You probably already know how beautiful your St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Areas landscape can look with landscape lighting but did you think about how much more secure you will feel with the right illumination after dark? A custom outdoor lighting design can illuminate dark areas and bring out your favorite parts of the property. With a little planning and some nighttime assessments, you can find the spaces in the landscape that you want to illuminate to maximize the beauty. Here are some ideas for you!
Water Features
A water feature like a fountain in the center of the circular driveway or a waterfall that spills over landscape boulders into a small pond can get lost in the darkness but they don’t have to. When you add landscape lighting to these water features, they can take on a new look from day to night.
You might want to illuminate the water feature base to highlight the entire structural design. Adding up-lights to the feature can illuminate from below while lighting inside the flowing water can create a dramatic look. Moving water can be mesmerizing particularly when you change the lighting color from white to a subtle shade of blue or green.
For a waterfall in which you want the texture and size of the boulders to stand out, you can add smaller lights that shine upward into the shrubs from the base of the trunk and illuminate the small pond below the waterfall, too.
Columns and Architectural Details
Lighting the stone or brick columns can draw the eyes to the height and designs of these building details. Lighting from the bottom of the columns can magnify the texture and visual interest of the stone while illumination for corbels and unique architectural details can highlight the amazing design of your house.
Outdoor Living Areas
While illuminating the outdoor living areas might seem obvious, there are some details to consider. A landscape professional might recommend mixing brighter task lighting with warmer white light and this is a good strategy.
The brighter lights can illuminate the outdoor living areas when you are playing card or board games after dark. Bright lighting can be essential for an outdoor kitchen where you are preparing and cooking food after dark and want to be sure to cook the food well. It is also helpful for working with sharp knives to prevent cutting yourself accidentally.
Dimmable lighting can create an ambiance for evening parties and intimate dinners where you want to set the right mood.
How a Landscape Company Can Help
Permanent landscape lighting is energy-efficient and durable, lasting for many years of reliable use. You might be tempted to use solar light fixtures but they only last for a season and then must be replaced.
LED landscape lighting will work in any weather to illuminate the spaces you love in your landscape. It operates automatically so you don’t have to worry about turning it on or off but you can change the on/off times and light colors at the touch of your smartphone, making the lighting easy and fun when you want.
When you rely on decades of outdoor lighting expertise from a landscape professional, your whole landscape can be a magical place after dark.