Landscape lighting can often be the final piece of your landscape design, highlighting your Hinsdale, IL Area favorite features after dark. Strategic outdoor lighting can maximize your use of any outdoor living space, increase the ambiance of these areas after the sun sets, and create focal features in the nighttime landscape. Here are some ways to welcome your guests to a paver patio where you can stay as long as you like.
Lighting for the Patio
The patio has become a hub of entertainment and activity in most backyards and for good reason. Often positioned directly outside the back door of your house, this outdoor living feature is accessible at any time of day to offer a place to eat, relax, and visit with friends.
The last thing you probably want to do is go inside when the sun sets when your patio is so comfortable and temperatures have cooled. Lighting for a paver patio can illuminate the paver surface for better visibility when you head inside for snacks and drinks.
It’s a good idea to include some brighter task lighting for those evenings when you want to play cards with friends or finish reading a good book. Ambient lighting can set the mood for parties, late dinners, and snuggling by the fire pit.
A Fire Pit
Of course, a fire pit can see a lot of use late in the evening, particularly in the summertime when life is a little slower. While you might not think you need additional lighting around the fire pit, it can come in handy when guests get up to go to the restroom, grab another drink, or head into the yard to throw the ball for your dog.
Soft, recessed lights around the fire pit and the nearby retaining wall can cast illumination onto the stone surface and the floor below. At night, retaining walls and fire pits can take on a different, more complex appearance as the light casts shadows on the nooks and crannies of the rock and joints.
A Water Feature
Make a water feature like a waterfall spilling into a small pond below more dramatic after dark with added lighting. Whether large and drawing attention or small and nestled into a nearby landscape bed, your water feature deserves to stand out in the dark night.
Illuminating the spilling water and surrounding vegetation can enhance the appearance and let your guests find a spot nearby to enjoy the sight. Lights that shine upward into the butterfly bushes and small ornamental grasses can create interesting shadows while illuminating the leaves and fronds.
Placing a long bench near the water feature can offer a spot to admire the spilling water and watch the fireflies and lightning bugs visit the space.
Illuminate the Rest of the Back Yard
Lighting the stone steps that descend into the grassy areas can make the transition smooth while fixtures along the walkway cast light down onto the surface for easy movement through the outdoor space.
Choosing bright spotlights can result in a competitive game of badminton or volleyball in the cool night air. Adding ambient lights to shine on the fence that encircles the property can offer a sense of security as you stay outdoors later in the evening.
About the Author
Since 1984, Figgins Trees & Turf has offered an array of design and build and landscape maintenance services with a personal touch. Our versatility and wide range of specializations—from general maintenance to an extensive portfolio of design and build installations—set us apart.