Common Types of Outdoor Lighting Types

If you own or rent a house, chances are you’re not surrounded by darkness after dusk, and already have some sort of lighting installed on your outdoor premises. However, in today’s fast-changing and always-evolving world, it’s always worth taking a look at what’s new, and to open our minds to new ideas.

There is something that is not only necessary, but incredibly rewarding about it. Whether you are already in the market for new lighting solutions and a new look for your illuminated landscape, or you need a little convincing in order to shake things up a little bit, there are interesting things happening in the landscape-lighting design world. If you appreciate a long tradition of innovative design ideas and dedication to aesthetic adherence, it would be worth considering Italian lighting for your property.

When approaching the topic of shaking things up outside the home, it’s imperative to first get acquainted with some of the various types of outdoor lighting, and make sure you have your options laid out before you.

Spotlights

A spotlight, as the name suggests, is a more narrow band of light which focuses on specific spots. They can be used to light up trees, support columns, and the like. They can be used in a variety of applications, such as silhouetting or highlighting for example.

The thing to remember about spotlights is that they are long and narrow light beams, and can be used from a distance, in a variety of imaginative ways, but are not meant for illuminating large spaces, and are more “surgical” than floodlights, which we’ll discuss below.

Floodlights

Floodlights are not much different in essence than spotlights other than the fact that they are wider and “shorter” beams of lights.

They can “flood” an area, such as a driveway, or the entire backyard, or provide a wider illumination aimed at particular objects, such as a tree or a flagpole, which might need a wider projection of light, with the night sky behind it to absorb the passing light.

Path Lights

Path lighting can be used to illuminate any and all areas intended to be traversed, such as walkways, stairs, garden paths, and also any other function for which the fixtures might be useful for, such as illuminating flowerbeds. These include in-ground lighting, bollards and urban-style lighting posts.

Underwater

Be it a swimming pool, a fish pond, or a relaxing stream, you will most definitely want to make sure that any and all bodies of water on your property are well lit with the appropriate fixtures. Submerged lighting consists of scuba lights, which are more elongated and adjustable fixtures, as well as pool lights, which are built-into the side of a pool wall or hard surface, and are fixed in place.

There are also dive lights, which are similar to scuba lights, but have a broader beam (similar to how a floodlight stands in regards to a spotlight), and hydro-flex underwater lights, which are flexible LED strips, and can be used in innumerable ways.

Downlights

Downlights are convenient to understand because their name is their job, to aim down. In an outdoor space you will not only be aiming up towards the house, trees, and decorative objects, or down at paths and open areas, but you will also have points of interest that will require a focused light aiming straight down at them.

This could be used in the patio for example, which might be partially covered by an upper-level, or hanging from a post or a tree, in order to illuminate a table or other seating arrangement.

Getting Things Started

If you’re buying a new property, changing things up in an existing one, or simply feel the need to refresh and renew things, it’s always good to see what’s on the market. You never know what has changed in terms of product being offered and design ideas, as well as simple technological advancements.

New lighting fixtures are likely to offer new styles and be more energy-efficient, as well as use lighting that looks and feels different than what you’re used to. It’s good to also appreciate long-standing traditions and commitment to design, which Italy is well-known to excel in.