If you’re looking to accentuate ambience in your new home or provide practical illumination, outdoor lighting can really enhance the look of your garden or outdoor space. Homes across our Redrow developments are created to offer access to plenty of green spaces, and your back garden is designed to be your own personal sanctuary.
How to choose the best outdoor lighting
A great tip to get started on choosing lights for gardens is to walk around your space at night to get a better understanding of where you would want the lighting to be. Pay particular attention to areas you might want to use as social areas in the evening and create walkways from your door.
When it comes to choosing your lighting scheme, there are plenty of options and styles of outdoor lights to consider for every size and style of garden.
There are three layers on the spectrum when it comes to exterior lighting:
- Ambient lighting – This doesn’t necessarily have a functional purpose, but is used to create a mood within your outdoors. Think of it as the lighting version of background music. E.g. fairy lights along a fence or by a tree
- Task lighting – Lighting which has a purpose, e.g. illuminating a pathway
- Accent lighting – usually used to feature a certain garden area, e.g. a flower bed.
Our team often works with new home owners on making their spaces their own, so we thought we could shed some light on what we think are some of the best garden lighting ideas…
Top outdoor light ideas
Outdoor fairy lights
Adding a string of fairy lights to a garden fence or even through plants can add plenty of ambience and decoration - all year round. Look for LED bulbs and choose between either shades of white (warm or bright), or add even more interest with a string of multicolour bulbs - they don’t just have to be for Christmas!
Smart outdoor lights
There are lots of great smart home devices out there. You can find sets of lights or individual fixtures that can be controlled remotely from an app. So, you can set up a timer so they always come on at a specific time, or switch them on if you need to head out - for example to take the bins out, or pop something in the shed.
Solar-powered garden lights
Solar lights for the garden are a great option - using rechargeable batteries powered by the sun, you won’t add anything onto your electricity bill but you can still light up your garden. Solar lights are available in a number of styles - from post lights you stick into the ground to wall lamps you can attach to a fence. If you’ve got any paths or walkways through your garden, it’s a good idea to add some solar uplights to illuminate the way.
Outdoor floodlights
You might choose to add floodlights for security - particularly in darker areas, or even over your garage door. As long as you’re mindful of the brightness and angle of the beam to avoid bothering your neighbours, they can add additional security and even accentuate areas of your new home. Floodlights can be paired with other smart home equipment or motion sensors so you can monitor any activity.
Outdoor wall lights
Wall lights are extremely versatile - as well as installing on brick walls, you can add them to fence posts, panelling or even trees to add lighting to your garden and outdoor space. You can also use wall lights to illuminate your front door number to create a welcoming atmosphere. Wall lights are available in a selection of styles and classic designs. Choose from modern chrome or a more classic brass effect, for example, to complement the Arts & Crafts-inspired exteriors of our Heritage Collection homes.
For further inspiration, visit a Redrow development near you to start planning your dream home.
