The time spent outside on your paver patio can be the foundation of your family’s favorite memories. As the daylight fades away and turns into evening, you want to make sure that the enjoyment doesn’t fade as well. From lighting the way to enhancing nighttime visual appeal, a lighting strategy can make or break the experience. As you plan your next steps in landscape renovation, here are four ways adding outdoor lighting to a paver patio can enhance your time spent outdoors in Pottsville, PA.
Related: A Landscape Designer Suggests These Clever Ways to Utilize Outdoor Lighting in Wescosville, PA Area
Prioritizing Safety with Ground Lighting
If you have ever walked toward a flood light and been blinded… or walked away from it and couldn’t make out what’s in front of your feet, you know how important it is to properly illuminate all walking surfaces. Forget the flood light, which creates harsh shadows and reduces depth perception. Instead, use low-lying pathway lights to direct light energy where it’s needed: the ground.
The focused light will not only effectively light the pathway, it will also reduce the amount of electricity needed to light the same surface when compared to overhead lights that are further away. This is the first step towards an enjoyable atmosphere in your nighttime outdoor living space.
Low lying lights will also highlight any textures present on your paver patio - a dramatic look if you have textured pavers such as those inspired by flagstone.
Adding Drama with Integrated Lighting
A little fire light goes a long way in creating a warm and welcoming feeling in a paver patio. The soothing qualities of the flickering orange light will enable some beautiful visuals emanating from a gorgeous masonry fire feature.
Instead of competing with the fire light, work with it. Light fixtures integrated into a masonry fire pit or outdoor fireplace will offer additional ambient light, which will be especially important once the flames are put out. Uplights installed at the base of an outdoor fireplace will highlight the textures of the structure, which would otherwise be in relative darkness as the fire burns brightly; and downlights installed on both types of fire features will draw attention to its rustic textures.
Any masonry feature can house light fixtures: seat walls and retaining walls; pillars; water features and fire features; and even the patio surface itself. The look is chic and unobtrusive during the day, and highly effective at night.
Adding Fun with Festive String Lights
Sometimes, the most effective lighting strategies are among the simplest. Using some tasteful string lighting over your paver patio will produce a wonderful environment full of excitement. The association everyone has with string lighting is festivity and the holidays, so why not enable that feeling in your friends and family every time you have a gathering in your backyard? You’ll soon see the effectiveness of these lights after you have them installed. Always take advantage of professional installation if lights are being hung from trees or higher on the house.
More Drama with Water Feature Lighting
Water features such as fountains, waterfalls, reflecting pools, and swimming pools already make up some of the most enjoyable aspects of a landscape. Let these features be just as useful during the evening by using the refractive properties of water. Placing a spotlight behind the water feature, under the surface, or angled towards it will produce some amazing results, especially when combined with other lighting strategies. The gentle ripples produced by movement and wind will become dancing animations projected all over your paver patio.
Related: How Outdoor Lighting Can Be Used to Accentuate Your Outdoor Fireplace in Wyomissing, PA
