Outdoor lighting Products Spotlight: Path Lighting

A garden is one of the most noticeable highlights of a home. It is a private space meant for recreation, relaxation, enjoyment and family bonding. But, to get there, a paved path must be in place, complete with lighting fixtures for nighttime appreciation.

In essence, a garden path should lead homeowners and their visitors on a journey that speaks well of their lifestyle. At night, this path way should be well lit using special lighting products that enhance the landscape.

Typical path lights play around with muted or lower levels of illumination. They are not too bright so as not to disrupt the accent points. They are meant to complement interest areas and thus, should not be overbearing and capture too much of attention. They should also be transitional and evenly illuminated to facilitate a safe and enjoyable traverse. Nonetheless, increased light levels are needed at areas where there is change in elevation such as steps and stairs.

Landscape companies often offer the services of a professional lighting designer along with a landscape architect’s, to ensure a seamless blend of natural and artificial light elements. While the architect provides a productive landscape, the light designer’s primary goal is to create an even and comfortable illumination on garden routes.

Designers usually follow 3 techniques to effectively light a walkway. First, they equally space out fixtures along sidewalks in an alternating fashion to maximize coverage. Second, for homes with a lot of trees, they mount down lights specifically aimed at surrounding areas. Lastly, they use reflectors in strategic areas to spread the illumination.

Here are some tips to consider when designing lighting in your own path way:

An alternating placement gives off a more comfortable vibe and more efficient lighting compared to an aligned or same side placement. There are areas wherein aligned is the only option, and it should be okay. But, if there is a possibility to do staggered placement, it is highly recommended.

Path lighting fixtures should not be placed in high maintenance areas such as lawn and turf. The overgrowth of plants or need for edging or trimming can potentially damage the lights over time. Choose safer places such as poles or trees.

Down lights should be positioned within 30 degrees of the pathway to ensure the least amount of glare in the eyes of people who traverse. As much as possible, opt for a perpendicular position to the actual sidewalk to refrain from giving off direct glare.

Light reflectors are most perfect in transitional areas as added visibility is needed. These can be in the form of steel fences, aluminum wall accents and the like.

At Pro Landscape Lighting, our goal is to help deliver the best available lighting solutions for your pathway. We customize our offers based on your needs and make sure to find a dependable solution to address them!