We spend so much time analyzing the sun exposure in our landscapes that often its appearance at night goes by the wayside.  But, as roughly half of our days are spent in darkness, outdoor lighting ought to be considered as an essential part of every landscape design.  Lighting outdoors has a number of purposes, from improving safety and security around a property to accenting focal points and setting a mood.

Almost all outdoor lighting solutions include low-voltage landscape lights that save energy and promote sustainability.  So, lighting your outside doesn’t have to come with pangs of guilt about wasting electricity.

There is a wide array of landscape lighting types; knowing the possibilities will help homeowners understand better what they want when they reach out to a landscape professional for help with outdoor lighting.

• • Pathway and Area Lights: The ultimate in subdued lighting solutions, low pathway lights show you the way without reflecting too much light back into the night sky—a benefit to nocturnal animals nearby.  Further sustainability can be achieved with solar or LED lights that use minimal (if any) energy.  Be sure to place these where they’ll provide effective lighting without being a tripping hazard.
  • Accent Lights: Positioned a little higher than pathway lights, accent lights draw attention to hardscape elements after dark. Small sconces or light fixtures that sit within reveals of wall caps and piers go a long way to create drama by enhancing materials’ textures and illuminating aesthetic features.
  • Step Lights: Similarly, small lights mounted just under the treads of steps, on the face of its risers, can make traversing an outdoor stair safer while adding beauty to a deck structure.
  • Up Lights: Whether it’s a tree with a stunning shape or beautiful bark, up lights are great for showing them off at night.  Positioned near the trunk of the tree, the lights illuminate just the tree, setting it stark against the darkness surrounding it.

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There are 2 reasons most clients contact us: to bring drive-up appeal to their home or to replace their current gardener. We take these two reasons to heart. We understand how important your landscape is to you. We are experts on drive-up appeal, water conservation landscaping, seasonal and climate planting, irrigation, and much more.

• Back Lighting: An opposite notion to up lights, back light play with positive and negative spaces by lighting objects from behind, creating striking silhouettes in the nighttime landscape.
• Wall Packs: Sconces have a wide variety of uses, from the most utilitarian to decorative.  And, as such, wall lights come in a variety of forms.  At their most basic, a simple wall pack can be used to light a service entry for safety concerns at night.  And, at the more ornamental end of the spectrum, a beautiful sconce might wash down the side of a building, illuminate signage, or highlight architectural features.
• String Lights: Small “holiday lights” don’t have to stay packed away in a closet from January through November. String lights stretched overhead on a pergola, along fence rails, or draped off the roof eaves can create a more festive appearance for entertaining guests late into the evening.

Whether you’re inspired or more confused, there is a lighting landscaper in Santa Barbara ready to help you.  Landscape lighting is a “brilliant” way to add character to your landscape for interest all twenty-four hours of the day.