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When it comes to the safety and security of your home, how you tackle the exterior is just as important as the interior, if not more. Not only must you ensure there is enough light for people to safely navigate outside in the dark, but consider the effects on wildlife as well as the deterrence of any criminal interest too.
In this blog, we explore landscape lighting design tips that focus on safety and security so that you can achieve a well-balanced lighting solution for your property.
This one’s fairly obvious, but definitely worth a mention. Start your landscape lighting with entryways such as your front door, back door, side door, gate, and garage door. These are your home’s weak points and where you’re able to prevent incidents easily with sufficient lighting.
As well, think about any potential trip hazards away from the entrances to your home.
Do you have any garden features that become hard to see in the dark? Or perhaps some raised wooden decking with a flight of stairs? Whatever it may be, locate your trip hazards and make sure they’re easy enough to see.
On the subject of safety, it’s not only us humans we need to be aware of. Lights in your garden can create light pollution that adversely affects nocturnal animals, therefore local wildlife must be a consideration.
Many animals rely on darkness as part of their habitat and behaviours, meaning some artificial lighting can disrupt their natural cycle.
The good news is, there are various steps that can be taken to ensure your landscape lighting is wildlife friendly. By using fixtures that cast light downwards, emit a low colour temperature, and are designed to reduce glare, you’ll create a lighting scheme that keeps both your human and animal guests happy.
One of the biggest advantages to landscape lighting comes with additional security, and when something as important as your family home is involved, you should maximise this at all costs.
Whilst no one wants to deflect criminal interest onto a neighbour’s home, a trespasser will usually continue past a well illuminated home in search of a more vulnerable target – the darker an area, the less chance they have of being seen. So, although the chances are slim, why risk being targeted if you can pose more risk to burglars with light.
In short, if your home is well lit from the outside, think of it as a psychological barrier to intruders.
Solar landscape lighting can be a fantastic choice for many projects, especially with the environmental and economical benefits it brings. However, most solar-powered lights will not remain lit through the night, meaning they cannot be relied on for your entire lighting solution.
Because of this, we recommend that corners, doorways, and any other areas you want to keep lit until morning aren’t done so by solar-powered fixtures.
At Hampshire Light, we specialise in landscape lighting design. With over 20 years of experience creating decorative, functional and security driven lighting, we tailor your lighting scheme to fit the requirements of your outdoor space. If you’re looking for a passionate and experienced lighting design team to transform your property, contact us today and book your complimentary design consultation.
Staircase lighting can enhance your staircase with decorate and functional features. Not only can lighting design improve the looks of your staircase, and wider area, but serves a real purpose in terms of safety.
Here's our tips on how to light your staircase effectively.
As residential lighting designers, we combine ambient, task and accent lighting to achieve a lighting scheme that feels balanced and luxurious.
