The summer is an ideal time for sitting outside, spending long evenings with loved ones, eating delicious dinners in the garden, or simply sipping coffee and reading a book on the terrace or balcony. However, to fully enjoy the experience of spending time outside, you must take care of some design aspects, such as decorations, furniture, flowers, or light. If they match each other well and are carefully chosen, they can create a cozy, magical atmosphere of a perfect place to spend long summer evenings. Lighting, however, seems to be one of the essential aspects of this design. Why? Beautiful illuminations can do wonders for the atmosphere, and they are practical and not expensive. What’s more, light is necessary for the evenings, when you want to have a party or simply sip a drink alone. How do you use light for outdoor decoration and make it practical and original?
How To Choose Proper Lighting
There are numerous outdoor lights; however, not all are suitable for every outdoor space. To choose proper lighting, you first need to consider the space you want to decorate – do you have a small balcony or a spacious terrace? Do you want to customize the whole garden or just some parts? Once you know the answers and estimate the space for decoration, you can choose appropriate light decorations. For example, cotton balls and small lanterns may be perfect for cozy balconies, as they may not be visible in bigger gardens. Accordingly, big lampions won’t suit a small terrace. If you are looking for some lighting décor inspiration, look at some ideas, for example, at lamptwist.com/en/.
Choosing The Colors
Although we don’t pay attention to that daily, the color and shade of light are extremely important for everyday functioning. Why? For example, if you have cold white light, it will be harsh and make your eyes tired, while the soft, warm, and yellow light will not be so tiring for the eyes, more relaxing and perfect for places where you simply chill out. We perceive it as natural light.
What’s more, when it comes to outdoor light – the simpler its design is, the better.
Remember that it needs to mix into the outdoor space well, so it shouldn’t be too extravagant or colorful unless you purposefully mean it as an accent.
Also, it’s best to plan the whole outdoor design and match the furniture to the lighting – you will save time and money later on. Another argument in favor of choosing a simple lighting design is that it’s then easier to choose to match with many different styles of outdoor furniture and accessories.
Choosing Type And Functions
If you know more or less what lights you need around your house, and what style you want to choose, it’s time to decide about the type of lights and their functions. The good idea is to stick to energy-saving resources, as they last longer and ecologically use power.
If you have a sunny garden, it’s good to consider buying these types of lights that are powered by solar panels. Choose LED lightbulbs for the brightest type of light that uses solar energy to the fullest without running your battery to the ground. To read more about solar panels and how they work, have a look here.
Other Tips
If you want to make sure that your garden or terrace lighting looks nice and elegant, try to look at it from the inside of your house – decide if it doesn’t look fake or overdone if the positions of lights are appropriate.
Pay attention to, for example, garden paths and other places that need to be illuminated. Properly adjusted lighting can also visually expand the area of your living room or kitchen if it’s well-suited to the indoor design.
Putting lanterns near the entrance or porch is also a brilliant way to make your door visible and discourage break-ins. The same goes for any other dark places and corners – the more illuminated they are, the less probable a robbery is.
Lights For All Seasons
Lighting your garden may be an excellent way to make it cozy and pleasant for all your family or guests. The illuminations may be adjusted to the seasonal climate and changed for the summer season and, for instance, for Christmas. If it’s properly planned, the outdoor lighting system can be a beautiful decoration around your house.