Outdoor lighting for your outdoor living space: Deck Lighting

An outdoor living experience is something to be cherished, especially in areas of the country like New Jersey, where the warm months are fleeting. Homeowners who invest in outdoor living spaces like decks, patios, screened rooms, gazebos and pergolas generally intend to get every last bit of use that they can out of them. For homeowners with outdoor living spaces, the allure of relaxing or entertaining in their summertime retreat does not set with the sun.

A lot of thought goes into transforming an outdoor space into an outdoor living space and the same amount of thoughtfulness should go into lighting it. How often and how it is used after dark should be contributing factors in the decision of how to light the space. The most common outdoor living spaces we encounter are decks.

Decks vary greatly in style, shape and size, as well as the primary functions they serve for homeowners. Is there an outdoor cooking area on the deck that one might need extra light for in order to continue grilling uninterrupted as the sun goes down? Likewise, is there an outdoor dining area that might need more ambient, mood-setting light with a dimmer switch?

Our experience allows us to take a look at some of the unique aspects of your outdoor living spaces and design a system taking into account some of the following: What type of material is the deck made from? What type of steps does the deck have? Are there posts that should be lit for safety reasons? What color or material is the decking? How does the lighting design mesh with the overall style of the home and the clients?

When deck lighting is done well, it should appear seamless, both during the nighttime hours as well as in the daylight. We often see electricians who do not specialize in outdoor lighting hanging super-bright, flood lights just outside the back door. These fixtures are often installed at a height and angle which allows them to spread light throughout the space, but at the expense of being unsightly and often blinding for homeowners and their guests.

The same can be said for attempts at lighting steps. Fixtures are often mounted in a way that lights the stairway going down and blinding those who are walking up. These are matters of experience in outdoor lighting design principles that can lead to serious issues of safety.

If you have an outdoor living space that you are interested in professionally lighting, please don’t hesitate to contact us here or give us a call anytime at (908) 369-7791.