Good patio and deck lighting design depends on more than just choosing the right fixtures.

Well designed patio and deck lighting lets you enjoy your outdoor spaces in the evenings, makes your house and garden safer at night, and can really improve the look of your home. It’s important to choose fixtures which suit the architectural style of your house, and radiate the right quality of light to create an attractive ambience. Good patio and deck lighting also depends on positioning the right fixtures in the right places to achieve the look and feel you want, and to make your outdoor spaces safe and secure.

There are many different types of deck lighting products, including high pressure sodium floodlights, incandescent floodlights, quartz floodlights, low voltage spotlights and lanterns, and solar powered lights. Each radiates a different amount and quality of light, and has a different level of energy efficiency. It’s worth doing a little background research online, or by talking to your local patio and deck lighting equipment supplier, to find out which type of fixture will work best for you.

Patio and deck lighting design tips.

Finding the perfect lighting design can be a complex process, and often the best approach is just to experiment with positioning different types of fixtures in different places to see what works best before you install them. If you’re building a new deck or patio, it’s a good idea to incorporate your lighting design into the design of the deck or patio itself.

An important factor to consider is glare. Never place a strong light source so that it’s bouncing directly off a hard surface, and try to position the lighting fixtures so that they are hidden from view. Indirect lighting is the most desirable; the light sources themselves should never be visible. Ideally there should be an even, ambient glow around the space, not a harsh, direct blaze of light.

Safety is of course very important. Make sure steps, stairs, level changes, water features and doorways are well lit. Spotlights are generally the best type of fixture for this purpose.