Use stylish lighting to complement your garden furniture

Use stylish lighting to complement your garden furniture

When the evenings get dark, it shouldn’t mean people can’t enjoy their garden furniture, thanks to the range of stylish lighting options available online and on the high street. There are so many different illuminations to suit any type of outdoor space and compliment any type of garden furniture. Whether you go for candles on your table, fixed lamps or the fairy style lights, outdoor lighting is the perfect way to give your garden a little extra character, illuminate key features and make your outdoor space a little bit more inviting when the sun goes down in summer of the dark evenings of winter.

Lanterns for example are a great way of introducing candles to your garden and they’ll prevent the wind from constantly blowing them out. If you have a sleek modern outdoor space, then Lazy Susan can highly recommend a Light Box, which can be mounted on the wall, is streamlined in terms of design and is made from simple glass and nickel. A well-lit garden is most definitely ‘in’; a dark garden is ‘out’, and this is a growing trend that Lazy Susan is a little intrigued by.

Usually, we’ll work in the Lazy Susan garden in an evening, basically until we can’t see what plant we’re working on anymore. Good garden lighting will extend the usable time in your outdoor entertaining areas, but wouldn’t it be great idea to have some lighting that will help you to work into the evening. Of course lights attract insects, so be careful what you wish for, but don’t let that put you off. Home garden lights is the perfect way to add some glimmering soft lighting to your outdoor garden decorations. So why not redefine your outdoor living space? Your garden is not just about potted plants and grass here and there. It has a personality of its own and a well designed garden will really complement the overall look of any house. So let Lazy Susan run you through some of our favourite lighting tips, styles and accessories that are guaranteed to brighten up your garden.

Complement your garden style and decor

Gardens are not just about vegetables and flowers, you can complement the way your garden looks with some unique garden lighting. The most basic thing to remember when selecting outdoor lights for your home is to pick a style that suits the style of your property and garden. Don’t go for ultra modern solar powered post lamps if you live in a traditional country cottage. Keep things sympathetic to their surroundings. Plus, you are not going to use the lamps during the day, so it is vital that the lights function in a way that reflects the richness of the night. One popular way to achieve this effect of lighting is by placing dim lights close to the beds of potted plants and that way you give them just adequate light to highlight without bathing your home in football pitch style floodlights.

strong>Use lighting to highlight

To complement your garden have special lighting in the portions of the garden that you want to highlight when you look outside from your house. Highlight lighting is one of the brilliant ways to add some interest to the key sections of your garden. For example, if you you have a large garden ornament or water feature in your garden then installing some soft lights around these will add to the charm of your garden at night. The key to getting light for garden decor right is making it look warm and inviting in the evening.

Go green with solar lights

Solar lights are definitely one of the most popular choices of garden lighting today. They are not only economical, they’re incredibly easy to install and will provide just the right amount of subtle light. A set of solar lights on a pathway, patio or driveway will help to make them safer and also ensure that nobody misses the main design features of your outdoor space.

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Keep your garden lights subtle

Lights in trees, bushes and specific plants can add some real character to your garden. If you are looking for a more dramatic effect, then go for lights that you can bury in the ground. And while this type of light is dim, it will provide adequate lighting to really bring out the beauty of your garden.

Illuminate your patio or deck

Patios are an integral part of your garden, so why not make it look a little special at night too. Add some soft lighting around your patio or deck and that way you can entertain long after its dark. The key focus of good garden lighting should be to create a soft glow that brings out the essence of the flowers and plants in your garden.

And while we’re on the subject of good garden lighting, its is always important that you identify the different areas of the garden you want to illuminate and how you plan to use them. Below are a few examples of the different types of area you might want consider and those you should probably avoid too.

Seating area

A pergola or seating area where you plan to eat / relax outdoors would mainly require down lights as this is the best way of lighting this area in terms of practicality and look. Strong up lighting should be avoided as will tend to dazzle the viewer and diminish the overall effect. Up lights can be used but we would recommend they are used against the uprights of the pergola or for example small trees and shrubs just out side the pergola boundary.

