When most people think of landscape lighting, they imagine path lights- those little lamps on a stick that line so many sidewalks and driveways. These outdoor lighting fixtures certainly have their place in a landscape lighting portrait. For safety, path lights are useful to illuminate a change in grade, such as steps or a steep slope. We also often recommend placing a single path light in a container full of striking annuals. Lighting them at night creates a lovely focal point.
Problems with Path Lights
The light from a path light is not visible from a distance. They shine down at your feet, and from the perspective of the street or lawn, don’t illuminate anything up above. They only provide benefit when you are close to the lighting source. In the picture below, you can see the gravel of the pathway very well, but the beautiful plantings are hidden in the dark. While this lighting technique does provide safety, it turns the ground into a focal point and isn’t very interesting.
Combine Accent Lighting with Path Lights for Beautiful, Ambient Outdoor Lighting
There are other options that both light up paths and enhance the beauty of your home’s architecture and landscaping. Accent lights on trees and the home’s facade create ambient lighting that reflects off those surfaces to illuminate paths and driveways. This soft lighting helps people navigate on foot and while driving. The picture below shows a combination of uplights, wall washing and path lights for a truly breathtaking view. The walkways are safely illuminated, but they aren’t the center of attention.
Give Lux Landscape Lighting a call for a personalized landscape lighting portrait that highlights the best features of your home exterior and outdoor living spaces, (513) 964-1250.
Photos Courtesy of Hunter Industries Incorporated
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