Pathway lighting , although it may seem like a simple intervention without too many difficulties, is instead an operation that should not be underestimated not only because it is a question of guaranteeing the safety of passers-by or cars, but also because, from an aesthetic point of view, to achieve discreet results you need to dose the lights in the correct way. The lighting systems for the avenue and for the gardenthey are, in fact, designed ad hoc by a professional figure trained on the subject, thus avoiding useless waste of money to the clients but guaranteeing the respect of the initial wishes. In any case, equipping the appliances with the right lights is not easy even for a professional who must divide himself between the client’s requests and the concreteness of the project. The ideas and solutions to be found usually have to respond to two fixed points: having good lighting , but avoiding the use of lights on avenues that are too showy or heavy to the eye.
Driveway Lighting Tips
When you start a project for the lighting of paths and gardens , the possibilities are many as you can insert various light points and different types of lamps according to your tastes or needs. However, one could fall into error by failing to respect what is the visual comfort that must be protected in order not to go from lighting to an excessive beam of unsightly lights. Observing the neighbors’ houses on an evening walk, that house illuminated by day with lamps and street lamps will immediately stand out.which transform the building almost into a monument rather than a dwelling. Evidently, there has been an important abuse in the choice of lights with the consequence that we are facing a street in Dubai rather than a common Italian residential area. If excess is well avoided, so too is the inappropriate use of excessively developed lights in height. Lamp posts and tall lights can, in fact, weigh down the view of the avenue or the garden , making the external environment become disharmonious, not fully enhancing it as it should be done. If you are looking for design solutions, of Italian production and high performance, you will find them forGarden Paths lighting on lighting-giardino.it
Common mistakes to avoid for driveway lighting
Bad LED driveway lighting can be generated by several mistakes made in the design phase or simply because you want to accomplish something using incorrect lights from a functional point of view. Fortunately, almost everything can be remedied even if, consequently, there will be an increase in costs if you have already purchased all the elements. Absolutely a must and never install a vertical light especially near a walkway or driveway . This is not just a waste of energy as it illuminates the sky, also increasing light pollutionwith significant disturbance for birds, but it is also a bad way to achieve driveway lighting . Walking down the driveway you could be blinded by too much direct light on your face, making the lighting rather ridiculous and useless. For this reason, when purchasing driveway lights , the best choice is to opt for lamps that light down. This is not only effective, but from the point of view of harmony and visual comfort it will serve to illuminate only a limited part of the garden, keeping intact the shaded areas that must absolutely be preserved as they are.
Paths and gardens lighting: pay attention to trees and shrubs
The garden path lighting has another enemy to which it is good to pay attention: the vegetation. It is necessary to distinguish the case in which the trees and shrubs are already present along the avenue from the opposite one, therefore the absence of vegetation that will soon be inserted. In the first case, the solutions are there but they must be properly found. Obvious is the fact that it will be difficult to illuminate an area if it is bordered by a rather developed grove using a lamppost , so an idea could be to use vertical lights . Although vertical lights are to be rejected, there are exceptions like this one. By installing spotlightsand by adjusting their angle according to the distance from the vegetation (the spotlight is placed closer to the trunk and the more the angle approaches the perpendicular to the ground), it will be possible to enhance the presence of trees. By illuminating the foliage, both the avenue and the garden will gain greater breath by projecting themselves towards the sky and the resulting effect will make the entrance to the building even more beautiful.
LED driveway lighting solutions
Leafing through the catalogs, also online, dedicated to lighting external paths , you can immediately realize how many types of LED lights exist on the market. They not only differ in shape and size , but also in functionality , light projection , materials , durability and, of course, price ranges . The illuminated paths are frequently equipped with an alternation of the following categories of lights : – walkable or recessed side LED spotlights ; – wall lamps orapplique ; – suspension lamps ; – projector spotlights ; – street lamps and lanterns ; – LED bars . The variety is therefore very wide and each category has its own characteristics that must be respected to obtain maximum performance once installed.
Floor lamps: alternative and modern street lighting
Among the most frequent solutions for illuminated garden paths there are floor or walkable lamps . Their small size and flattened shape make these elements perfect to be installed at floor level without hindering not only the passer-by but also for example the gardener who crosses the avenue with the lawnmower. This kind of lights distributes the lighting horizontally highlighting the surface without ever aiming at the eyes of those who pass by. Usually an avenue equipped with these profiles is not fully illuminated, on the contrary, the plays of light and shadow are maintained by positioning the small LEDsin order to create lively light bands. Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that the floor lamps are made specifically to withstand trampling and even the passage of cars without presenting the slightest sagging. One of the great advantages of this lighting system is the ease with which the walkable lights can be inserted in any context. These elements can be installed on most surfaces making them the best choice if you are looking for spotlights that remain invisible during the day.
An always effective solution with recessed driveway lamps
The use of recessed LED lamps is not new in driveway lighting . Generally they are installed along the walls that line the entrance and are placed at a height such as to illuminate the flooring without being annoying to the eye. Their discreet and rather minimal design, since only the transparent part of the lamp is exposed, give the avenue a sober style, combining aesthetics with the functionality of the lights. Even with these elements it is still possible to liven up the external appearance of your home by creating light strips to follow to get to the front door. LED technologyit lends itself effectively to this purpose since rather long and thin lamps can be made using modules of almost unlimited size.
Pathway lamps applique for domestic appliances
In the event that the LED spotlights for paths should also illuminate the facades of the house at the same time, the ideal solution is the installation of wall lamps, lights specially made to protrude from the wall by projecting one or two beams depending on the physical characteristics of the lamp itself . It is not uncommon to find this type of lamps both in modern homes and in more dated or rustic ones, indeed, they create an interesting effect when combined with stone masonry as they highlight the details by creating areas of light and shadow. The usefulness of this kind of lighting lies precisely in the dual possibility of illuminating both the driveway facing the building and the walls themselves by combiningefficiency and decoration with the same element. The wall lights are also ideal for stairways or sidewalks along the appurtenances of the house.
A touch of originality: the suspended LED driveway lights
Very little used in driveway lighting are LED pendant lights . Their use is constrained by the presence of the right architectural structures, for example a courtyard flanked in a horseshoe shape by buildings can allow their installation. Pendant lights are used when it is possible to install cables between two or more buildings, without the presence of poles or street lamps in the area below. The advantages in this case are considerable: the visual impediment is minimal, you can use lamps with a more romantic taste such as lanterns, therefore useful for decorating and lighting, moreover it is not necessary to create additional electrical systems in the garden since a connection to the domestic one can be exploited. The best performance of this category of lights is certainly the one that can be obtained in historic villages.
The most traditional lighting for outdoor walkways with posts
The bollard lamps are certainly not a novelty in the lighting of pedestrian walkways . Already used in the gardens of past homes, they have rediscovered new life with LED technology which has improved their luminous efficiency . With these elements you can focus more on design since there has been an increase in the varieties on the market, for a modern touch you could opt for those made of aluminum with a square shape.
Inevitable among the outdoor lamps for paths are the LED street lamps
We cannot conclude without mentioning the avenue and garden lamps par excellence: the LED street lamps . Although they have often fallen into disuse due to their large size, they are still used in areas where strong and diffused lighting is required. However, there is nothing to prevent the use of street lamps also to create a romantic Parisian-style atmosphere, perhaps by purchasing high-quality wrought iron elements.
