May 30, 2024 10:27:45 AM
The best outdoor lighting designs can be technical masterpieces. They can involve the combination of many technical details such as lighting location, zoning, brightness, mount height, beam spread, and so much more.
And on top of the technicalities, there’s also the artistic side. Designing landscape lighting takes an eye for design with strategic decisions made in regard to aesthetics.
We know that people sometimes assume that outdoor lighting involves no more than sticking some lights around your property and calling it a day But there’s so much more to it than that. Understanding the technicalities of outdoor lighting is critical to having a professional-looking (and functioning) outdoor lighting design.
Let’s dive into a few of those technical details that need to be considered. People often don’t realize just how many decisions need to be made for a single landscape lighting project. Even a small project can involve dozens of decisions that will impact the end result.
Getting the most out of your outdoor lighting design hinges on placement. The location of your lights are going to affect the finished look and the functionality of your design. Where lights are best placed (including how close to structures), all depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
You have to have a good understanding of lighting to make the best decisions related to placement. Even the angle of the light you are installing can impact the lighting technique. This also means taking into account where other lights are in relation to one another. It can get complicated, really quickly
Zoning landscape lighting is another technical detail that is important to your finished outdoor lighting design.
When lights are grouped together in zones, you not only have optimal control but you can also create the precise lighting arrangements that you desire. This helps you to get maximum aesthetic appeal and functionality out of your lighting.
Light zoning means writing specific groups of fixtures together so that they all come on simultaneously. These zones can be controlled from a central panel or even from a smart device if you have app-controlled lighting. This can be a complex endeavor but will pay off with maximum control and enjoyment of your lights.
The brightness of the lights might sound like a simple detail but it’s an area where even some pros go wrong. Lumens are a unit of light measurement that helps determine the power or brightness of light. While we know that people are often looking for an easy answer to how many lumens they need, there are simply too many variables to provide a blanket answer for everyone.
If your outdoor lights are too bright they can be intrusive and even uncomfortable. But if they’re not bright enough, they might not be functional the way that you want them to be. While people often think about the number of light fixtures that they have around their property, it’s also the brightness of each fixture that matters.
There are strategic decisions that need to be made in regard to the brightness of all of the different lights that make up your outdoor lighting design.
The mount height goes hand-in-hand with overall placement. Determining how high outdoor lighting should be installed depends on a number of factors including what you are lighting and what goal you are attempting to achieve.
Lights can be installed from above, from ground level, mounted to various objects, etc. There are strategic decisions made when determining what is best for your property.
Beam spread is another outdoor lighting design decision that comes back to the placement and angle of lights. These decisions hinge on the focal points that you are planning to illuminate.
Do you need a narrow or a wide beam spread? It really depends on how you want the light to appear and what you are lighting up. Are you illuminating a tall skinny tree or washing light over a wall?
There are calculations involved in determining the angles of beam spread. It’s another area where landscape lighting can get more technical than people tend to realize.
These are just some of the technical decisions that go into an outdoor lighting design. It can get pretty complicated when you’re making multiple decisions for each and every light that goes into your complete design. Plus, at every step, you need to not only consider the functionality but also the aesthetic appeal of the finished project.
This is why it makes sense to work with professional landscape lighting design services in Memphis. A pro can help make the right decisions that will ensure your finished project is everything it ought to be.
When you hire the right lighting professional, you’ll get a lighting design that adds both aesthetic appeal and functionality. That will allow you to truly maximize the use of your outdoor spaces.
At Mid South Outdoor Lighting & Audio, we understand how important it is to you that your outdoor spaces are safe, functional, and enjoyable. We create lighting designs that will help you to get the most possible use out of your outdoor living areas while keeping them safe to navigate.
Are you ready to create a secure, functional, and beautiful property at any hour of the day? If so, let’s meet and discuss some bright ideas.
