A beautiful garden with sufficient lighting is one project that is easily achievable with the right set of lighting fixtures, especially perfect for the upcoming warmer season. Not only does it contribute to the safety and security of any residential property, but it also provides a relaxing, satisfying aesthetic that contributes to the overall wellness and peace-of-mind of people living in the property.
Before hiring a professional lighting designer, here are some basic factors to give you an idea on which factors to consider when redesigning your garden or landscaped area with lighting.
Site Survey
Lighting projects should be practical. It is important to do a site survey and determine the goal that you are trying to achieve with the lighting that you will be installing – it could be highlighting or brightening landscaping designs, installing security lighting along building facades, having safety lighting along walkways and driveways, setting up the ambience in the patio, and more.
Once the scope is set, you can then start planning possible spots on where to mount light sources and plot lighting patterns that you would like to achieve in relation to the area of the location, routes, vertical levels, changes in directions, etc.
Knowing Your Options
Learning about various light sources will greatly help in plotting a sustainable lighting plan. Here are a few types of lighting fixtures used for residential garden lighting.
Bollard Lights
Typically seen along pathways and driveways, Bollard Lights are installed mainly to illuminate pathways and landscapes for pedestrian safety and further prevent accidents while also providing security. They come in various sizes, finishes, and shapes (round or square-edged), and placed ideally two to four meters apart to provide ample lighting for walkways.
Garden Spikes
Designed with durable, water-resistant Aluminium body, Spike Lights are one of the most flexible types of garden lighting. You can easily mount the unit and adjust the lighting angle in an instant, making it one of the easiest choice for illuminating pathways, highlighting areas with shrubs, small trees, flower beds, or simply providing ambient lighting. Solar-powered spike lights are also available: with innovative features such as Dusk-To-dawn Auto On/Off, they are cordless, which means that it is even more convenient to mount and install as there is no complicated wiring involved.
Wall Fixtures & Lamps
Wall lighting transforms and improves the look of building facades and house exteriors into beautiful pieces of landscape and architecture by adding accents. Also referred to as washers, wall lamps are available in various colours and styles, and can easily upgrade the look of any location whether it has a classic, minimalist, modern, or contemporary theme. Easy to install, and compatible with standard GU10 lamps available in the market.
Bollards, spike, and wall lights are all designed with fully durable bodies with IP65 water and dust resistance, making them highly and fully functional despite the rain, shine, or snow. Standard colour temperatures with select beam angles are also available for the light of each unit, and these play a great factor in achieving the desired purpose of the lighting – Warm White (3000K) which is easy on the eyes and sets an ambience, up to a Bright White (6400K) colour usually used for safety and security lighting.
Design & Installation
Along with choosing the proper lighting specifications, the lighting design includes the exact installation locations – mounting height, spacing, switches/control methods, and wiring. From these, the distribution patterns can be generated while considering people's fields of view, along with the proposed costs and total breakdown of equipment, energy efficiency, and installation costs.