We are having a new paver patio and landscaping installed in our backyard, and I was hoping for some suggestions on the best way to light things. I have absolutely zero design sense, but I took a very rough pass at what a layout could look like (just a bunch of areas lights, lights under the seat wall, and up lights on the two trees), and would welcome any feedback. My wife also really likes the look of the Shadow Master light - would something like that work around a patio or is it better in a more open area?
Hello, As design aspects are largely preferential, it is difficult to say what will work best in any given situation. With that being said, I am more than happy to offer some general suggestions! For paved areas with firepits, retainer walls, etc., hardscape lights are generally used. These fixtures are compact and low-profile in design but still provide ample light output. For reference, for every foot high that a 6" LED hardscape fixture is mounted you will get about 1 feet of light on the ground. Path and area lights are generally used along sidewalks, driveways, and other pathways. These fixtures are typically spaced either to provide a consistent flow of light or, are spaced out to provide pools of light. The sizes of the areas of illumination will be dependent on which style path lights you chose to use and the type of bulbs used. Beam spread & suggested spacing are listed on each of the individual path light pages for convenient reference. When uplighting trees, fixtures with higher lumen counts are typically used for overall large trees. Multiple fixtures can be used on one single tree depending on the desired lighting effects; placing two uplights on a single tree can in fact give a '3D' effect. For slim trees (Palm Trees), bulbs or optics with narrow beam spreads are recommended. For trees with wide canopies (Oak Trees), bulbs or optics with wide beam spreads are recommended. The overall sizes of the trees would ultimately determine either how powerful of a fixture should be used (lumen count) or how many fixtures. As to what exact fixtures should be used would be based on your style preferences. On a side note, I would highly recommend taking a look at our photo gallery for visual references to help with ideas and planning.
