Whether you’re designing your outdoor living space for the first time, or simply planning on sprucing up your landscaping, outdoor lighting is an important consideration. Outdoor lighting serves many purposes, from setting the mood or ambiance for your space, to keeping your home, family, and friends safe and secure. If you want to make sure you’re adding the best outdoor lighting options to your landscaping and outdoor living areas, read on.
The Five Types
There are five general types of outdoor lighting that you should consider for your outdoor spaces: decorative lighting, wall lighting, security lighting, landscape lighting, and portable lighting. Decorative lighting serves a dual purpose – it is both visually and aesthetically pleasing and a valuable source of illumination. Modern lighting design means that the other types of lighting discussed here are usually also decorative, so there is overlap in these categories. Wall lighting is lighting that attaches to the wall to illuminate specific areas. The wall sconce is the most popular type currently. Security lighting is any that provides a safety measure to your homes, such as floodlights, driveway lights, and lights over doors and windows. Landscape lighting is lighting that illuminates elements of your landscape, such as paths, steps, hardscaping, and plants. This lighting requires careful planning and is usually best left to a professional. Finally, portable lighting is any lighting that you can pick up and move, like a table or floor lamps. Within each category, there are lots of stylistic options, and your lighting design should include styles from multiple categories.
Other Considerations
Choosing the right outdoor lighting comes down to more than just the style and type of lighting. One thing that you absolutely have to consider is the UL rating. This is a rating of how much moisture the light can withstand, and therefore where it can be located. Outdoor lighting is going to be either UL damp or UL wet. While UL wet fixtures can go anywhere and be exposed to any weather, UL damp fixtures are intended for covered areas and should not be directly exposed to rain or snow. Another consideration is the energy efficiency of the lights. Many styles include solar-powered options or allow the use of LED bulbs. This is especially important for fixtures that are difficult to access – make sure that they will take a bulb that lasts a long time.
All of Your Landscaping Needs from Atlantic Maintenance Group
Atlantic Maintenance Group is a full-service landscaping company, providing maintenance, design, and construction, as well as snow removal, and asphalt and concrete services. We are your source for complete landscape and facility maintenance for commercial and residential properties throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. We are a self-performing landscaping company, meaning we don’t hire subcontractors, and senior management is involved with every project. Our highly trained team of professionals receives constant, ongoing education on the latest industry trends, updates and safety measures. This ensures we can deliver outstanding customer service and results to our clients, regardless of the size of your job.
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