Choosing the Right Outdoor Lighting Color Temperature

Choosing the Right Outdoor Lighting Color Temperature

Outdoor lighting is a great way to increase your home’s aesthetics, especially when you choose the right outdoor lighting color temperature. Besides, outdoor lights can help improve your home’s safety and security at night. You can also install lighting fixtures in your outdoor space to highlight focal areas, including pools and entertainment areas.

Learn more about the color temperatures for your outdoor lighting and their specific uses: #amgarden #outdoorlighting Click To Tweet

But before installing any light bulb in your outdoor space, you need to find the lighting color temperature that matches your style. The standard measuring unit for color temperature is in kelvins (K). It measures the visible light color to install in your outdoor area, from dull red to yellow, white, blue-white, and eventually blue. 

What Color Temperature is Used Outdoors?

When investing in outdoor lighting, consider color temperature to determine the kind of light color that matches your home’s style. The number of kelvins (K) determines the intensity of the light shade. The lower the kelvin, the warmer the light color. As the kelvin rises, the closer the color moves towards cool white.

Different Color Temperature Ranges

If you plan to install LED bulbs, consider each bulb’s outdoor LED color temperature before investing. LED lighting color temperatures fall in the following ranges.

  • Warm Light (2000K – 3000K): Most incandescent light bulbs fall within this range. They produce a nice, cozy, warm white light with few red or blue tons.
  • Cool White Light (3100K – 4500K): The light fixtures offer a hint of blue color, creating a stunning cool white light to give a clear view of the surrounding.
  • Blue Light (4600-6500K): The light color that falls within this range imitates natural moonlight and is ideal for security lighting. It’s crisp and clear, highlighting focal points in your home.

Using Color Temperature in Specific Areas

You can use different color temperatures to highlight various spots in your home. Lights with color temperatures within 2000K – 3000K are ideal for highlighting entertainment areas. The light brings a sense of calming relaxation to make your guests comfortable.

If you want to highlight beautiful plants, consider installing white LED light that falls within 3100K – 4500K. It gives your garden a more natural garden light highlighting its natural vibrant colors. You can also use this light color on sheds, stairs, and workshops.

Installing the Best Outdoor Color Temperature Lighting

Choosing the right outdoor lighting color temperature can make your outdoor living space more inviting. Use the best color choices for various architectural elements in your home, from warm white to cooler color temperatures. AM Garden can help you customize your outdoor color temperature to match your home’s style.

Contact us today to talk to our experts about your outdoor lighting project.

Using Undercap Lighting in Your Outdoor Design

Using Undercap Lighting in Your Outdoor Design

Undercap lighting is an excellent way to make your garden or backyard conducive for night parties and get-togethers. With this lighting design, you can make your outdoor living space more comfortable and secure for your guests. It makes your garden more useful even after the sun goes down. This guide explores how undercap lighting works.

Undercap lighting is one of the most reliable techniques to enhance any outdoor living space. This lighting design involves installing light fixtures to shine down and illuminate an area, provide safety, and extend dimensions in the outdoor space. The good news is that you can use undercap lighting in many spots.

Let’s discuss undercap lighting in detail, including its applications and benefits! #AMgarden #outdoorlighting Click To Tweet

What is Undercap Lighting?

Well, undercap lighting is an incredible technique where light fixtures are installed to illuminate the space beneath a structure, a wall, or bench. This helps define the space, improve safety along paths, and create unique dimensions for your garden space. Undercap lighting is popular for illuminating the area below objects.

Where Undercap Lighting Can Be Used

Now that you know what undercap lighting is, you may wonder where to use this lighting technique. Here are some of the places to install undercap lighting.

  • Sitting Benches: Install the undercap lighting in your outdoor benches to define their edges and highlight the benches’ artistry. Use it on the seats near fire pits.
  • Accent Walls: You can add flair to your retaining walls by installing undercap lights. This will increase the wall’s dimension and highlight its beautiful elements.
  • Steps and Stairs: Undercap lighting helps to increase the safety of your steps and stairs by illuminating each step. This reduces the risk of stair-related injuries.
  • Fire Pits: Undercap lights can highlight the gorgeous stones used to build fire pits. They can create a beautiful halo effect around your fire pit.
  • Outdoor kitchens: If you love cooking outdoors, consider installing undercap lights in your outdoor kitchen to light it up. Add the lights under the countertops.

