your yard without shining bright lights through the neighbor’s windows.

Look Before You Buy: A Few Lighting Tips to Consider

•   Create a lighting plan – walk around at night with a flashlight to see how the light will interact with the house and landscape. This will help you to get a good sense of where light is needed.

•   Layer your light – just like interior lighting, consider ambient, task, and accent lighting for outside.

•   Consider your environment – choose Energy Star lighting and LED bulbs over incandescent lights. Dark Sky Approved fixtures minimize glare while reducing light pollution.

•   Stay in control – use dimmer switches, timers, and motion sensors to control outdoor light fixtures.

•   Be aware of the elements – all outdoor lighting fixtures and wires need to be made of weather-resistant materials.

•   Get the right size – lights for a front door or entryway should be relative to the height of the door or opening. If you are just using one sconce, it should be about one-third of the height of the door. If using two, they should be smaller than a single one, about one-quarter of the height of the door.

This outdoor lighting guide offers just a few ideas you can use to light your outdoor spaces. How are you illuminating your outdoor areas?

Article Provided By: Lamps.com

Design Lighting Group offers a large variety of lighting systems, Decorative Fixtures, Recessed/Track, Outdoor Lighting, LED Lighting, Antiques, and more. If you would like to discuss your lighting needs please do not hesitate to call us at 404-351-5010 or                                                               email us at info@dlightinggroup.com.

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The Importance of Outdoor Lighting

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There are plenty of reasons why it is a good idea to add functional outdoor lighting to your home. In fact, even if you are opting for including landscape lighting in your outdoor design you will find there are benefits you hadn’t even thought of. So if you are on the fence about whether or not you should move forward with this lighting, here are some things to consider.

  • Illumination – This is the obvious reason most people opt for outdoor lighting. You want a way to light up the outside of your home for those times you have over friends and family for BBQs and get togethers on the patio or lawn. Even if you just like to enjoy evenings alone on your porch you should have proper lighting in order to be able to enjoy it.
  • Safety – General lighting is good for safety, however you may want to add to what you have with details like walkway lighting. Part of the reason you want to add exterior lighting to your home is to prevent injuries. This will also help reduce the risk of someone slipping and falling on your property and then suing you for damages. Pay careful attention to areas where traffic may be highest such as around pools, decks or other outdoor seating areas.
  • Decor – The right choice in lighting can actually become part of the landscaping. It will help to showcase aspects of your landscaping design or garden while also offering the right amount of aesthetics. Highlight details like certain trees or even added water features like a pond or waterfall. To really make it customized to your unique style, consider mood lighting or lighting you can dim depending on the atmosphere you want to create.
  • Curb Appeal – Just as the right lighting showcases what you want seen, the right placement can take the focus from what you don’t want. Use your lighting plan to really make certain aspects of your house or landscaping pop. This will divert the eye away from what you’d rather not showcase, like your utility shed. Working with a professional will help you to determine where the best placement is.
  • Property Value – Almost anything you do to improve your house will help to add additional value. So, the good news is that the initial upfront investment for your landscape lighting will have an immediate return by increasing your property value.
  • Security – Homeowners rarely fully comprehend the true value exterior lights have for helping as an added security measure. Keep in mind that a criminal is looking for a place to burglarize or vandalize that is not going to be easy to be detected. Obviously a home lit up like a Christmas tree is not going to be the best candidate. Even if you would rather not have bright lights shining outside your home at all times to deter criminal activity, consider adding motion lights as a deterrent instead.

Keep It Green

The good news is too that you can add outdoor lighting to your home but still make it an eco-friendly project. There are plenty of options available for energy-efficient lighting choices when designing your landscape lighting. This works out in your favor for two great reasons.

For one obviously, you are doing the right and responsible thing you should as a homeowner for helping to protect and preserve the environment. The other added bonus to making this wise choice is that it means less money on your monthly utility bills. So the money you invest in your lighting will at least be much kinder to your monthly utility bills.

Another way you can always go green is using some motion sensor lighting. Since these only come on when triggered and do not remain on, you are using way less energy. And of course, this will also reflect on monthly lighting bills that are not as high. There are plenty of other great reasons to add outdoor lighting to your home but these are some of the most popular ones. Find just the right lighting professional to plan out your lighting so that you can be confident that it will be done correctly.

Article Provided By: Footbridge Media

Design Lighting Group offers a large variety of lighting systems, Decorative Fixtures, Recessed/Track, Outdoor Lighting, LED Lighting, Antiques, and more. If you would like to discuss your lighting needs please do not hesitate to call us at 404-351-5010 or                                                               email us at info@dlightinggroup.com.