Why should the dark stop all outdoor fun?
What the heck am I talking about. Well one very important element when designing your garden is to consider how it will look, how it will be used, how it will be accessible and ultimately how will it be enjoyed at night.
LIGHTS
Not so long ago outdoor lighting was concentrating on security and access. The light units where big and lumpy and an accepted bolt on to the home.
Now this is very much not the case as companies have embraced with a passion the desire to create what can only be described as light art. Having your plant stock up lit in a way that accentuates the shape of the trees bows or the flowers of the plant or the swaying grass fronds is sensational. The very subtle low-level lighting within the beds making the leaves gently glow or well thought through garden path lights that do just that light the pathway.
At the end of a busy day when jobs are done, and children are safe in bed, the ability to pour a couple of glasses of wine and sit with your partner in the garden just absorbing the ambiance of the night in a way that simply brings a sense of calm to your mind, your body is immeasurable. Before you know it an hour or two has skipped by and all is at piece.
So how can you achieve this effect. Let me briefly go through our process and enable you to glean from this
- Design / consider your garden, its use, areas of function
- Always work to scale as scale is cost. If you are not to scale then your costings will never be completely known until the physical finish
- Know where the pinch points are, the areas needing conduiting
- Make sure you have acquainted yourself with a reputable lighting company. Some companies only sell lights and let you source the electrician. Be mindful of warranties
- Use a qualified electrician with proven outdoor lighting design experience. Ideally have either a company that undertakes supply, install and maintain under their own umbrella or a supply company that has embraced the services of an electrician thus helping close the warranty loop
- For reasons you may need to phase your project. Always make allowance for this, so you do not go backwards when starting phase 2
- Know what material the lights are made of (external / internal) as weather fatigue can quickly become apparent leading to failing lights. Cheap is not always cheerful
- Have a scaled plan showing all the features, trees etc etc in place before you start
- Gain fixed costing for your purchase and install
- Have the system created to allow you to have various zoning aspects
I feel the garden lighting is the icing on the cake. Time and time again this has been proven with our designs, just think about that glass of wine and the calming to your soul.
