Accent Lighting for Your Home, What It Is and Where It Belongs|How Does Accent Lighting Differ From Everything Else?|Using Accent Lighting Well on a Real Property

Accent lighting is defined by what it does not light

The difference between accent lighting and general lighting is the question being asked. It is not coverage. Point it at a specimen tree, a stone column, a water feature, a front door and stop. The dark part is not an oversight. It is what makes the lit part read.The concept takes one sentence and a lot of discipline. Choose a small number of things and let the rest of the property stay dark. The pull is always toward adding, and holding it is the entire skill.

What tends to earn it

Some things take light well and some do not. Texture is the usual test: stone, brick, rough bark, a heavy timber, a carved door. Smooth surfaces reflect light without doing anything with it. Form is the other thing to look for.

The most common mistake

Plans go wrong by addition. The homeowner sees one lit feature and wants more, then the whole bed, then the driveway. Once the whole yard is bright, the emphasis is gone, and the plan is https://titusfmbc425.brightsora.com/posts/custom-outdoor-lighting-plans-what-a-real-design-contains-what-makes-a-lighting-design-custom-four-questions-that-settle-it-custom-lighting-design-explained just illumination. A disciplined plan says no more than it says yes.A good accent plan seems minimal on a page and lands properly once the sun is down and you are looking at it.

Accent lighting and everything else on the property

Accent lighting is usually one layer of several. The other layers are landscape, security and roofline work. Accent lighting is the layer that adds intent.

One more thing about brightness

Accent fixtures are usually dimmer than people expect. After dark it takes very little light to draw the eye, and overshooting looks harsh rather than impressive. The goal is to draw attention, not to interrogate the shrubbery.

Uplight and downlight

Accent light arrives from one of two directions, and the difference is not subtle. 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. Downlighting comes from above, the way light normally does, so it feels natural and calm.

A maintenance note

Anything aimed at a tree or a shrub will be aimed slightly wrong eventually. A shrub uplit perfectly when it went in will grow past the beam. Nothing is broken. It simply needs adjusting. Re aiming is worth doing periodically.The test is always the same: stand in the yard after dark. If a fixture is lighting mulch instead of the tree, it is a five minute adjustment.

Having a plan drawn

Accent lighting is decided at the property, after dark, by somebody looking at it. EverCrest Lighting installs accent lighting as part of a full outdoor lighting plan for residential and commercial properties across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, based in Greenville. Consultations are free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email [email protected].

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