Biggest Landscape Lighting Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a landscape lighting designer who would plan out the new look of our home down to every detail? Yeah, it sure would. Unfortunately, few of us are lucky enough to afford that kind of service, so we’re left to learn by trial and error ourselves. The good news is, most of the landscape lighting mistakes people make are really easy to fix. Let’s get through some of the biggest mistakes and how to avoid them.
Not Going All-In
Landscape lighting calls for a strategic approach. You might be tempted to throw some random lights here and there and call it a day. That may serve the sole purpose of illuminating the space (to an extent), but it won’t create a space you’ll enjoy spending your time in. Isn’t that the whole point? So, instead of going halfway, take the time to plan the type and the amount of light you need.
The Fix: Analyze your space and see where the lighting is scarce. Think of a focal point you want to accentuate and try to create contrast with the new lights. And don’t be scared to mix two types of lighting.
Not Being Energy Efficient
This type of lighting calls for a lot of lamps that need to illuminate a space for longer periods of time, or even throughout the day. It wouldn’t be wise to invest in any type of landscape lighting if it’s not either solar or LED.
The Fix: If you are already using lighting that’s not energy efficient, my advice stays the same: buy some cheap LED or solar lights and replace the old ones with the more efficient ones. Think of a place where you could install the old lights where they wouldn’t need to stay on for long. This is an investment, but it will pay out in the long run.
Inadequate Lighting
The purpose of lighting is to make something easier for people. Be it reading, concentrating, or just seeing where they’re headed; remember that the decorative aspect of lighting always comes second. There’s no point in installing that amazing looking light that shades the plants in your garden if it blinds your eyes at the same time! Make sure that your lighting isn’t glaring into your eyes and distracting you from your regular activities.
The Fix: Change the angle of the light bulb if you can or move the light slightly so that it doesn’t bother you. Also, you can install lights with glare guards, made for solving this problem specifically.
Over-Illuminating
If you just cast light all over your property so that everything is illuminated, it’ll just end up looking washed-out and hard on the eyes. Try to create contrast and decide on a few focal points – not every foot of your space should have the same intensity lights.
The Fix: Focus on the areas you want to emphasize and simply turn off the excess light. Better yet, switch things up a bit so that you use the lights you don’t need somewhere else. It might be a bit of a hassle if they’re not portable lights, but it’s worth investing your time in.
Same Lighting Everywhere
If you use just one type of lighting, you risk making your beautiful landscape look like a hospital. The beauty of lighting lies in its versatility. Again, don’t be afraid to mix and match – let your imagination run wild.
The Fix: Read up on different lighting techniques and types of LED lights in order to find inspiration and the right combination of lighting fixtures for your space.
