Accent lighting is a choice about what to leave dark
Most outdoor lighting is trying to cover ground. Accent lighting asks which one thing should be looked at. It is not coverage. One feature, chosen on purpose, with the surroundings left dark. The dark part is not a gap in the plan. It is what makes the lit part read.That is really the whole idea, and it is not complicated. Pick the handful worth seeing and stop there. Every plan drifts toward more, and the pressure comes from both directions.
What tends to earn it
Some things reward being lit and plenty do not. Texture is the best predictor: stone, brick, rough bark, a heavy timber, a carved door. Flat painted siding gives you almost nothing back. Form is the other thing to look for.
The most common mistake
Plans go wrong by addition. One feature turns into six over a couple of conversations. Once the whole yard is bright, nothing is emphasized, which means the money bought brightness rather than effect. Restraint is the actual skill here.A good accent plan looks thin written down and right in person, which is an awkward thing to sell and an easy thing to live with.
How it fits with the rest
Accent lighting is usually one layer of several. Landscape lighting handles the yard. Security lighting covers approaches and dark corners. Roofline lighting takes care of the house itself. Accent lighting is the layer that adds intent.
One more thing about brightness
Accent fixtures are usually
https://evercrestlighting.com/contact/ dimmer than people expect. Your eyes adapt, so a small amount of light reads as a lot. You are highlighting something, not lighting a work area.
Two directions, two moods
Accent light arrives from one of two directions, and the two look nothing alike. Light from below is not how daylight works, which is why it suits a column, a trunk or a stone face and flatters very little else. Light from above feels natural, which is exactly why it works so well over seating and paths.
Plants grow. The aim drifts
Anything aimed at a tree or a shrub drifts out of alignment over the years. Growth closes over a fixture, and mulch, mowing and weather move ground mounted units. Nothing is broken. The aim just needs a look. Re aiming is worth doing periodically.Aim gets checked the same way the design was made: by standing on the property after dark and looking.
Having a plan drawn
Accent lighting is decided at the property, after dark, by somebody looking at it. EverCrest Lighting installs accent lighting along with landscape, patio, security and permanent roofline systems for homes and businesses across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, from Greenville. Consultations are free. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].