Landscape Lighting Fixtures Broken Down
Being familiar with the various types of landscape lighting is a vital part of developing the proper lighting strategy. Each of these fixtures listed below have a specific way they’re designed to be used — not that we don’t encourage creativity! — and you’ll usually get the best results out of them when you have some understanding of what that is.
Listed below are some of the major types of landscape lighting we carry here at the Shelby Design Center:
Path Lights
One of the primary purposes of landscape light fixtures is to ensure you have the right amount of light to navigate your way through the darkness. Path lights are helpful to place along walkways to ensure you stay on the walkway and avoid tripping hazards. However, their purpose is not purely utilitarian. Thanks to modern trends in pathway lighting, you can also utilize highly decorative features that bring great aesthetic value. Pathlights are also great for drawing attention to flower beds.
Spot Lights
When landscape lighting is mentioned, chances are your mind most likely pictures spotlights. Spot lights are versatile and highly effective for drawing attention to trees, landscaping, or even hardscaping features in your yard. Spot lights can be used to create silhouettes or even backlight these features. They can also be used for uplighting and downlighting. Spot lights come in a variety of bulb types and colors as well as beam widths. There’s simply no end to the ways spot lights can be creatively utilized!
Step Lights
Like other types of landscape lighting, the effective use of step lights can greatly aid in safely using outdoor staircases at night. However, a well-lit staircase is something that’s quite lovely to behold. You can hide step lights right under the rim for a gentle glow. You can also use them in on the side of your steps in an alternating left-right pattern as you make your way up the stairs for something truly unique!
Well Lights
These low-profile landscape lighting fixtures are actually installed slightly below the ground and are best for illuminating surfaces just a few inches off the ground. They’re great for lighting tree trunks or pillars. You can even choose an RGB fixture that not only has various colors, but also color-changing modes. These are also helpful to place in areas where you’ll need to mow over or there’s heavy foot traffic.
Underwater Lights
Also known as pond lights, underwater lighting is a fantastic way of drawing attention to your beautiful waterfalls, fish ponds or fountains. Whether you install a submersible pond light or use them in combination with downlighting, you can truly make your fixture sparkle. When utilizing underwater lights, your goal is to make it look as natural as possible. So be sure to use lower lumen (brightness) output lighting (200 - 400 lumens) for a subtle look that cuts down on the glare.