Outdoor Patio Lighting
One of the most important areas to install residential exterior lighting is by your patio. After all, a patio is an extra living space, and if you don’t have adequate lighting, you lose that space at night. A patio should be a place for you and your family to relax. From spring to fall, your patio is a great spot for barbeques with family and friends. Even in the winter, a patio can be a wonderful place to bundle up around a fire pit. Some hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows can really bring out the holiday spirit on a chilly winter night. Of course, none of that is possible without adequate residential exterior lighting.
When it comes to lighting your patio, there are lots of options for what fixtures to use. Many patios already include some kind of porch light. While a porch light may provide some light for enjoying your patio at night, it is far from the best solution for residential exterior lighting. A porch light can be glaring if it is bright enough to be useful. It also provides a single light source that can leave you with lots of dark shadows.
To get residential exterior lighting right, you’ll need to get a little more creative. One great solution for outdoor patio lighting is to use downlighting fixtures. Downlighting fixtures can be hidden under the soffit right over your patio or high up in trees around your patio.
Another option is to use wall sconces. While a single porch light may leave you with deep, dark shadows, expanding your residential exterior lighting sources can chase away the dark. Two or more classy wall sconces can shine light from multiple directions. That creates plenty of outdoor patio lighting without the shadows.
Outdoor Wall Lighting
Any discussion of residential exterior lighting would be incomplete without talking about outdoor wall lighting. As outdoor and landscape lighting specialists, we talk a lot about some fancy lighting techniques. It’s true that downlighting, uplighting, well-lights, and well-planned bullet lights are great for residential exterior lighting. But there is always room for traditional outdoor wall lighting.
Unlike many types of landscape lighting fixtures, outdoor wall lighting fixtures are meant to be seen. These fixtures give you the opportunity to use residential outdoor lighting fixtures as a design feature. Usually, it is best to use a style of outdoor wall lighting that will complement the style of your home. For instance, a traditional cottage-style home with a stone exterior and large wooden features should use classic outdoor wall lights. Something with a slightly historic look, for example, wrought iron, is fitting. For a more sleek, modern home, you can select from a wide variety of modernist designs. Residential exterior lighting is a great way to accentuate the style of your home.
Outdoor Post Lights
We often think of residential exterior lighting as either landscape lighting or structure lighting. But quality outdoor post lights can be a great addition to any lighting design. Outdoor post lights are basically miniature street lights that you can place anywhere on your property. Most often, outdoor post lights are used near the curb in front of your home. However, if you have a large landscaped yard, part of your residential exterior lighting design can include outdoor post lights around your garden.
Because outdoor post lights are modeled after street lamps, they are often built in a very traditional style. For example, one very popular style is just a scaled-down version of traditional Victorian gas street lights. However, good residential exterior lighting designers know that there are more options out there. Outdoor post lights can take many forms, and some of them are art pieces themselves. You don’t have to think of post lights as just a light source. Think of them as a landscape or residential exterior lighting feature, just like a water feature, a sculpture, or a unique tree.
The Best Residential Exterior Lighting
NightVision Outdoor Lighting is your local Atlanta area expert in residential exterior lighting. We have been in business for over 15 years, and we have installed over 5,000 exterior lighting projects. With that kind of experience, it’s no wonder that we provide some of the best residential exterior lighting in the Southeast or really anywhere.
When you choose to work with NightVision Outdoor Lighting, you can rely on our experience and expertise. Every project starts with a no-obligation free consultation. We’ll look at your property and talk about your needs, budget, and personal style. When you’re ready, we’ll work with you to design a great residential exterior lighting plan. After installation, we offer service plans so you can be sure your residential exterior lighting will last for many years.
