For half of the year in your Dutchess county home, all of the evenings (5pm and on) include the dark outdoors. Add in the 8pm and later time for the other half of the year, and you have yourself a HUGE opportunity to increase the time you can enjoy outside to make non-pitch-black memories.

To be fair, there are certainly some spaces that you may already be benefiting from. Perhaps you have some street lights that you're taking advantage of or maybe even a few outdoor lights. The reality is, you can significantly increase the time that you and loved ones spend out there with proper and adequate outdoor lighting for function and ambiance.

Is the light the spotlight?

In many cases, your landscape lighting will be discreetly installed, enabling the space that needs to be lit, to be the center of attention. In some spaces however, the light fixture itself will be visible during the day and perhaps even at night (due to other lights reflecting on the fixture). Decide on whether or not this light fixture will be visible.

If you decide on the invisible, consider opportunities to hide it. Plantings are an easy go-to. A change from uplighting to overhead (or the other way around) can also be a good fix - among many other options!

Of course if you have your eyes set on a fixture design, by all means, give it the attention it deserves!

Think through the reasons

For mostly style and a bit of function, consider which elements or objects you want to light up. This is probably one of the more challenging types of lighting because it's hard to imagine what trees, plants, or even parts of your home's exterior will look great at night with lighting - especially when combined with other outdoor lights. Uplighting and moonlighting are examples that fit this category.

Going back to the bit of function that the above type of lighting provides, is often called indirect lighting. This is perfect for sitting areas. These semi-lit intimate spaces can be styled with tabletop lighting or overheads (e.g. on a deck) in case more lighting is needed during moments such as dining. Hardscape lighting is another example of indirect light. Related post: Don't cut costs when it comes to landscape lighting.

Use Combinations

Uplighting alone will typically not brighten a space enough to lounge in. Same with spotlighting. And you get the point, same with many other solo landscape lighting setups.

A well lit space uses a mix of lights and/or focuses to create the right ambiance. It's a perfect balance for function and design. For example, a walkway lit with ground path lights can serve the basic need to light the path. Focus some of those same path lights on to some of your plantings - and you've added style. Of course, to make sure you've got enough lights to create this perfect balance, you need to plan the lighting design well in advance before you start digging and installing (or contact Harmony Hill Landscaping for help).