Adding light to outdoor areas can create mood, shadows and atmosphere to alfresco entertaining, as well as practical help with security and navigation to and from the front door of your home.
Adele Locke, architectural lighting designer at Victoria’s Mint Lighting Design, says that you should start with the basics. “The first thing we think about with outdoor lighting is: are we inhabiting the space, or are we looking at it like a picture?” she says. “If we’re looking at the outdoor lighting from inside, we actually need more light to see it and make it stand out. Whereas, if we’re in the space, such as if it’s alfresco, we don’t want it to be too bright, because then we start feeling like we’re in this scary pool of light surrounded by darkness.”
Mandi Kontos, architectural lighting designer at Beacon Lighting, agrees that homeowners need to start with how they’re going
