When blending an outdoor lighting plan into your new Cambridge, MA, landscape design, there are many factors to consider. You want the final outcome to be functional and beautiful and your landscape company can make this happen seamlessly.
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Ambient Lighting for Walkways, Patios, and Steps
A landscape should have a blend of different types of lighting and many times ambient lighting gives just the right amount of soft light to walkways, patios, and steps. Soft lights can be recessed into these outdoor areas to project enough light to make seeing clearly easy but not so much light that it looks like a nighttime runway.
Your landscaper can use low voltage lighting to illuminate walkways, patios, and steps for an efficient and lovely way to create contrast with light and shadows on the surfaces as well as on the adjoining plantings. This ambient lighting can be clever and hidden so that all you see is the pretty light in the space.
Direct Lighting for Trees, Planting Beds, and the House Foundation
There are some spaces that need more direct lighting to make the features look their best in the darkened space. Spotlights for trees can highlight the interesting texture of the bark. When placed at various points farther away from the trees, the way the light hits them will be different, evoking a unique play of shadows and light.
Planting beds can be illuminated around the perimeter and with small spotlights placed on the major shrubs for bringing them to the visual forefront. Your masonry contractor can also add softer lights to the floral blooms to bring out the pretty floral composition at night.
Lighting for the foundation of your home usually takes on a more direct approach and a focus on symmetry as the lights are spaced apart in equal amounts to illuminate the brick, stone, or concrete that forms the base of your house. Making the textures and shadows of this feature stand out can look amazing once the sunsets.
Retaining Walls and Pillars
Your masonry specialist can help you keep the focus on the purpose of your retaining wall at night with under-lights that shine down on the wall surface. One of the main functions of a retaining wall can be to bring definition and more functional space to your outdoor landscape and you don’t want to lose that in the dark. Adding lighting to the wall can keep the visual appearance and delineation of the wall while playing off the textures and joints there.
Pillars can be another perfect spot to incorporate landscape lighting with the array of lantern choices to illuminate your driveway, walkway, or backyard entries in style. Not only can this increase the safety of these entry spaces but it can also provide additional visibility at night for your guests who come to visit.
When your masonry contractor blends the landscape lighting plan with the design, having the perfect spaces illuminated can be planned ahead. Because the specific light fixture choice can influence the final appearance, choosing the perfect fixture for each space can be important. This is where the expertise and experience of your landscape contractor can help you decide the ideal lighting plan at the same time as the design process.
Related: ILLUMINATE THOSE WARM SUMMER NIGHTS WITH OUTDOOR LIGHTING IN ARLINGTON, MA
