What Type Of Lighting To Choose For Your Outdoor Space

Before deciding what type of exterior lights to buy, think about what it will be used for in your outdoor space. For example, to add ambience to a garden, one could choose low-level lights with a soft glow. If lighting is needed for security, choosing a PIR security light with a bright light will be suitable. In this blog post we cover the essentials when upgrading your outdoor lighting. 

What type of lighting should be used in outdoor areas?

There's various types of outdoor lighting- spotlights, flood lights, bollard lights and string lights just to name a few. For instance, spotlight are very popular to create a specific atmosphere. They can be pointed at anything and the fittings can be used in various ways. When you point a spotlight upwards at a wall, it can create a wall highlighting effect. Flood lights on the other hand are the most useful for brightening large areas. Most homeowners use them to illuminate driveways and patios from above.  

How to light a garden without electricity?

If you don't have an option to use electricity in your outdoor lighting systems, then solar-powered lights are a great alternative. Solar lights are now more powerful and last longer than they did years ago, so there's no need to worry about whether they’ll last into the long summer night. And they're easy to set up too. Available at most retailers, you have the option to choose from variety of shapes and sizes, however most popular seem to be string lights. It is important to bare in mind that while solar LED lights needs sunlight to work, they do not necessarily need direct sunlight. These lights can still charge and work on cloudy days or in areas that are partially shaded. To illustrate, the solar panel will still collect energy from the sun even if it is not exposed directly. 

What area do you want to focus on and light up? 

The area in need of lighting often determines what lighting type would work best in this space. So, if you're looking to light up a path for example, this would require navigational lighting that helps people stay safe and easily follow the route, rather than a decorative alternative that might only illuminate a portion of the path. So, have a think about your space and how you use it to shape your lighting design. 

How to choose the right outdoor lights? 

It is important that you choose the appropriate type of light and accessory for the location. For instance, in the summer your patio can start to feel uncomfortable by the time the temperature reaches above a standard Welsh summer but a fan can help alleviate that feeling. Even though the primary function of a fan is to create a cool, refreshing breeze, you can invest into a fan with lighting, which can also be used during darker summer nights to lighten up the outside area. As a result, you don't only consider the overall look of outdoor lighting but also your practical needs.

In conclusion, a good scheme works in harmony with your landscape, which then creates layers of light and focal points. If you need any help, we here at EMA Lighting are more than happy to help out. With over 20 years of experience in all kinds of lighting designs, we can help to ensure your outdoor space remains warm and welcoming all the way into those long summer evenings.