The Secrets To Garden Lighting

Established lighting design theory revolves around the idea of identifying and mixing together four main lighting types, namely decorative, accent, ambient and task lighting. And out in the garden we find that things are in principle little different for designing effective outdoor lighting. However, there are some important differences to be aware of before we look further at each of these lighting types.

First there are significant differences in scale. Inside rooms have walls and ceilings that define their extent and they are actually quite compact when set against even the smallest garden. Outside the ceiling is literally sky high and such boundaries as there are tend to be quite low and pretty much disappear altogether at night.

This brings both opportunities and challenges for outdoor lighting design. Most indoor lighting is reflected from ceilings and walls and contributes to the overall ambient light. Outside however, lights appear to us as zones of brightness that, rather than spilling onto surrounding areas instead create a contrast, making then seem even darker.

This absence of ambient light from reflections renders many interior lighting techniques unusable outdoors. However, it also makes a number of interesting effects possible by utilising the high contrast between light and dark; it is not uncommon to find night time gardens that have been designed to appear completely different to their day time counterpart through the simple expedient of highlighting some features and disguising others.

Then there is the matter of how to utilise your outdoor areas. Conventional garden design principles teach the concept of treating the garden as if it were just another room (or an extra set of rooms) in the home, and this treatment thus also applies to the lighting.

You almost certainly employ different lighting arrangements for various rooms based on their intended use, so bedroom lighting would be quite distinct from kitchen lighting for example. So if you planned on using your deck as a place to entertain then it would be prudent to install lighting suitable for that purpose. Likewise, you would (presumably) use quite different lighting for a pathway or to illuminate say a water feature – different purpose.

Which brings us then to the four main lighting types and their application outdoors.

Whereas indoors ambient lighting mainly provides a platform for the other types of lighting, in the garden this really isn’t possible without the confines of reflective walls. Accordingly ambient light quite frequently takes centre stage outdoors; many solar powered garden lamps provide good examples of the sort of soft, diffuse light that can be used to introduce a pleasant and understated glow to any part of the garden.

Accent lighting on the other hand is all about highlighting key features and picking out detail and color. It is used to lead the eye around the garden and commonly relies on spot lights and these days LED lights.

Decorative lighting serves much the same overall purpose as accent lighting in that it is there simply to look attractive and catch your eye; the principal difference is that decorative lighting doesn’t illuminate anything else – it is itself the focal point. And like accent lighting, most modern decorative lighting is in fact LED based.

Outdoor task lighting is generally less to do with providing light sufficient for reading and so on and more concerned with enabling people to see where they’re going. It’s found in path lighting or set into a deck and around BBQ areas.

As with interior lighting design, the key to success with garden lighting is to blend all four types all lighting, preferably also with the option to switch task lighting on and off independently. If you rely solely on ambient light your garden will appear amorphous and slightly gloomy; conversely all accent lighting will make it look over dramatic and a bit harsh, and if only decorative lights are used the effect is likely be appear uncoordinated and somewhat chintzy.

An easy way to ensure a good mix of lighting types in your garden is to buy different types of light fitting. So have a number of different styles of spotlight (varying in brightness and beam angle) plus say some all purpose lanterns and spikes. Mix in a few coloured lights and combine both solar and low voltage mains lighting. LED garden lights are commonly found in both these formats and complement each other very well.