Contemporary Outdoor Lighting – Beauty Meets Function

Contemporary exterior lighting has moved far beyond the simple old fashioned porch light. The modern home owner has thousands of choices in outdoor lighting – pathway lights, lanterns, stake lighting for the garden, and mini spot-lights to highlight garden features all contribute to the plethora of choices available.

What type and style of lighting you choose will depend on your landscaping, your attitudes towards conservation, and how much light you need to make your lawn and garden habitable through the long summer evenings. A good way to prepare for shopping for outdoor lighting is to walk through your landscaping at night with your current lights on – notice where the dark spots are, and where you feel you need either more or less light.

One of the real benefits of contemporary outdoor lighting is the availability of lights at a variety of levels from ground lights to strings of overhead lanterns and every height in-between. This variety allows you to light specific areas without creating bleed over or light pollution. Path lights, for example, are designed to line the sides of garden paths and are shielded with lamp shades that cast the light downward, lighting the path but nothing else.

Stake lights allow you to highlight flower beds or landscape features by holding the light just above the level of the plants. Strings of lantern lights can cast a warm glow over a specific area such as a barbeque or a patio.

One of the best innovations in outdoor lighting has been the invention of solar powered lights. Solar power allows you to place numerous lights throughout your garden without consuming commercially produced electricity and raising your carbon footprint. The best landscaping plan will use a combination of solar powered and electrically wired lights.

The perimeter lights and the porch light should be wired to the electrical mains – this way you will have enough light to navigate by, summer or winter, no matter the level of stored solar energy. Use the solar powered lights for pathways, decorative lighting and highlighting features.

Contemporary outdoor lighting supplies more choices than ever before for creating stunning landscape displays at night as well as by day. Many styles are purposely designed to ‘disappear’ into the garden landscape.

Other styles will become part of the display itself – copper, wood and other natural looking materials are used to create lights that enhance your garden and landscape features.