FEATURED BLOG

Published: 9/6/2022

Landscape lights can be the flexible, scrappy foot soldiers you need to neatly extend your indoors outdoors. When done correctly, landscape lighting can enhance safety, provide increased security, and color your curb appeal with visual intrigue.

It’s important to first learn the possibilities for landscape lighting placement based on your specific needs and what your natural canvas can handle, especially with robust advancements and features constantly hitting the lighting market. We’ll shed light on common ways to use outdoor illumination in this easy-to-follow crash course. 

Light itself is a mystery. It’s shapeless, yet it can effectively measure an impression, both literally and symbolically. How appealing would Paris’ Pont Alexandre III bridge be without light accentuating its nuanced Art Nouveau lamp posts? How inviting would Lady Liberty be without her torch’s guiding inspiration?

Whether your outdoor lighting aim is to entertain, to escape, or both, establishing your landscape’s legacy is key. Before charting your course of action, let’s explore basic lighting terminology, types, and techniques to better assist you during your journey.

Landscape lights each have their own place as well as a unique strategy to texturize your space according to your standards. There are so many places you can add style and so many places it can make your home more secure and more functional during the nighttime hours. Experience comfort on a natural level with these validated approaches to successful outdoor illumination.

Before fashioning your landscape with the right illumination, it’s important that you can speak the language. Being fluorescently fluent is worth the effort as it could simplify light shopping and bypass the added hassle of frequent returns. 

AMPERE - Commonly known as amps, an ampere (A) determines the rate of an electrical current. 

BEAM SPREAD - Also known as the beam angle, a beam spread measures the entire span of emitted light, or width of the beam, from a reflectorized light source. Knowing the beam spread is essential when deciding how much light you want displayed on an object or area. 

CRI - A light’s CRI, or Color Rendering Index, is a measurement of how the light source displays object colors “naturally” when compared to a familiar point of reference, such as daylight or an incandescent light. A CRI of 80 is frequently regarded as the baseline CRI level for LED and fluorescent lamps.

IP RATING - Somtimes called an IP code, the IP rating classifies the degree of protection supplied by a bulb’s enclosure. This standard outlines levels of sealing effectiveness against ingress from water, dirt, and debris that can pose a threat to the bulb’s performance. 

KELVIN - A kelvin (K) is the SI unit of thermodynamic temperature. Engineers and scientists use the kelvin scale when referring to lights because kelvins are directly related to kinetic energy and volume. 

LED - Abbreviated from light-emitting diode, an LED is a semiconductor light source that releases light when current flows through it. LED lighting products produce light up to 90% more efficiently than incandescent light sources.  

LUMEN - The SI unit of luminous flux, a lumen (lm) equals the amount of light emitted per second. One lumen releases about the same amount of light as one birthday candle that’s one foot away from you. 

VAC - North American appliances use 120 VAC–or Volts Alternating Current–to deliver electricity, meaning the electric current alternates from 0 volts to 120 volts back to 0 volts before falling to negative 120 volts and back to 0 volts.    

VOLTAGE - Voltage, also called electromotive force, measures the energy of the potential difference in charge between two points in an electrical field. Its unit of measurement is the volt (V). 

WATT - A watt reports the rate of power flow. When one amp flows through an electrical difference of one volt, its result is relayed in terms of watts (W).  

Landscape lighting illuminates every occasion and invites people into your home by highlighting walkways, architectural elements, gathering spaces, water features, and more. In their own unique right, these five classic lighting styles are comforting, welcoming, and a reflection of your style.

Now that you’ve nailed down the basics, you can confidently uncover ways to incorporate these styles and techniques into your own landscape design. It’s time for your yard to look as gaze-catching at night as it does during the day. 

As your Gurus of Glow, we know which gardens, trees, and hardscape elements to highlight, and which of our top-quality light features are best suited for the job. If you run into a snag or need further explanation about any of the above topics, the experts at Lighting Warehouse are ready and willing to address any of your lighting concerns.