Adding thoughtful lighting features to your Seattle area outdoor living space is a practical application and enhances the outdoor living space experience . There are a lot of choices for different styles and features. Everything from stair lights, garden lights, string lights to wall sconces, there are endless selections that will work for you and look great.
But, why even consider adding lighting to your outdoor living space? Besides the practical reasons, like providing light, extending your space and providing security. If you enjoy entertaining family and guests, then creating the balance between ambiance and function is what you’re looking for.
So, let’s take a look at some of the ways lighting can enhance your outdoor living area.
7 Ways Lighting Can Enhance Your Outdoor Living Space
Practical Uses
Lighting, at its core, is functional. When you’re an avid outdoor entertainer, having functional lighting is absolutely vital. For example, if you’ve got an outdoor kitchen and you like to entertain in the evenings, hosting dinner parties, you don’t want to be cooking in the dark. Having appropriate lighting is vital.
Similarly, having light fixtures around a pool is important for parties at night (falling into a pool at night is definitely a hazard!).
Even simpler, if you’re entertaining on your patio, you want to be able to see your guests’ faces, not be shrouded in darkness. So lighting is important for your outdoor living space.
Increase Outdoor Enjoyment Time
Taking it one step further, imagine you’re hosting an afternoon barbecue and your guests are having a great time. You don’t have to move the party indoors, just because it’s getting dark. If you have some ambient lighting on your patio, you could keep the party going longer.
If you’re lucky enough to have a firepit, especially one with built-in seating around it, you could add lights under and around the seats.
Safety and Security
Lights can also be a part of your security system. Sensor lights are great for the front of your home, especially near a driveway or front door. This also increases the value of your home, as you improve the security of your property.
Ambiance
Outdoor lights lends itself to creating ambiance, not only providing function. Whether you decide to add lights along walkways, or ground lights along the boundary of your patio, you can create an ambient setting.
Lighting your outdoor dining area is an important thing to consider. For one, it’s very practical – you’ll need sufficient lighting. But, it’s also another great way to add to the ambiance. Nobody wants bright, blazing lights over them at a dinner party!
Styles of lighting and their brightness create different moods. For instance, string lights placed on a pavilion are great for soft, rustic lighting. In contrast, a chandelier lends itself to a more prominent feature.
Either way, adding lighting to an area like a pavilion, or pergola definitely elevates the outdoor living area.
Elevate the Style of your Outdoor Living Space
It’s incredible what lighting can do to the overall style of a space. Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, lighting is the final step in creating the perfect living area. It’s the final aesthetic touch to complete the look.
If you have a modern-styled patio, simple lighting works best. If you have a rustic patio or pavilion, candles, wall sconces or even a chandelier could be a good idea.
Increase Value of Your Property
Any additions or renovations made to your property, can increase its value. Whether you add a pavilion or add in lighting along the driveway, you’re increasing the value of your home.
This is especially true when you improve the functioning of your home. For instance, if you add lights along your walkways and driveway, you increase the ease with which you can move around the outside of your home. Even seemingly small changes like that can enhance the property’s value.
More Outdoor Lighting Ideas
Adding lights to a retaining wall is another great way to enhance your outdoor living space. Firstly, if the retaining wall is on the outer boundary of your home, it adds to the security of the home. Secondly, if the retaining wall is in your backyard, it’s another way to add ambient lighting.
If you don’t have a big backyard or even just have a balcony, you could get creative. You could add lights to railings or even ground lights.
Lastly, with lighting, less is more. Too much lighting becomes clumsy and doesn’t do what it needs to – which is to compliment the overall style of the living space.
Final Thoughts
Outdoor living space lighting can add value to your property, create an ambient atmosphere for entertaining family and friends, and be a safety feature too.
Get in touch with Seattle Outdoor Spaces and we’ll help you design and add the perfect lighting arrangements to your outdoor living area with practical and elegant lighting solutions.