The Benefits of Undercap Lighting

Undercap lighting has numerous benefits for homeowners, such as improving a home’s aesthetics. You’ll be able to create a stunning and seamless look in your outdoor living space, making your home beautiful at night. This landscape lighting design also boosts the safety and security in your backyard. It prevents thieves from hiding in your home.

Design Your Outdoor Undercap Lighting with AM Garden

As a homeowner, don’t hesitate to invest in undercap lighting now that you understand how its applications and benefits. Let a professional help you install the lighting fixtures to make your home more functional and beautiful at night. Our experts at AM Garden can help you figure out the best undercap lighting design that matches your style.

Contact us today to talk to our landscape designers about your lighting project.

Outdoor Kitchen Lighting: 5 Outdoor Lighting Accessories to Install

Outdoor Kitchen Lighting: 5 Outdoor Lighting Accessories to Install

Outdoor kitchen lighting makes the patio more stunning and allows you to be part of the party during food preparation. Outdoor lighting also reduces tripping hazards and fatal accidents at night, and helps your guests to interact while spending time outdoors.

What are some good outdoor kitchen lighting ideas?

Many aspects of the outdoor lighting accessories contribute to your space’s appearance. For example, under-counter lighting illuminates the space beneath cabinets to help with food prep, while pathway lights illuminate flowers and make it safe for your guests to walk to the yard.

Here are some great outdoor lighting options to accessorize your outdoor kitchen with. #AMGarden #outdoorlighting #outdoorkitchen Click To Tweet
  1. Under-Counter Lighting
  2. Pathway Lighting
  3. Ceiling Fan Lights
  4. Work Space Lighting
  5. Accent Lighting

1) Under-Counter Lighting

Under-counter lighting is good if you prepare or serve food outside at night. It helps the visitors see their food during meals. Installing the under-counter lighting bulbs under the kitchen cabinets illuminates the space, making it ideal for meal prep. Notably, this lighting option can also set the mood for outdoor living. 

2) Pathway Lighting

Besides making the walkways safer for your visitors, pathway lighting can also set the mood for your dining experience. Buy solar-powered path lights for landscape lighting to make your flowers more visible at night, so visitors won’t step on them when walking to the outdoor kitchen area. 

3) Ceiling Fan Lights

A lighting designer will advise a homeowner to install a ceiling fan to reduce heat from the cooking area. Adding lights to the fan also makes the space more beautiful and comfortable. The air current from the ceiling fan is also perfect for keeping mosquitoes away. Besides, a dining area with perfect outdoor lighting accessories makes food preparation more manageable and the party better. 

4) Work Space Lighting

Cooking outside requires you to see all the ingredients and mix them in perfect portions. Pendant lights will be a good option for this role as they illuminate the ideal amount of light in your working space. These lights are available in various designs. For example, you can buy those that hang from the ceiling, illuminating light on the countertop.

5) Accent Lighting

If you are looking for ambient lighting, accent lighting is the best choice. You can make the lights warm to set the mood of outdoor sitting. In addition, accents are simple and make the space feel cozy. 

Set the Mood for Entertaining Guests in Your Outdoor Space

Outdoor space brings a good mood for a party, but they feel better with beautiful lighting accessories for outdoor kitchen lighting. Depending on your taste and needs, you can get different types of lights for your outdoor living.

Join the conversation today for more outdoor kitchen lighting ideas. 

6 DIY Landscape Lighting Mistakes to Avoid

6 DIY Landscape Lighting Mistakes to Avoid

DIY landscape lighting mistakes are common among homeowners who don’t want to involve professionals in their outdoor lighting projects. Installing the lighting by yourself can save you the cost. However, you may end up with a poor landscape lighting design.

What are some mistakes that DIYers make with outdoor lighting?

Hiring professional lighting designers guarantees a beautifully lit landscape. You can opt for strategic uplighting on trees and vital architectural features to make your landscape more attractive. Unfortunately, that’s impossible with DIY lighting.

