Good outdoor lighting can really enhance your garden or outdoor space, giving it a wonderful ambience as well as practical illumination for important areas. Here we offer you tips and ideas for creating your perfect outdoor lighting scheme.
The best way to start is by walking around your garden at night to better understand where you want the lighting to be. Think about areas you need to light at night, like a pathway and your front door, areas you will want to use in the evening, such as an eating area, and also features you would like to highlight so that you can see them from inside the house.
When it comes to which light to choose for your outdoor lighting scheme, there are plenty of different styles of outside light to consider. Here are four of our favourites:
The Party Light
Chances are you’ve seen quite a few schemes adorned with festoon lights, whether in a magazine, at music festival or at an outdoor party! Our Festoon Lights come in two sizes and feature small circular loops above each bulb which can be used to attach them to hooks, branches or fence screws.
The Porch Light
The beautifully simple barn lamp is a traditional design that looks good in all schemes, whether you’re in the country, town or city! Wall mounted with a glass cowl suspended from a curved arm, barn lamps come in many colours, sizes and finishes and are a good choice for a porch or outbuilding – like this gorgeous Barn Lamp in Clay.
The Pretty Light
With its glass shade and antique brass finish, the elegant Glass & Antique Glass Wall Light was featured in Living Etc’s Editors Choice for outdoor lighting. Manufactured in the UK and designed to provide a mix of clean lines and vintage character, each piece is hand crafted and hand finished making each one individual and unique.
The Practical Light
A contemporary garden light with a vintage nautical feel, the St Ives Standing Path Light is part of a range of outdoor and garden lighting. Robust and completely weatherproof, these lights are made from hot dipped galvanised steel and are completely weatherproof.
Important details to consider with outdoor lighting:
Electrical supply
Draw a plan of your outdoor lighting scheme so that you know what you want and where you want it. You will either need to notify Building Control if you intend to carry out electrical work in the garden, or it must be installed by a Part P qualified electrician.
Cables buried underground must be covered in a buried warning tape according to regulations, preferably using Steel Wired Armoured cable. Make sure that mains voltage outdoor lighting and electrics stays within building regulations. All outdoor cables, wires, sockets, appliances and lights have to be protected by a residual current device which instantly cuts off power in the event of an emergency.
Please seek professional advice for further information and guidance on installing outdoor lighting and electrics before you begin.
Bulb type
Regular light bulbs can be used in outdoor lighting. As with indoor lighting, choose between LED, halogen and energy saving depending on your light fitting and requirements. Learn more with our Guide to Bulb Types.
Motion sensor
Fitting a motion sensor to key task lighting is very useful, whether you’re coming home or helping visitors to navigate the garden at night, or using it as a deterrent for intruders. Inexpensive and easy to install, motion sensors can be attached to most outdoor lighting, although it’s best to check that both the light and the motion detector you choose are compatible.
See our full range of Outdoor Lighting and start planning your outdoor scheme today!