Perhaps you’ve heard the ancient Chinese proverb that says, “Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” I tend to think the same is true for dealing with winter’s short, dark days: better to light your landscape than complain about living in the dark. Winter’s shorter days give us an opportunity to bring the same kind of design creativity to the outside of our homes as we bring to the inside of them. Exterior nightscape and accent lighting are great ways to draw attention to your yard and house with specific areas of illumination.
Who hasn’t stopped to admire a dramatically lit specimen tree in a front yard or a row of lights that define a driveway? Both catch your attention, but there are scores of other ways to create stunning night-lit landscapes:
- A vast lawn can become linked pools of light with globes in different sizes scattered like lily pads.
- A tree, which during daylight hours may have no distinct features, can become a dramatic sculpture when lit with imagination.
- Ponds, fountains and other water features can come alive at night thanks to innovations in underwater lighting.
- Lighting can be a mix of sculptural elements that stand out during the day and subtly light the landscape after dark. Consider MagicGlobes, round globes that are powered by a hidden solar panel, or reeds with fiber-optic points interspersed in drying grass or bamboo.
- Thanks to continuing innovations in lighting technology and designs, you can have in-ground lights that respond to movement, sound or pressure.
Although it may seem obvious, don’t design your night lighting during the day. Take a nighttime stroll — with flashlights — to open your eyes and imagination to the opportunities available to you. Also be sure to consider the installation specifics and costs of the lighting you choose. There are many solar-powered and energy-efficient LED options on the market and many can be installed by do-it-yourselfers. Fiber optic lights are the most complex and therefore expensive, and you will need a professional to install and calibrate them.
Check out:
The lighting contest by designboom or inhabitat for inspiration and pictures of some of the most interesting ways to utilize LED and other light sources for both interior and exterior applications.
Admittedly, some of these cutting-edge designs may not yet be adaptable to the garden settings of most American suburban landscapes, but this is where innovation starts, and soon some affordable and usable rendition will come to a lighting store near you.
After all, who says outdoor lighting has to be limited to a pathway lit like two strings of pearls? With some creative design and good planning, you’ll see nightlights in a whole new light.