6 Creative Outdoor Lighting Ideas

 

We’ve all seen standard outdoor lighting. Traditional designs provide a great starting point, but sometimes an outdoor space needs a little bit of extra creativity. In addition to their eye-catching appearance, some creative designs add functionality you wouldn’t usually have. Some fixtures are lightweight and portable while others can even float on water!

“We like to keep our customers informed about the latest trends in outdoor lighting. There are some light fixtures you just don’t see every day,” said John Minor, owner of Irrigation and Lighting Specialist. “Nothing can spark a conversation at get-togethers quite like a unique outdoor lighting piece.”

To give you some ideas for outdoor lighting, our experts have put together a list of some standout outdoor lighting fixtures.

Log Seat Campfire Lights

Photo From: DesignYouTrust.com

Place these tree stump seat lights around a fire pit and watch your guest's eyes light up. During the day when not lit, these seats look like perfectly cut trees. They give a nice wooded, campsite feel to your yard.

Arching Outdoor Lighting

Photo From: 2modern.com

Have you ever seen the St. Louis Arch? It looks majestic when lit up at night. Put a (much smaller) version in your outdoor space. When placed over a table, it provides functional light while you eat and entertain friends. 

Solar Powered Globe Lights

Photo From: Fancy.com

These solar powered globe lights can be placed anywhere outside. Since they are powered by the sun, a clear day should charge the battery enough to last around 12 hours.

The globe lights even float on water, adding an element of fun for kids. Simply ensure the bottom battery latch is secured tightly and you’re ready to swim! These lights are among the most unique outdoor lighting options we’ve seen!

Umbrella Light

Photo From: Interiordesignables.com

Put this umbrella on your outdoor table or bar to stay dry and well lit. The bulbs are attached to the umbrella supports and provide a small amount of overhead light. You can also keep it open during the day to provide shade!

Shadow Design Lights

Photo From: Houzz.com

During the day, the metal exterior provides a neat design. But, nighttime is when these lights really stand out. When lit, the shadows from the metal exterior create remarkable patterns on your walkway. 

Pac-Man Lighting

Photo From: Globalgeeknews.com

Pac-Man lights aren’t intended for everyday use, but are sure to be a hit at your next outdoor party or holiday celebration. The lights are traditional round bulb lights intended for overhead attachment. Simply attach or detach the ghost piece and Pac-Man piece as necessary.

“Of course, any of these pieces will look out of place if a traditional outdoor lighting system is not installed already. These unique fixtures are intended to be accent lights and conversation starters,” said Minor. “We would love to get you started with a professionally designed and installed outdoor lighting system, so you can begin having fun adding these unique accent lights.”

To learn more about how Irrigation and Lighting Specialist can get you started with your new outdoor lighting system, e-mail John or call 704-747-0235. We look forward to bringing light to your nights this summer.

Light Up the Night With These Outdoor Landscape Lighting Ideas

There is something special about owning a beautiful yard. Its charm welcomes you home. Its serenity tucks you in at night, and with the right outdoor landscape lighting - its style can set you apart.

Finding the right outdoor lighting technique for your outdoor space is more complicated than it may seem. It is more than just mounting a light over your porch or hanging a few lanterns. It takes creativity and craftsmanship. When outdoor landscape lighting is done correctly, it can unlock a world of potential and enchantment.

"When it comes to outdoor landscape lighting, there are tons of possibilities," says John Minor, owner of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist. "The key is to combine your personal tastes and try to extend it a little. Push yourself to think outside of the box. Before you know it, you will have an original design that will be the talk of the neighborhood."

Outdoor Landscape Lighting Ideas

Each yard has its own potential and its own charming attributes that need to be highlighted. Here are some ideas that you can use to find an outdoor landscaping design that is perfect for your yard. 

