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1. spring/summer 2013
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2. details | night lights
Night Lights
Lighting creates ambiance and safety for
your outdoor living areas.
Well-designed outdoor lighting adds curb appeal and ambiance
to your home. It creates a safe environment for walking, so homeowners in the
mountains don’t stumble upon a bear or mountain lion.
“Up-lighting on mature trees will give a sense of the visual canopy, while
downlighting can showcase the landscape by highlighting the ground level
features,” says Gregg Mackell of 186 Lighting Design Group. When planning
outdoor lighting, you not only have to think about how it will look, but also how
it will feel when you’re in the area. “If you walk through a series of downlit areas,
you will feel like you’re in a spotlight,” says Mackell. He suggests lighting a path
with low-level lighting, then highlighting surrounding vertical features for a
feeling of comfort and safety.
Another consideration is how the lighting looks when you’re inside the
home. Reflections from interior lights can mask the beauty of the exterior
lighting. Mackell suggests a plan for both the interior and exterior so they work
together. He says the ability to dim certain interior lights will lessen the reflection
enough that your eyes will want to look right through the glass. “That’s where you
get that magical connection between the inside and the outside,” says Mackell.
Photo by Raul J. Garcia, courtesy of Studio B Architects
dlmhomeanddesign.com [ 90 ]

3. details | night lights
tips for
Well-Designed
Lighting
Lighting for Safety:
Stairs, water, bridges, changes in elevation and other fea-
tures that may be a tripping hazard should be properly lit.
In the mountains, it’s important to light the outside for safety
so homeowners are not surprised by animals.
In the city or suburbs, you might want to light areas around
the house or along pathways to illuminate any potential hid-
ing spaces for intruders.
Lighting for Aesthetics:
Look at the landscape from viewpoints you will have as you
experience the space.
Look at the landscape from pathways, from a dining room,
from a patio or a street. From these viewpoints, determine
which features are worth lighting.
Most deciduous trees look good when illuminated with up-
lights near the trunk, while evergreen trees look best when
lit from far away.
In a modern hardscaped area, LED or fiber optic paver lights
are great options.
Step lights can add function while enhancing the look of
stairs. Choose the style wisely for a dramatic effect.
Controlling glare is important when considering any
outdoor lighting. Glare causes your pupils to shrink, which
makes everything around the source of glare appear
dark. Using fixtures with glare shields or hiding glare
through landscaping can help create a glare-free environ-
ment.
One final consideration when developing a lighting plan:
codes. Many areas have adopted the intent of the Interna-
tional Dark Sky Association. Navigating these regulations can
be tricky. A professional lighting design company is your best
bet to ensure you meet the regulations required for your
area as well as get the look you want for elegant, unobtru-
sive outdoor lighting.
Photo courtesy of Archstyle
Photo by Jim Bartsch Photographer, courtesy of Mosaic Architects and Interiors
Resource
186 Lighting Design Group, Denver
303.534.5350 | 186group.com
[ 91 ] denver life home+design