Landscape Lighting Design - Bright Ideas for Your Landscape
Expert Landscape Lighting Design - Brighten Up Your Property
There are many great benefits that GMC Landscapes can offer you with the right outdoor lighting. One of the main benefits is that it’ll make your home much more safe and secure. Another benefit is that the outdoor spaces can then be enjoyed in the evening after the sun has gone down for the day. When thinking about outdoor lighting installation, you should plan to incorporate a variety of different fixtures and lighting types. There is something very important to remember here: You must also take into consideration the home’s landscaping and what power sources you have available for use.
What Lighting Is Used for
At GMC Landscapes, we can show you how to use the right lighting technique to highlight your home’s important features and create a dramatic effect. We have several different techniques we can use to help you with this, including:
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Highlighting is a common, useful technique. It’s done by placing a spotlight at the bottom of an outdoor feature. Depending on its distance and angle here, you can create the perfect amount of illumination.
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Silhouetting occurs when you place a spotlight behind a feature and aim it at an adjacent wall. Doing so creates an illuminated backdrop which is a great way to showcase things like plants.
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Shadowing is similar to silhouetting but the goal here is to create a softer shadow. This works best with open, delicate-looking trees.
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Wall-washing is a great way to create an even, soothing light coming from the wall the light is pointing at. This is done by placing the light a few feet away from the feature and giving it a sideways angle. While you may think a spotlight would work well here, for this you actually want to use a wide-angle flood light that has low voltage.
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Up-lighting is a technique that’s similar to wall-washing, but you use a spotlight for it instead. You also place the light closer to the wall. In doing so, you’ll create a bolder effect.
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Moonlighting is done by placing a big light with a full glare guard high in a tree and angling the light downwards. In doing so, it’ll look like there’s moonlight shining down through the tree’s branches. Not only is this both natural-looking and beautiful, it also creates attractive shadow patterns on the ground.
What to Look for in Lighting
When you’re considering outdoor lighting installation, you’ll want to look for landscape lights that are both long-lasting and energy-efficient. Your best choice for this are LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs. This is because they consume less energy than CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs.
Another great option we have to offer is solar landscape lights. These have a rechargeable battery in them that’s powered by the sun’s rays. Not only does this make them eco-friendly, but they’re also relatively easy to install. However, it’s important for them to receive direct sunlight throughout the day. You should also know that they won’t offer as much light as wired landscape lighting.
If you have an area in your yard that needs more brightness, we recommend that you consider a low-voltage light (taking 12 volts instead of the typical 120 volts). These are also easy to install and energy-efficient. They connect to a transformer through wires that are buried underground. What’s great about them is there’s a low risk of electrical shock.
Types of Landscaping Lighting
When you want sleek, energy-efficient fixtures for lighting your home, we have several options available for you to choose from.
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Floodlights are a great way to illuminate large areas of your yard, making your home safer and securer. Most of these lights simply mount in the ground from where they offer three levels of light. Once you have landscaping lighting services install them for you, they’re virtually maintenance-free. Most will last 50,000 hours without requiring a bulb change.
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To illuminate your whole yard, use a combination of both pathway lights and spotlights. Since these are typically low-voltage fixtures, it means that they must be hardwired to a transformer. However, they’re safe to use in both rain and snow. Typically, path lights will measure 23 inches tall while spotlights are 5 inches long.
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For lighting your home’s exterior, we suggest that you opt for a 13-inch-tall spotlight. Typically, they’re solar-powered so they’re easy to install as long as you make sure they get direct sunlight. You simply stake them in the ground and the battery will recharge itself. Then they’ll automatically turn on and off depending on the rising and the setting of the sun.
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Landscape well lights are a great option when you’re looking for something that sits mainly underground and blends seamlessly with things around it. These lights use low-voltage power to project soft white light upwards. Seeing as they’re waterproof, they’ll stand up to most weather conditions.
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Landscape path lighting is a great option for lining your sidewalk. Not only do they provide nighttime safety, but they’re also known for their curb appeal. Most of them measure 17-inches tall and are held in place with a ground stake.
We have many different lighting options available for you to choose from. This is great news if you want to find something that fits nicely with your home’s aesthetics and other landscaping. What’s even better is that we have years of experience working with these different types of lighting so we’ll help you choose what’s truly best for your home.
When you’re ready to install lighting around your home you should get in touch with GMC Landscapes. With years of experience working with landscaping lighting, you can’t go wrong with us. You’ll receive nothing but the best, highest quality landscaping lighting services. So, if you live in Seattle and need landscaping lighting make sure to contact us today.
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