No more fumbling around your yard at nighttime. The fiction that outdoor lighting applies only to holidays or big events is broken by permanent outdoor lighting carried out outdoors. The contemporary alternatives are discrete, weatherproof, color-optimizable and robust enough to pass a hail or a heat wave. And why not get all the magic you can out of your out of-doors, January to December?
Begin at the lowest level- pathway lighting. But put a twist to it. Rather than the dramatic lights of a runway, bend your installation along flower beds. Put mini fixtures around shrub foliage to make a delicate shadowplay. Change the color of your lights according to the month: amber, autumn, pastel blue, spring, icy blue in winter when the snow is on the ground. The study of the International Dark-Sky Association demonstrates that smart fixtures and selective brightness allow avoiding night glow excessiveness and make your house more secure.
Consider enhancing the surprising. During winter, make a single tree to be bathed in soft white light. Replace the festive colors with Mardi Gras or July fourth. It can be done permanently, with the touch of an app, it is much easier to control, compared to these ancient and plug in string lights. Use different lighting pallets for every time you celebrate. Christmas in festive green and red? Valentine Day in pink? Orange at Halloween? This is a walk in the park through simple programming.
The vertical surfaces are not to be disregarded. Paint your fence in an accent to expand the yard. Focus garden sculptures, fountains or an area of showy native grasses. They can all be lit up every night, not only when we have some guests. Turn an outdoors summer dinner into the warm, lit golden light. Or, make a movie outdoors: turn down the overall lights, focus only on the movie or projection screen, and just like magic the air changes.
