Property owners are now paying more attention to their exteriors. This is not only because of the shift towards outdoor living but also because everyone is aiming to make a perfect first impression. When most people, however, hear of landscaping, they assume this only includes plants and greenery in their outdoors. To them, these are aspects they can handle more so when they are hobby gardeners. Those who are not into gardening opt for artificial plants for their landscape.
Exceptional landscapes, such as those handled by companies dealing with professional landscaping services in Minneapolis, nonetheless involve more than greenery. It also includes water elements, lighting, and paving, among other things that will complement the plants in your outdoors. Light, for instance, not only illuminates your landscape but will also highlight the design elements used in it. This way, you can showcase your landscape even on the darkest nights. Here are the style approaches that might be used in your outdoors for the perfect look.
Uplighting
This is among the most basic style approaches for lighting your outdoors. In uplighting, tall structures or trees will be used to add some drama to your look. Uplighting can be achieved by highlighting the trunks of large trees or the undersides of small trees and large tree canopies. This generates an interesting dramatic effect on your landscape that complements flat landscape elements. Wall and spotlights are the standard options for uplighting.
Path Lighting
This, as the name suggests, is focused on the pathways of your outdoors. While primarily meant to enhance the safety of your outdoors in dim lighting, it can also improve the appearance of your exteriors. You, for example, can use the lights to highlight the features in your landscape like water fountains, swimming pools, and seating sections by installing the lights around them.
Silhouette and Shadow Lighting
In silhouette lighting, a light fixture is placed behind a landscaping element to generate its glowing outline. The objective of silhouette lighting is to take the focus from a lighting fixture and put it on a landscaping element you want to stand out. In shadow lighting, a lighting fixture is positioned between the landscaping feature you want to highlight and a vantage point. This light is consequently focused on a solid object or wall near the feature to cast a shadow on it. Shadow lighting generally creates soft light with a moody effect.
Wall Wash Lighting
Murals are among the landscaping elements in modern outdoor areas. Wall wash lighting illuminates walls that you want to stand out. Wash lighting fixtures will be positioned not less than twelve inches from your wall. This way, you will have a flat and even light that has some texture. Wall wash lighting is also used on hedges and living walls.
While some landscapes feature only one lighting style from the above, a few will need several styles. To minimize the energy costs for outdoor lighting, most landscapers will recommend LED lighting. These not only use minimal energy but also come in several colors to complement different landscapes.