• Creating Shadows - With the right placement of your lighting, you can create shadows that are just as interesting as the lighting. One way you can do this is by placing your lights close to the foundation of your house or a feature you wish to highlight. The light will catch the edges and create an intricate shadow pattern. 
• Creating a Silhouette - With a mix of down and up lights, you can create a warm bath of light on your house that will show off its detail and beauty. Try adding light to the chimneys, dormers and surrounding trees to broaden your houses sense of space. 
• Creating Dramatic Doors - Instead of hanging a spotlight over your front door, try placing the lights behind pillars or off to the side. This will generate a sense of drama for the front door, especially if you have a narrow porch. If you have a wooden door that is dark, an amber lens in the light will make the door look even richer. 
• Cool Lighting - As far as outdoor lighting goes, moonlight is by far one of the most welcoming. To simulate moonlight, try using a softer, bluer lighting source. This can be accomplished by using a lighting source with a color temperature of 5500 kelvins. Doing this will create a soft, relaxing touch. 
• Adding Color and Texture - Path lights are visual aids in dark spaces, but they can also be used to add color and texture near interesting landscaping features. 
• Mix Styles- Take a walk on the wild side and try mixing up the styles of your lighting sources. Using different styles of path lights can change things up and provide an interesting flow to your yard. 
• Creating Dark Parameters - Less is usually more when it comes to outdoor landscape lighting. Try offset lights and make sure there is enough distance between them so you can lead the eye naturally through your landscape. After all, you are trying to add tranquial nuances in your yard, not land a plane.

"We take a different approach to outdoor landscape lighting than most companies," says Minor. "Our outdoor lighting designs focuses on what kind of lighting best matches the landscaping and beauty of your home, not just how you will use your home when the sun goes down. We feel that your outdoor landscape lighting should be more than a source of light; it should be a source of beauty and add style to your house." 

To get more outdoor landscape lighting ideas for your home, or to schedule an appointment, call John Minor at Irrigation and Lighting Specialist at 877-433-5833 or email John. We love helping our customers unlock the potential of their home's yard and giving them an outdoor lighting style all of their own!

Benefits of Professional Outdoor Lighting Installation

Ensuring the exterior of your house is just as beautiful as the interior is something all homeowners strive to do. Some invest in landscaping projects, while others concentrate on adding architectural details to the home's facade. However, they all share one thing in common - they want a beautiful home that is welcoming.

A project homeowners often overlook is adding professional outdoor lighting. When done correctly, outdoor lighting can make your home stand out and shine like a jewel once the sun goes down. In addition to the cosmetic advantages, this project also increases your property value and gives your home increased security. 

"A strong landscape lighting design is the ultimate combination of form and function," says John Minor, owner of Irrigation & Lighting Specialists. "When you hire a qualified contractor to design and install your lighting, you're doing more than simply adding some pretty lights. You are investing in your property."

Major Benefits of Professional Outdoor Lighting

It may seem like a good idea to handle the install yourself, but outdoor lighting is more than a weekend project - it is an art form. Our staff has the experience to ensure your home gets the beauty and functionality it deserves. Some of the major benefits of professional outdoor lighting include:

• The "Wow" Factor - It is no longer acceptable to just hang a bulb outside your window. Today's outdoor lighting perspectives create a strong visual presence. Adding a dramatic overhead light or illuminated water features add that "wow" factor to your property and highlight attractive landscaping that already exists. 
• Security - It is common knowledge that a well lit house can keep your home safe from burglars. It can also help you and your family safely move around your property at night. Illuminated walkways and walls can help you avoid trip hazards. They also create a safe and cozy atmosphere for you to entertain in. 
• Uniqueness - Having a custom outdoor lighting plan can showcase your house in beautiful yet subtle ways. A professionally designed lighting scheme can use light to accentuate your home's most beautiful elements and make your house stand out.
• Function - Charlotte provides excellent weather for outdoor entertaining, and landscape lighting can allow you to enjoy your outdoor living spaces well after dark. Custom lighting perspectives can also be used to create 'mood lighting' for your guests. 
• Go Green - Knowing when you can use certain lighting types and how to get the most out of its location can help you save on the power bill. When installed right, low-voltage lights and solar lights can illuminate up your house while keeping costs at a minimum. 

