Accent, Pathway, Landscape Outdoor Lighting? What Are The Differences?

May 17, 2021

landscape lighting

To bring your landscape full circle, you need to assess and improve your outdoor lighting situation. You need to take a look at your patio or lounge area as well as your front yard, backyard, side yard, and more.

To create an aesthetic and well-lit home, you need to consider your outdoor lighting. The kind of lighting that your home needs may vary depending on the decorative, safety, and landscape purposes of your lighting.

When it comes to creating an enticing outdoor atmosphere, the lights you choose are essential. You have the accent lights, which would help create that warm glow. Then you have the pathway lights, which would help you find your way when walking through or around your yard. You also need landscape lights, which would showcase your greenery. But how do you choose which one is best for you?

Accent Lights

accent landscape lighting

 

Outdoor accent lights add ambiance to your outdoors by filling it up with a lovely glow. With these types of lights, you can illuminate your porch, pool deck area, or walkway. These fixtures will spice up your style. The key to choosing the right accent lights is to get those that match your home’s theme or style. You would find traditional, contemporary, rustic, industrial, and so on. If done right, your accent lights can greatly improve your curb appeal.

The market offers various modern outdoor lighting options. Low-level illumination can create a lovely hue, and it can light up the space to improve the area’s visibility. LED outdoor lighting can make any space aesthetically pleasing, but it is environmentally-friendly as well. Not only do they conserve energy, but they are also great for the environment.

Accent lights are not restricted to just one kind of fixture. You can easily find an accent light that fits within your home’s décor. For instance, those round, orb, accent lights are great for a contemporary feeling for your home. Nowadays, accent lights can be controlled with mobile apps, so you can easily control them and turn a dark yard into a customized well-lit-up space.  You can alternate colors and adjust the hues for different layering.

Accent lights are perfect for relaxing, just enjoying the serene night and sipping wine with loved ones. Accent lighting is perfect especially when coupled with outdoor lamps. They can brighten up your space while enhancing the mood of your home’s atmosphere.

Before you set up your accent lighting, you have to survey your desired design space. Make sure that it can be affixed properly, and this should be able to enhance the appearance of your party. Once you’ve chosen the areas where you want to install your accent lighting, you can then set up all kinds of lights. The style would depend on your overall desired atmosphere.

As for the color of lights, you can opt for neutral and calming lighting, or you can opt for anything brightly colored. The lighting color would depend on the concept that you’re hoping to pursue. You can try color-changing outdoor light, which can change depending on your mood.

Modern LED accent light is a wonderful addition to your backyard, pool area, or entryway. Fortunately, you would find numerous options so you can select a design, which would work for you and your exterior space.

Pathway Lights

pathway landscape lighting


Everyone wants their homes to be as welcoming as possible to loved ones, friends, and neighbors. This means shoveling snow in winter or lightening up paths and stairs in summer. You do not need to light up your entire house, but it pays to install walkway lighting that will ensure everyone stays safe.

You don’t want your guests fumbling around in the dark, possibly ruining your lawn or damaging your sprinkler heads. Make sure to keep pathways and your driveway well-lit. Ideally, you need to place them along the sides, about a foot away from the path. They should also reach about 14 inches high to provide enough warm light.

It is also important to choose your lights properly. Consider the quality and efficiency of the lights. Glass lens and powder finishes on your fixtures will withstand weather elements and damage. LED bulbs will help you save energy. It can decrease energy use by 75 percent. With proper knowledge and planning, you can lead your guests to your door safely. You do not need a degree in electrical engineering to get started. There is a wide selection of fixtures to choose from, and the installation process is often always foolproof.

The average homeowners may not be able to install even the simplest light system. You may hire a landscape lighting specialist to do the job for you. You will need to remove leaves and debris from fixtures to keep them from overheating. You also need to replace bulbs regularly to avoid overtaxing light bulbs.

Landscape Lights

landscape lighting

Landscape lighting can just be the thing that will turn your backyard lighting or garden lighting from basic to bling. However, undertaking a lighting plan can be intimidating. You have to consider what light to put in your yard, the type of landscape lighting that is appropriate, and how to use the right landscape lighting.

Use landscape lighting to highlight the best focal features in your home like statues, fountains, and thriving trees. The important aspects of landscape lighting include symmetry, balance, and layering. This involves down lighting and up lighting to create some depth. You do not have to light up every detail, tree, nook, and cranny. This can create a wash-out look of your yard.

What makes any space special is the play of light and dark, which highlights the features that you want to focus on. The lighting helps create contrast and shadows, which then help create intrigue and drama.

What Should You Light Up in Your Landscape

Identify the feature in your home that you like to highlight. Perhaps, it’s the pond or a stately tree. Highlight them with low voltage lamp lights to show them off. Add drama and effects to areas that might not generally stand out. For instance, a simple wall can take a whole new atmosphere or personality with the right light and shadow.

You also need to think about the function. For instance, a deck of stairs may need to be lit to ensure that you and your family as well as your visitors can move about your yard safely. You always want to create an inviting and well-lit entryway. An illuminated entrance will guide family members or guests safely. It will help create an inviting and warm curb appeal.

There are numerous ways to illuminate your home’s exterior to improve the feel and atmosphere of your home. But why choose those old halogen bulbs when you can change to long-lasting, budget-friendly LED replacement bulbs for the same cost? We have in our store several lighting options to help you create that landscape lighting that you want for your home. You can grab our PAR36 8 WattPAR36 12 Watt, and PAR36 6 Watt .

outdoor lighting


These low voltage lights are perfect for landscape lighting. This bulb is a quick and easy replacement for low voltage landscape lights or pool reflector lights. Our bulb replacements are perfect for surface mount spotlights and fixture-mounted landscape lights. They are also way cooler than your traditional halogen lights. They don’t heat up as quickly as halogen bulbs.


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