An outdoor landscape lighting system should provide long lasting illumination to an outdoor landscape to showcase its beauty at night. There are many ways in which it can go wrong.
For this week's blog, we discuss the common elements of poorly designed outdoor landscape lighting and how it can affect the overall functionality and aesthetics of outdoor spaces. Next week, be on the look out for part 2 of the guide, where we discuss what makes for a great outdoor landscape lighting system. Don’t forget to check back!
7 Mistakes That Lead to Ineffective Outdoor Landscape Lighting
No one wants an outdoor landscape lighting system that is not thoughtfully designed nor put together, as it will lead to lighting that is insufficient for safety, security, and aesthetic reasons.
Keep the below seven mistakes in mind when planning or installing outdoor landscape lighting systems for your clients. This way you can avoid them and ensure that you leave your clients happy and with an outdoor landscape lighting system that they will love.
- Forget to Light Key Areas and Focal Points:
Forgetting to light key areas like driveways or walkways will leave people to navigate these areas in the dark. It wouldn’t be safe. Not lighting the outdoor space’s unique features and focal points like trees, columns, statues, and flagpoles will not help to make an outdoor space stand out nor show off its beauty.
- Unbalanced Lighting:
Lighting shouldn’t be unbalanced. What does that mean? It means that the lighting leaves pockets of darkness or areas where light is shining too brightly. A bad outdoor lighting design would look like lighting that isn’t blended into the surrounding landscape. This bad lighting design leads to a confusing and disjointed appearance. Unbalanced lighting thus leads to poor functionality and gives an outdoor space an unattractive look.
- Excessive Glare:
Lights shouldn’t be overly bright as that can be blinding. Too bright lights can also cause discomfort and ironically, limit visibility. When this happens, it can dangerously cause trips and falls. In addition, no one can appreciate the beautiful outdoors. Excessive glare and too much lighting can also contribute to light pollution, which is harmful to humans and surrounding wildlife.
- Poor Fixture Placement:
Improperly placed outdoor light fixtures look messy and fail to do their job of emphasizing focal points and provide safe navigation through a space at night. You don’t want to place outdoor light fixtures in locations where they:
- Could potentially become damaged by gardening tools
- Won’t be able to provide sufficient lighting
- Aren’t accessible, making regular maintenance and repairs difficult
- Inadequate Light Levels:
Outdoor landscape lighting serves multiple purposes and you want to ensure that there is enough light to serve those purposes. For example, you don’t want to set up lighting that is too dim to safely light a pathway. Insufficient lighting could negatively affect functionality and safety of an outdoor space. It could also cast harsh lines or shadows that will be visually unappealing.
- Mismatched Fixture Design:
An outdoor landscape lighting system should blend in seamlessly with the surrounding architectural style and landscape. Using outdoor light fixtures that don’t complement the existing style and design of the property will detract from the overall aesthetic and appear unattractive.
- Lack of Environmental Consideration:
Outdoor landscape lighting systems should be beneficial and considerate to everyone. You don’t want to disturb surrounding neighbors or wild animal life with an outdoor landscape lighting system. Be sure to use energy efficient lighting or dark sky compliant lighting designs to decrease light pollution and environmental impact.
Reliable Lighting Starts Here at LightCh8in
A bad outdoor landscape lighting design draws attention in the worst possible way. It doesn’t let the beauty of the landscape and space shine on its own in the night. It can cause safety issues and be more of an eyesore than a completely dark outdoor space. Understanding the elements of a poorly designed outdoor landscape lighting system helps you avoid common mistakes.
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