"Professionally installed outdoor lighting can do wonders for a home," says Minor. "Hiring a professional gives you access to ideas and materials you may not have known existed, opening up a world of possibilities. Professional installs also look more organic than most DIY kits you purchase from home improvement stores. In the end, you can't go wrong with a professional outdoor lighting design." 

To find out how professional outdoor lighting installations can bring you the ultimate combination of beauty and function, call John Minor with Irrigation & Lighting Specialists at 877-433-5833 or email John. We love helping Charlotte homeowners discover new ways to add beauty and function to their homes!

The Right Outdoor Lighting Perspectives for You

Flowers are blooming, temperatures are beautiful and summer is right around the corner  - it's that time of the year again! As the summer months move forward and the chilly weather moves out, the local hardware stores start getting crowded with customers gathering supplies for their last minute-sping projects.

In addition to building a new deck, planting a garden or adding color to an exterior wall, installing outdoor lighting has become a popular addition to the honey-do list.

There is more to installing outdoor lighting than just mounting a few lights over your garage or deck. It may be a good idea to consider having your lights installed by the professionals at Irrigation & Lighting Specialist before biting off more than you can chew. We can give you the right outdoor lighting perspectives you'll need to add a tasteful flare to the exterior of your house.

"I have seen it several times before, a homeowner tries to install outdoor lighting as a do-it-yourself project and they end up doing more harm than good," says John Minor of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist. "Installing outdoor lighting is like an art form. A lot has to go into it and doing it the right way is harder than one may think."

Unique Outdoor Lighting Methods

Irrigation & Lighting Specialist has lighting designers that concentrate on creating subtle overtures and nuances for your outdoor space. This approach ensures that outdoor lighting will increase your home's curb appeal, security and beauty instead of turning it into the Las Vegas Strip.

Proper outdoor lighting can add hours to your party or family fun, but a common mistake homeowners make is over-lighting. A little can go a long way when it is installed properly.

Too much light can create unwanted light pollution that can create glares, waste energy, wash out the view from the sky or shine into indoor rooms. We use the following outdoor lighting perspectives to prevent this happening to your home:

• Careful light positioning to predict where the majority of the light will shine. 
• Shielded bulbs that have reflectors to direct the light where you want it. 
• LED lighting to reduce harsh lighting and reduce the amount of energy your lights use. 
• Controlled lighting using timers, dimmers or motion sensors can control when and how your light is used depending on your needs. 

"Having a professional company install your outdoor lighting really makes a difference," says Minor. "We love taking our customers' outdoor spaces to new, beautiful levels. Avoid the crowded hardware stores, sit back and leave outdoor lighting to the professionals." 

To learn more about our outdoor lighting perspectives, call John Minor with Irrigation & Lighting Specialist at 877-433-5833 or email John. We look forward to creating a welcoming atmosphere you and your family can enjoy for years to come! 

Implementing Outdoor Lighting Principles: A Basic Guide for Charlotte Homeowners

Since outdoor lighting's debut in the landscaping industry, customers have been steadily exploring the possibilities of lighting outdoor spaces. Many designers implement distinct lighting principles to guide the illuminating process. These principles are used to evoke particular moods out of viewers. They are design elements that when applied correctly, turn the vision you have for your home's outdoor scene into an eye-popping sight.

Originally, homeowners implemented outdoor lighting as a security measure. Now, the market has come to the realization that outdoor lighting techniques are multifaceted. They can be used to enhance the usability of outdoor space, the value of landscape and the overall beauty of a home.

"Lighting what was once a dark space outside your home, creates a sort of magical feeling," says John Minor of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist. "When applied correctly, outdoor lighting principles can provide safety, aesthetic appeal, visual balance, and mood enhancement. All of this with the same system!"

