A gorgeous patio with thoughtfully chosen patio pavers is something to show off, both during the day and at night. Part of enjoying your patio is keeping it illuminated at night for safety, practical, and aesthetic reasons. With the right combination of landscape lighting strategies, you can make your landscape a stunning place at night and at the same time, emphasize your patio pavers. You can brighten up your patio pavers with these six landscape lighting tips in West Bloomfield Township, MI.
Related: 4 Landscape Lighting Ideas That Showcase the Beauty of Your Patio Pavers in Troy, MI Area
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) make excellent landscape lighting fixtures due to their small size and ability to produce bright light at a fraction of the energy cost of traditional bulbs.
No single landscape lighting strategy can do everything. The best way to effectively light an outdoor living area is often by combining strategies—in effect creating a layered effect.
The plan could start by placing lighting fixtures where they need to be most, such as illuminating walkways and patios; then, to a lesser extent, highlighting important features of the landscape like a water fountain or tree; and finally, to an occasional “random” placement of light fixtures across the landscape that provide a great visual sense of the topography. The visual tapestry can make the landscape feel welcoming and safe with no harsh contrast between illuminated spaces and the landscape beyond.
Walkway Lighting
Using a series of walkway lights set alongside a walkway or the perimeter of a patio will provide downward-oriented light that will highlight pavers and offer safe passage. You could avoid a resemblance to a runway by including some of these other lighting strategies for an incredibly pleasing effect.
Masonry Features
Any masonry feature can become very useful for housing light fixtures. Raised plant beds, pillars, outdoor kitchen walls, and especially retaining walls provide excellent housing for light fixtures that will illuminate your patio. These lights will be angled downward at an angle to highlight paver textures.
Hiding Among Plants
To create visual texture in your evening landscape and to highlight pavers, outdoor light fixtures could be placed among plants. It will make the lights themselves less prominent while putting emphasis on the walkways and patio. The contrast from a relatively dark place to a well-lit place will make the patio pavers pop visually while shadows from shrubs and other leafy plants will create some dancing shadows in the breeze. These lights could be angled to accentuate the texture of the patio pavers and at the same time, prevent dark areas that could become tripping hazards.
Soft Lighting
Too much brightness can actually do more harm than good. Bright lights could create far too much contrast that can end up being disorienting. Instead, use soft, warm, and relatively subtle lights that wash over the area and produce a level of serene calm, so your landscape doesn't take on the feel of a shopping mall parking lot.
The key is to heed the “less is more” approach throughout your landscape. You don’t necessarily want to create the illusion of daylight, but rather to retain the magical allure of the night while providing just enough illumination to create a comfortable and safe atmosphere.
Water Features
Water naturally refracts light and allows a gently flickering light to wash over any surrounding landscape. If you have any water features in your backyard, make special use of them to highlight your walkways and patios. The impressive array of ambient light will make a wonderful addition to your nighttime experiences. Take any fountain or waterfall and shine a light from underwater outward. You can also use the reflective properties of water to create a shimmering on an opposing surface.
Related: 5 Outdoor Lighting Ideas Tailored to Winter Landscapes in Macomb and Rochester Hills, MI, Areas
