Lighting is an under-used and often underrated feature in an outdoor living area, yet it plays an enormous part in creating atmosphere and showcasing your home and garden.
Whether you’re after a calming ambience that’s perfect for sitting back and enjoying an unhurried drink as the sun goes down or more upbeat illumination to get the party swinging, your lighting choices on your patio can set the tone for every occasion.
Here are some of the suggestions from the experts on how to use lighting to create the best mood for your outdoor patio.
Less is more
This is an important point to bear in mind when planning your outdoor lighting. Too many bright lights can be overwhelming and off-putting and plus, if you have too much going on, you won’t be able to highlight any focal points. Your lighting should always be subtle and understated.
Aim for cohesion
Just as your outdoor patio should link seamlessly with your indoor spaces and your garden area, so too should your lighting. When you’re planning where to situate your lights, what type of lighting you want and even the colour of your lights, you need to think about how all of the elements will combine to create a cohesive balanced whole.
Add interest and intrigue
Symmetry is important, but it’s also important to create focal points, such as showcasing a tree, accent lights on a wall or highlighting a garden path to add an interesting dimension to your outdoor lighting scheme.
Don’t ignore the floor
A novel and exciting way of using lighting in your outdoor area are to illuminate the floor. LED lights embedded into the flooring, solar-powered uplighters or strip lights along the edges can create an exciting and fun vibe.
Versatile dimmers
Dimmer switches on your outdoor lights are the easiest and the best way to ring the changes on your outdoor patio. Turn it up when you need all things bright and beautiful or flick the switch when you want a more subtle, laid-back or romantic ambience.
String lights
These are an affordable, fun way of setting the mood on your patio. For example, exposed globes add a rustic tone, coloured string lights make for festive fun whilst delicate, sparkly fairy lights create a magical mood – and best of all, they’re so easy to put up and take down, so it’s easy to ring the changes. Plus they can be powered by the sun, making them cheap AND cheerful!
Colour your outdoor world
It’s important to remember that the colour of your lights will have an important effect on the atmosphere you are trying to create. White lights can be harsh, whilst yellow lighting is softer and more subtle.
Captivating candles
Candles are an excellent way of creating a warm and intimate ambience – and with so many beautiful votives, hurricane lamps and other types of enclosed candleholders available, you never need to worry about the breeze blowing the lights out! You can even get battery-operated flameless candles that look just like the real thing – and there’s no waxy mess to clean up.
Water Wonderland
If you have a pool or water feature, you can use lights to create an interesting and fun effect on your outdoor entertainment or living area. Waterproof floating lights and candles bobbing on the water, solar-powered outdoor lights around the pool perimeter or fairy lights around the pool fence will add interest and depth to your outdoor space.
Lighting is a really important consideration when you are planning your outdoor space. Bright, glaring lights or fussy ‘bling’ will be harsh and uninviting but you don’t want your guests sitting in murky darkness either. Careful thought should go into what style of lighting will help create your desired mood and ambience – so it’s a good idea to talk to the professionals and get an expert opinion.
For the best advice on patios and alfresco in Perth, you should have a chat to the friendly team at Grand Patios. They have extensive experience in building and installing a variety of different designs of custom-designed patios and carports and will have great ideas about how to use lighting to create your unique and stunning outdoor space.
Have a look at their gallery of patio installations in Perth at www.grandpatios.com.au and see if anything there appeals to you or give them a ring on 08 9592 1285 for an obligation-free quote on a custom-designed patio just for you.
