Here Are 5 Areas of Your Rochester Hills and Troy, MI, Landscape That Can Benefit From Outdoor Lighting

You may think of outdoor lighting primarily being used to illuminate a large area as you would illuminate a room with the flip of the light switch, but outdoor lighting can be used in a more artful manner—in addition to creating well-lit outdoor areas. Here are five areas of your Rochester Hills and Troy, MI, landscape that may benefit from various outdoor lighting techniques.

Related: 5 Reasons a Pergola Is a Great Addition to Your Paver Patio in the Macomb Township, MI Area

Paver Walkways

Whether you want brightly lit paver walkways or subtle lighting to guide the way, outdoor lighting can be installed to accomplish either goal. You want your family and friends to be able to see clearly to walk along paver walkways when it’s dark outside, and having light fixtures installed to line your paver walkways is a great idea to ensure they feel at ease when traversing your landscape. Be sure to include built-in lighting on stairs leading to various areas.

There are various light fixtures that you can choose from, some of them with a decorative element. For example, you could choose a fixture finish that is black, bronze, brass, silver, or copper. These fixtures can add character to your landscape.

Outdoor Living Areas

When you have beautiful outdoor living areas such as an outdoor kitchen or outdoor dining room, you will likely want to be able to enjoy these areas at all times of the day and night. The fun doesn’t have to stop when the sun goes down when you have outdoor lighting installed.

A professional can create an outdoor lighting plan that creates your desired ambiance. When you have outdoor lighting installed with a dimmer switch, you can control how much or how little lighting fills the space. This way, you can turn the lights down low for intimate dinners at your patio table or bright when you are spending time prepping and cooking food in your outdoor kitchen.

Trees & Plantings

There are many outdoor lighting techniques that can be applied to trees and plantings. Moonlighting is a popular method that involves installing a light near the top of a tree and shining it downward toward it. This creates shadows of the branches on the ground and adds drama to the landscape.

Another common lighting method applied to plantings is the silhouette method. With this technique, a light shines on a vertical surface (such as a wall) behind a plant. This creates a silhouette of the plant that draws attention to its shape.

Exterior Walls

If your outdoor living areas are built near the exterior walls of your home, you can have lights installed that graze the exterior walls. This adds depth and dimension to your space and can highlight architectural features.

Another technique is wall washing. With this method, a low amount of light is used to brighten a wide area of an exterior wall. You may also want to have in-ground lighting installed along walls, paver walkways, and flagpoles.

Retaining Walls

When outdoor lighting is installed near retaining walls, it can highlight the material used. In-ground lighting, grazing, and wall-wash lighting techniques can be used on retaining walls. If you have plants or other features in front of a retaining wall, you may also want to have silhouette lighting or shadowing lighting techniques employed.

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