Accent lighting is a choice about what to leave dark
Most outdoor lighting is trying to cover ground. Accent lighting inverts that. It is not coverage. One feature, lit deliberately, while everything around it stays dark. The dark part is not an oversight. It is what makes the lit part read.That is really the whole idea, stated as plainly as it can be. Choose a small number of things and let the rest of the property stay dark. Every plan gets pressure to grow, and the pressure comes from both directions.
What is worth accenting
Not everything looks better lit. Texture is the usual test: stone, brick, rough bark, a heavy timber, a carved door. Flat painted siding mostly just gets brighter. Form is the other thing to look for.
The most common mistake
The failure mode is easy to describe: too many accents. One feature turns into six as the plan grows. At some point the property is evenly lit, and the accents stop being accents. A disciplined plan leaves most of the property dark on purpose.A good accent plan seems minimal on a page and lands properly once the sun is down and you are looking at it.
Accent lighting and everything else on the property
On most properties it works alongside other lighting. The other layers are path and bed lighting, security coverage, and the house itself. It is what makes a plan look considered.
One more thing about brightness
Output almost always ends up too high. After dark it takes very little light to draw the eye, and overshooting looks harsh rather than impressive. The goal is to draw attention, not to interrogate the shrubbery.
From below or down out of a tree
Accent light arrives from one of two directions, and the two look nothing alike. Uplighting comes from below, so it feels staged, in a good way on the right subject. Light from above feels natural, which is exactly why it works so well over seating and paths.
Plants grow. The aim drifts
Anything aimed at a tree or a shrub drifts out of alignment over the years. A shrub uplit perfectly this spring will have swallowed the fixture in three years. It is a small thing that makes a big visual difference. Re aiming is worth doing periodically.The test is unchanged: go outside at night and look at it. If a fixture is lighting mulch instead of the tree, it is a
https://telegra.ph/Lighting-Under-the-Eaves-Understanding-the-Mounting-LineWhy-Permanent-Lights-Mount-at-the-EaveSoffit-Eave-Fascia-Which-Part-Is-W-09-06 five minute adjustment.
Getting it designed
Accent lighting is decided at the property, after dark, by somebody looking at it. EverCrest Lighting does accent lighting along with landscape, patio, security and permanent roofline systems for homes and businesses throughout Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, from Greenville. The consultation is free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].