Principles of Outdoor Lighting

Below are a few principles to keep in mind when designing an outdoor lighting system:

1. Depth - Refers to the how far of the viewer's gaze travels as they observe a home. The designer controls the viewer's gaze, and primary focus.


2. Perspective - Your outdoor space is a three dimensional canvas for light. You can create visual interest from different viewpoints.


3. Focal Points - Visual "destinations" or points of focus in the observation experience. Focal points are used to take the viewer through the landscape, step by step.


4. Quality and Direction - Using lights as if they are paint, and "painting" your landscape surrounding your home with various lighting intensities and directions to reach the desired mood and visual impact.
5. Symmetry and balance - Highlighting areas, structures, or parts of the home that have natural beauty.

We have developed our own signature system of applying these design principles. Under our new system we take a different approach, not only  focusing on  how you can use space outside your home after dark, but what kind of lighting delivers the absolute best accents to the landscape and beauty of your home.

For a limited time customers can add our outdoor landscaping and accent lighting at off-season, low prices!

To learn more about our outdoor lighting services or to schedule a free consultation, call John Minor of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist at 877-443-5833, or email John. We look forward to helping you get the most out of your home's outdoor environment!

Charlotte Outdoor Lighting: Illuminate Your Home's Monthly Savings

Outdoor Lighting spaces of any size is a tricky task. Fixture angles, watt intensities, lighting patterns and power sources, can be a lot for any busy homeowner to keep in mind. Your outdoor space's design and decoration are visual renderings of you. When the nighttime arrives they deserve to be illuminated and brought to life. Unfortunately, accentuating your home with the perfect outdoor lightscape sometimes comes at a high monthly cost for Charlotte homeowners. We combat the high cost of lighting outdoor spaces with Irrigation & Lighting Specialist's Go Green Lighting system.

Irrigation & Lighting Specialist Go Green Lighting Systems

Go Green Lighting replaces conventional lighting products with the use of LED bulbs. These have an extremely long life, and require much less supervision. For example, an average six-watt LED bulb’s lifespan is 60,000 hours (about 20 years). How’s that sound for longevity?

This lighting system also alleviates you from the irritating chore of dragging the ladders out and scaling the side of your home to replace bulbs frequently while significantly reducing monthly lighting costs.

“Go Green Lighting rewards customers financially and environmentally,” states John Minor of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist. “Homeowners are saving substantial amounts on their monthly lighting costs, while working towards a more environmentally friendly future.”

Advantages of Go Green Lighting

Here are a few ways switching to our Go Green Lighting system can benefit the outdoor presence of your home:

• Safe – bulbs do not get as hot at normal light bulbs.
• Energy efficient – can reduce energy consumption by 80-90%.
• Low voltage - use around one tenth of available energy.
• Disposable – Compared to lights like fluorescents for example, LED bulbs do not contain environmentally harmful agents like mercury and can be recycled normally.                         

Outdoor Areas for Go Green Lighting

Below are spaces Go Green Lighting can be installed:

• Exterior walls 
• Decks
• Steps
• Underwater

Along with saving you money every month, retrofitting your outdoors with Go Green Lighting helps add that eye-popping, attention-commanding specificity that sets your home apart from others. Each of our lighting systems are different and shed that special shade of outdoor light that embodies the vision you have for you home.

"The goal is to have your ideal amount of outdoor lighting, at an affordable cost, and with as little maintenance as possible," says Minor. "With a Go Green Lighting system, this is now all possible!"

Charlotte homeowners can look forward to saving around 90% on lighting and electrical expenses! 

We look forward to retrofitting your outdoor areas with Irrigation &Lighting Specialist’s Go Green Lighting system. To learn more about our outdoor lighting services or to schedule a consultation, please call John Minor at 877-433-5833 or email John. We look forward to providing your home’s outdoor areas with an impressive, more cost effective lighting scene!