Your backyard space might be large or small. It might have a soft slope down your lawn, or it might be peppered with stepping stones. Or perhaps it has patches of mulch around well-nurtured trees and bushes. The right lighting for your outdoor space will add a touch of style to your decor.
Whatever your outdoor space looks like, its purpose is to nurture. It’s your refuge from the world. It’s your retreat into a cove of safety and contentment.
If your backyard space doesn’t provide that, it can. Knowing how starts with simply turning the lights on.
How to Get the Lights Right
It is from the Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) and registered interior designer. The specialist talks about lighting a lot and often as an element of safety. Lighting is crucial to keep all ages safe in bathrooms and kitchens, in particular.
Even outdoors, though, we would start with lighting to create the “perfect” outdoor space. A serene setting will have soft, warm light bathing the entire space from the right height and intervals. It will illuminate and isolate your “cove” as an independent, secure space.
TIP: For all practical purposes (and for real relaxation), install lighting dimmers so you can adjust the light depending on the lateness of the day or your preferences at the moment. Enhance the serenity of the scene even more by connecting outdoor lighting to your smart speaker system if you have one. Then you can raise or dim the lights by voice command.
Plan Your Lighting
The lighting in an outdoor space will always be complex (that is, from multiple sources). If you have a firepit, for example, even the best intentions to use it as your light source one night could be thwarted by a rainstorm the morning before. And just think about how much the brightness of the night sky varies as the moon waxes and wanes!
There’s only one light source you have total control over, and it’s essential to get it right if it’s the real serenity you’re after.
Top 6 Lighting Selections for Serenity
Alessia Outdoor Sconce by Arterior Home
Your lighting selection should favor warm, soft, glowing illumination, like this glass-encased lantern. This selection is called the Alessia Outdoor Sconce by Arterior Home.
Shani Outdoor Pendant by Arterior Homes
This Shani Outdoor Pendant by Arterior Homes fills and warms the very heart of your outdoor space if you hang it centrally as a focal point.
Angus High Outdoor Sconce by Elk Home
Think about the other sources of light in your space, too, and plan the placement of your pendants and sconces accordingly. Ground lighting can complement your outdoor patio lighting, but security motion sensors could overpower it.
This Angus High Outdoor Sconce by Elk Home gives you greater control with its subtle texture and relatively transparent glass. Use a dimmer with this selection, and then you can adjust with optimal precision for the other lights in your space.
Portside Wide Outdoor Pendant by Elk Home
Another pendant option with clear glass (where you can use dimmers for precise light control) is this Portside Wide Outdoor Pendant by Elk Home.
Corsica Outdoor Floor Lamp by Elk Home
Finally, invest the time and energy in selecting wall lights, pendants, or standing lanterns that complete the look and feel you’re after. Just look at this Corsica Outdoor Floor Lamp by Elk Home. Does it fit the “look” of someone you know?
Central Square Outdoor Post Light by Elk Home
Now picture a larger backyard with winding walking paths. That space merits a selection like this elegant Central Square Outdoor Post Light by Elk Home. Just imagine this in the right yard!
Rethink your garden or patio space in the context of that serenity you seek, starting with the lighting that provides absolute contentment. You can make your spaces serene by using high-quality lighting for outdoor space.
AESA rates and reviews the best post-lights and top-quality lighting products based on quality, convenience, and durability.
