Landscape Lighting vs. Architectural Lighting

Architectual Lighting - Coastal SourceWhen it comes to beautifying your property, there are a few different kinds of lighting strategies that can help take a home to the next level. Installing landscape lights and architectural lights can make your home look beautiful, improve safety, and create a fun and inviting outdoor atmosphere.

While many use these two terms interchangeably, the strategies behind these outdoor lighting styles are actually quite different. In this article, we will offer up how we define architectural and landscape lighting and provide a few strategies to consider during installation.

What is Architectural Lighting?

While the term is often used to describe the design of lighting systems, both natural and electric, that illuminate building interiors and exteriors, for the purposes of this article, we are using the term ‘architectural lighting’ to refer strictly to lighting building exteriors.

Architectural Lighting Fixture Installation Strategies

The primary purpose for lighting up the exterior of a building is to make it look nice, but there is quite a bit of planning and strategy that goes into setting up architectural lights. Here are a few things you may want to consider when installing architectural light fixtures:

  • Make sure that fixtures look consistent between different structures on the property.
  • Figure out exactly how much illumination is needed; too much or too little can both be equally disastrous.
  • Make sure that growing plants won’t someday impede the architectural lights.
  • Do your best to disguise lights and help them blend into their surroundings. Strategically place them behind manageable shrubs or bushes.
  • Coordinate architectural lighting with landscape lighting; as both lend illumination to help enjoy your outdoor space.
  • Use high quality light fixtures, like those built by Coastal Source.

Benefits of Architectural Lighting

Aside from making your home look majestic at night, one of the added benefits of lighting up the outside of your house is that a well-lit exterior can help to discourage burglars and give them fewer places to hide. Additionally, the gentle, indirect light bouncing off structures can help to light walkways, patios, decks and other space more pleasantly than large flood lights.

What Is Landscape Lighting?

Landscape Lighting Image - Coastal SourceThe term landscape lighting refers to the light systems designed to illuminate outdoor space. Lighting footpaths, gardens, patios, walkways, swimming pool areas, outside decks, and even the front porch light, fall into this category.

Landscape Lighting Strategies

The secret to landscape lighting is indirect light. Outdoor lights should never shine down on people with enough illumination to make them have to look away. Here are a few things to consider as you plan landscape lighting:

  • Shine lights up into tree; the indirect light creates a nice ambiance, and is pleasant to look at from the ground.
  • Place lights close to the ground in such a way that they shine wherever people will be walking at night.
  • Lots of small gentle lights are better than one big bright light. Small lights can be strung around the lip of a railing or patio edge and together create as much light as a single, more powerful light.
  • Nothing says fun like a string of small lights suspended over an outdoor space. Whether these are permanently installed, or just hung up for special occasions, think about how to incorporate hanging lights.
  • People love lanterns. They don’t have hold candles in them to look nice. You can hang small electric lanterns from plants or tuck them into garden spaces.
  • Incorporate fire into the mix. Outdoor fire pits and lanterns can be set to turn on with a click of a switch and often add a nice touch to outdoor spaces.
  • Install top notch landscape light fixtures, like the ones built by Coastal Source.

Landscape Lighting Benefits

If you have outdoor space that you hope to enjoy at night, nothing will have more impact on the atmosphere of that space than well-placed outdoor landscape light fixtures. Landscape lighting can turn a simple backyard into one of the most fun gathering places in the entire neighborhood.

Upgrading an Outdoor Space with Coastal Source Lights

We are tremendous fans of the architectural light fixtures and landscape light fixtures built by Coastal Source, because they are elegant, reliable, and come with one of the best warranties in the industry. Here’s a brief video about what makes the light fixtures from Coastal Source so special:

Is It Time to Elevate Your Backyard Experience?

Upgrading outdoor lights can make your home more attractive and do wonders at improving the atmosphere of existing outdoor environments. Upgrading lights is one of the less expensive ways to improve a backyard and might even help to make your home easier to sell. If you’re have a place at the river, lake or beach contact Moseley Electronics to learn more about Coastal Source, architectural lighting or landscaping lighting.

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