Outdoor spaces are an extension of the home. They offer a place to gather with friends and family, or to get some peace and quiet. But what are some ways to create an outdoor space that is unique and customizable to personal preferences or needs?
Three creative options for outdoor spaces are turning them into lanais, zen gardens, and rooftop gardens. Each option has their own advantages and a multitude of ways to personalize them.
This week’s blog post will explore lanais, rooftops gardens, and zen gardens, offering tips on how to light them up to be able to fully enjoy them no matter the time of day or night.
Lighting the Lanai
Lanais come from Hawaii and have become popular in areas that typically have warmer climates such as California or Florida. A lanai is usually located at the back of a house, has a roof, shares a wall with the building it’s attached to, and is open to the outside on at least one side. It may even have screens or windows to keep bugs and debris out. Treat a lanai as an outdoor living room; it’s a perfect spot to relax or entertain guests.
Outdoor landscape lighting can help brighten up a lanai when the sun sets. Install path lights to guide people as they exit or leave. Wall lights are another way to add a bit of ambient lighting. String lights across the ceiling or the perimeter can create a romantic or whimsical mood.
Lanais come in many different sizes, shapes, and adding outdoor landscape can make it easy to create a personalized tropical paradise.
Illuminating the Zen Garden
For tranquility and connecting to nature, consider transforming an outdoor space into a zen garden. With origins in Japan, zen gardens typically have a minimalistic design and feature natural elements such as sand, gravel, stone, and wood. A zen garden is thoughtfully designed with many elements symbolizing various aspects of nature. Modern zen gardens have additional elements such as water features, statues, and plants, furthering the personalization of zen gardens as a tranquil space.
Adding outdoor landscape lights to allow the zen garden to shine at night too. Up lights and well lights are excellent choices for highlighting elements in a zen garden such as statues, walls, boulders, and plants. If there is a water feature, underwater lights make them glow at night.
Consider building a personalized zen garden with outdoor lights to help find some peace.
The Gleaming Rooftop Garden
Rooftop gardens have a long history. They were implemented in Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Roman civilization. In modern times, they are a beautiful way to add some greenery to an urban area. In addition to aesthetic value, rooftop gardens also have many benefits such as improving air quality, reducing pollution, conserving energy, mitigating urban heat islands, and managing stormwater runoff. For areas where there isn’t much land, rooftop gardens are a way to bring back nature into people’s lives. They provide a social hangout spot where one could spend time with friends or family by having a picnic, sunbathing, or a simple chat while enjoying the sunshine.
Install a variety of outdoor landscape lights to make a rooftop garden shine at night. Hardscape lights are perfect to embed in any retaining walls, planters, or seating areas. Use flood lights to provide a wash of light to an area. Up lights are a great way to highlight tall features such as trees or entrances.
Rooftop gardens offer a bit of country while living in the big city.
Light Up Any Outdoor Space with LightCh8in
Lanais, zen gardens, and rooftop gardens are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the possibilities for outdoor spaces. They are perfect spots to relax or enjoy the company of guests in the great outdoors. Choose to do with them, whatever will bring the most joy and comfort to your life.
At LightCh8in, we have outdoor landscape lighting that can help extend the usability of these spaces. Create your own outdoor oasis now! Log in or create a LightCh8in account now to shop our extensive inventory of outdoor landscape light fixtures, direct burial cables, LED bulbs, and more!