Exterior Accent Lighting, How to Use It Without Overdoing It|What Is Accent Lighting? A Plain Answer|Using Accent Lighting Well: Less Is the Whole Technique

The definition nobody gives you

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 leave the rest alone. The dark part is not a gap in the plan. It is the other half of the effect.That is really the whole idea, and it is not complicated. Choose a small number of things and light nothing else. Every plan drifts toward more, from the homeowner and sometimes from the company selling fixtures.

What tends to earn it

Some things reward being lit and some do not. Anything with surface relief picks up light and shows it off, since the shadows a texture throws are the point. Flat painted siding mostly just gets brighter. Shape helps too: a tree with structure, an arch, a column, a gable peak.

How people get it wrong

The failure mode is always the same: everything becomes an accent. The homeowner sees one lit feature and wants more, then the whole bed, then the driveway. Once https://troysgxx922.summitquill.com/posts/curb-appeal-lighting-what-your-house-says-from-the-street-at-night-does-lighting-improve-curb-appeal-the-short-answer-is-yes-and-here-is-why-nighttime-curb-appeal-a-homeowner-s-guide everything is lit, nothing is emphasized, and the plan is just illumination. A disciplined plan says no more than it says yes.The best accent plans read as sparse in a drawing and correct once you are standing in front of the house after dark.

How it fits with the rest

On most properties it works alongside other lighting. The other layers are path and bed lighting, security coverage, and the house itself. It is what makes a plan look considered.

One more thing about brightness

Output almost always ends up too high. After dark it takes very little light to draw the eye, and too much reads as a floodlight. You are creating a point of interest, not lighting a work area.

From below or from above

Accent light arrives from one of two directions, and the two look nothing alike. Light from below is inherently dramatic, which is why it suits a column, a trunk or a stone face and flatters very little else. Downlighting from up in a tree or under a soffit imitates moonlight, so it feels natural and calm.

Plants grow. Accents need adjusting

Landscape accents point at plants, and plants move. Growth blocks the throw, and ground level fixtures get knocked out of position. It is a small thing that makes a big visual difference. Re aiming every couple of seasons keeps the plan looking the way it was designed to.The test is unchanged: stand in the yard after dark. If a fixture has drifted off the subject, 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 throughout Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, from Greenville. The consultation is free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email [email protected].

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