The right landscape lighting strategies will determine how safe and welcoming your driveway is after the sun sets. Light up a paver driveway with these 6 outdoor lighting ideas in Lynnfield, MA: ideas that will put a smile on your face every time you come home.
The old-style garage-mounted light certainly illuminates the area immediately in front of the driveway - but it also casts a harsh, unwelcoming light that can blind oncoming drivers, and makes the rest of the landscape overly dark by contrast. There are many ways to make your driveway stand out. Change out the bulb in the garage-mounted light to something more subtle, and add other types of lighting along the driveway. You will love the difference!
First, before you choose fixtures, make sure you look at fixtures that use light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These bulbs are extremely long-lasting and energy-efficient. Just as importantly, they are small, which allows for creative placement anywhere in your landscape, for special lighting effects. Just because your driveway is functional, doesn’t mean it can’t be a show-stopper after dark.
With LED lights, you’ll be using more light fixtures, but each light will be significantly lower wattage than old-school landscape lighting. This way, the effects will be softer: there will be less glare, and fewer harsh shadows. The result will be a safe and attractive atmosphere that doesn’t take away from the beauty of the night.
Spotlighting
Any noteworthy landscape feature can become a gorgeous focal point after the sun sets. As beautiful as it may be during the day, the right lighting techniques will make it pop at night. Spotlighting places an outdoor light fixture several feet away from an object, and aims the light slightly upward to encompass the entire object. Spotlight a statue, fountain, landscape boulders, a retaining wall, an address pillar or a beautiful old tree. Small bullet lights can be located throughout the landscape to create a few random “pops” of light.
Uplighting
A similar technique places an outdoor light fixture directly at the base of the object and shines it upward to highlight textures. This is a popular technique to use along retaining walls, trees, and other features with prominent textures.
Moonlighting
Moonlighting is a technique that mimics the bright moonlight filtering through the trees. A light fixture is placed high in the tree canopy and aimed down. The shadows dance in the breeze, creating a romantic approach to your home.
Path Lighting
Path lighting can be used to clearly define the boundaries of your driveway. Path lights can be solar powered or hard-wired. We recommend choosing hard-wired path lights, since the batteries won’t recharge on rainy or snowy days. Path lights can be positioned along the driveway edge (runway style) or they can be disguised among the landscaping.
Downlighting
Downlighting is a similar technique to uplighting except that in this case, the light is mounted higher and oriented straight down. This is a good technique to use under the capstone of a retaining wall, or your driveway’s entry pillars. Again, the textures will be accentuated while offering plenty of subtle illumination along the driveway.
String Lights
String lights are not a permanent lighting technique but they can be installed as temporary lighting: what better way to guide your guests to where the party is? Just follow the lights! Have your landscape contractor install string lights from trees to define the driveway and give it a festive feel.