Lighting your Patio

To get the most out of your patio you will need the correct lighting, especially if you plan on using it a lot at night time.  After all, a well lit patio can turn your patio from something average into something that makes you and your friends go “Whoa!”  Here are some tips for lighting your patio.

Lighting to Suit How You Use Your Patio
One of the biggest things that you have to think about when lighting your patio is how you actually plan to use it.  If you will be doing a lot of tasks, such as barbecuing, preparing food or drinks, or reading for example, you will need lighting that allows you to do these easily and safely.  Spotlights (See wall lights) angled towards your work areas are a great solution, as are down lights lights located over and trained directly down on work areas.  For reading, placing some table lamps on tables besides the chairs is ideal.

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However, if your patio is mainly for entertaining or for spending time with friends, you may be much better served by having ambient lighting set up.  There are heaps of options available for ambient lighting, depending on the exact look that you want to achieve and your budget.  To achieve ambient lighting you concentrate light on surrounding features so light can gently spill into your entertaining area. Up/Down lights are great for lighting the columns on your Patio and highlighting surrounding planting can add interest and soften the look. Sometimes something as simple as hanging lanterns can also add to the atmosphere and make it look a little more exotic.  If gentle, flickering light is more your thing, an outdoor fireplace, fire pit or outdoor torches are ideal.  If your patio is sheltered enough, you can even scatter candles all around.

Lighting for Safety and Security
While lighting has a huge influence on how your patio looks, it should not be done solely for aesthetics.  You do have to take safety and security into consideration.  If there are any steps near the patio, for example, these should be lit up at night.  As well, if your patio adjoins your home, you may want to have sensor lights installed so that any potential intruders set them off before they get too close to your home.  Another idea that you may want to do is to light up any pathways that lead to the patio as well as to light the perimeter of the patio itself.  This is easily done by using spike lights, in ground lights and even strip lighting around garden beds.

If you need help on designing your outdoor lighting please email me on troy@ledoutdoor.net.au or if you are in Adelaide take advantage of our free on-site consultation service.

Troy

Reference: Jaclyn Fitzgerald  (Mar 30, 2011)

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