Lawn

Lawns can be a little tricky to light as they usually require a large spread of strong light which tends to ruin the overall effect of the rest of the garden. In our experience the lawn area is best left in darkness as it tends to frame the other area of interests which are lit and provide a strong emphasise on depth.

Driveways and pathways

Another interesting feature and can be lit in various ways from recessed LEDs to down lighting from trees. The main aim for this type of area is to get the delicate balance between practicality and beauty which when done well can transform a house and garden

Large trees, bushes and plants

Large trees are always fantastic to light and really make a garden stand out. There are lots of different ways of lighting trees but in our experience this is always governed by the surrounding area. An example would be a large tree in the middle of a lawn would require recessed lights in the ground with another three or four in the tree to catch the main canopy. The only time we would not light a large tree would be if there was a strong light source that would interfere such as a street lamp.

Retaining walls and path walls

These are fantastic to light as they add definition which again provides depth to the overall effect of the garden lighting scheme. They can also add to the practically use of paths by subtly lighting them in a very soft and inviting way.

Water features

Water features are another must when it comes to lighting your garden. The use of water can add both movement to the light and reflect mirror images that can turn your scheme into something amazing and beautiful.

Not many of us realize the importance of lighting the garden area. But if you do, you will have a wonderful place to have dinner with your family as well as to entertain guests. To add to this, there are numerous options available for landscape lighting, which if you select well, will add to the overall appeal of your outdoor space. Just make sure you do a little research first, plan your lighting scheme and shop around for the right lighting solutions.

The first thing you really need to consider when planning your outdoor lighting is to draw a rough plan of your garden and mark out the areas in the garden which you would like lighting. Whatever you do, don’t just instal lights all over the garden, otherwise it become very cluttered look and fail to generate any real impact. Some of the best areas to highlight that you might want to consider lighting are as follows:

Paths and driveways
Steps
Pools, ponds and water features
Large trees and bushes
Seating areas
Any other focal points such as a statues or large planters

Choose the types of light fixtures to be installed

Once you have decided on the areas or things that you want to highlight, the next step is to choose appropriate light fixtures that are fit for the specific purpose. For example, if you want to illuminate pathways or driveways, you need lights that will ensure you can clearly see the passage. That’s why, some downlighting from trees along with installing recessed LEDs on both the sides of the walkway at ground level, is a great solution.

For a seating area on the other hand, downlights should be used too as uplights, while great for highlighting a large tree for example, if used in the seating area will be shining in your face if you choose to use the seat on an evening. If you have steps in your garden, then I would advise you purchase some stylish bollard lighting, so that visibility is increased making them safe to use at night. If you are lucky to have a large tree in your garden, then asgo in for recessed lighting fixtures on the ground around it. They will bring the attention to the tree in a subtle way, thus creating a stunning visual appeal in the night.

If you want to highlight certain shrubs and flower-beds, one of the best lighting solutions is to install some downlight fixtures and have the light falling on them. For pools and other water features, underwater water-proof lighting is ideal. Floodlights can also look great as they accentuate the effect of water on the surroundings. For highlighting a focal point such as a large statue, then uplights are your best choice and for those of you who like to party in the garden, then why not just use a few easy to instal/take down paper lanterns for a little extra light and ambiance.

And finally, when it comes to the bulb/light colour, in Lazy Susan’s humble opinion the natural looking white and light yellow lights are the best solution for garden lighting. Keep things simple… However, if you want to experiment, there are lights available in colors such as red, blue, green and amber that can work in a more contemporary outdoor space. Green lights can look great over plants while red lights can be used to highlight focal points. While blue lights can look pretty good on a water feature. Just remember to keep things subtle, you don’t want to go OTT and offend the neighbours with garish lighting.

So what are you waiting for? Transform the way your garden looks with some simple garden lighting and make your outdoors as vibrant and beautiful as the interior of your home on an evening!

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