Great outdoor lighting is crucial for the visual appeal it provides and its safety benefits when you need to navigate your landscape after dark. The fact is, landscape lighting can present an opportunity to bring out the texture and beauty of your front yard in Macomb and Canton, MI, at night.
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Before we get into specific techniques, keep one “rule” in mind: less is usually more. Several strategically placed low-wattage light fixtures can be much more pleasing than one or two high-wattage fixtures that flood the area with too much light and cast harsh shadows.
Layering Techniques
A successful outdoor lighting scheme includes several different lighting techniques. The first intention could involve making walking areas safer with adequate ground lighting. After that, you can highlight certain landscape features in the front yard as central attractions. Continue to add layers of lighting by using moonlighting techniques. Lastly, fill in dark areas with subtle lighting to create a vast texture that establishes a dimensional effect.
Prioritize Walkways
The priority in front yard lighting is most likely the walkway between your front door and the driveway or the street. Making this walkway safer will give your visitors a sense of welcome, and could encourage them to be more attentive to the beauty of your front yard. Install a series of low-lying walkway lights to focus their energy on the ground, highlighting the safe walking space and beautiful masonry work of the walkway, and accentuate a few key elements with various outdoor lighting techniques.
If you’re considering using solar pathway lights, keep in mind that they require several hours of sun each day to recharge the batteries. After prolonged cloudy days, the lights may not be as powerful, and they also may not work when covered in snow. For walkways, we may recommend hard-wired pathway lighting.
Highlighting Features
Your front yard’s main features may include a statue, a water fountain, or natural elements such as shrubs or ornamental grasses. These features can be showcased with spotlights fixed at the ground and angled upward. These lights showcase the beauty of these features to enhance your home’s visual appeal.
Moonlighting
Further adding to the ambient light in your front yard, moonlighting uses a similar technique of indirect lighting. Moonlighting uses a white light high up in a tree, and directing the light down toward the ground. As the light filters through the leaves and branches, the effect will mimic the appearance of moonlight when the moon is full. This will make a dramatic contribution to the texture of a front yard. Even better, the breeze can make the shadows dance on the ground, making the space feel more dynamic and exciting.
Subtle Finishes
Once your main lighting techniques have been put in place, it’s important to look for ways to fill in the gaps. At night, consider turning on all the lights and look for areas that feel overly dark in contrast to the well-lit spaces. Incorporate subtle lighting in that area—such as individual solar pathway lights—to help complete the beautiful texture of your front yard.
Related: Get Creative: 5 Unique Ideas for Outdoor Lighting in Rochester Hills and Sterling Heights, MI