Before you do it yourself, understand the common landscape lighting mistakes made by most DIYers. Here’s why the outdoor lighting pros are always the best option: Click To Tweet
  1. Unrealistic Project Budget
  2. Wrong Fixture Location
  3. Lighting Glare
  4. Inferior Lighting Products
  5. Too Many Fixtures
  6. Not Enough Fixtures

1) Unrealistic Project Budget

While the lighting effect is the most crucial part of landscape lighting, it doesn’t mean that you should buy low-quality fixtures. Prepare a realistic budget for the fixtures and materials for installing them. Don’t invest much in cheap fixtures because they wear out quickly when exposed to sunlight, rain, and snow.

2) Wrong Fixture Location

Another costly mistake is installing fixtures in the wrong places, such as path lighting in turf areas. In that case, the fixtures can quickly get damaged. Don’t install the fixtures on lawns where hedgers and mowers pass because they can destroy the fixtures. Instead, install the fixtures on flower beds or core points to illuminate.

3) Lighting Glare

Most DIYers don’t always consider the effects of glaring lights. The primary objective of landscape lighting is to create a light effect that illuminates landscape elements and not the light source itself. If the light coming directly from the lamp is too bright for the eyes, it distracts your eyes from the overall effect you are trying to create.

4) Inferior Lighting Products

Most DIYers go for cheaper, low-quality products when buying landscape lighting lamps and fixtures. Unfortunately, these products have short lifespans. The best thing to do is hire a professional lighting designer to help you buy high-quality lighting fixtures.

5) Too Many Fixtures

You don’t need to install many fixtures on a landscape to make it look more beautiful. Unfortunately, that’s one of the biggest mistakes most DIYers make. Too many lights on the pathways make them look like airport runways and can blind you rather than help you see where to step. Strategically fixing a few lights encourages soft lighting.

6) Not Enough Fixtures

While most homeowners usually use too many lighting fixtures, some may install a few. Unfortunately, a few lighting fixtures may not bring out the desired effect. If you notice some dark areas after installing some landscape lights, consider adding some lighting to illuminate the remaining dark spots.

Avoid These Mistakes by Working with the Experts

These DIY landscape lighting mistakes are avoidable. The best way to prevent such errors from occurring is by hiring a professional lighting designer who understands all the landscape lighting ideas. The good news is that AM Garden can help you through each step of the process.

Contact us today for reliable and affordable landscape lighting solutions.

In-Ground & Well Lighting Tips for Your Outdoor Space

In-Ground & Well Lighting Tips for Your Outdoor Space

One of the best ways to illuminate your outdoor space and make it more inviting at night is installing inground and well-lighting fixtures. These up-lighting fixtures can highlight your home’s architectural features and landscaping elements, such as plants, trees, and fountains. It’s the best way to light up your landscape without cluttering it with fixtures.

If you don’t like lighting fixtures sticking up from your landscape’s surface, you better part with in-ground and well lighting. These outdoor lighting options offer directional light upward but are unobtrusive. In other words, they don’t stick out from the surface. The fixtures are less likely to get damaged during lawn care.

So, what are the benefits of in-ground and well-lighting options? Let’s find out! #amgarden #ingroundlighting #welllighting Click To Tweet

Benefits of In-Ground and Well Lighting

In-ground and well lights are safe because they are installed below the ground or leveled with the ground surface. This lighting option reduces tripping over them, especially when you have kids playing in the landscape. Here are the other benefits.

  • There are many beautiful styles of well and in-ground lights, making it easy to choose what fits your style
  • You can choose the lighting fixture material that suits your needs, whether stainless steel or antique bronze
  • You can install the lighting fixtures near your favorite shrubs and flowers on your landscape

Where In-Ground and Well Lighting Should Go

These lighting fixtures can be used in accent and ambient lighting. For accent lighting, install the lights at the base of trees and other decorative elements in your landscape to make them conspicuous at night. But when it comes to ambient lighting, space the lights evenly around your home’s perimeter to make your home glow.

Choosing the Best Well Lights for Your Landscape

Since there are many designs of well lights, you need to choose the fixtures that match your style. For instance, you can opt for well lights with flat tops or shielded surfaces.

Well light fixtures also come in various materials, including copper, brass, and stainless steel. Remember to choose the fixtures that can withstand your climate. For instance, brass and copper are suitable for humid climates.

Professional Landscape Lighting Design and Installation

Inground and well lighting is a sleek, modern way to brighten up your home’s exterior at night. When installed by professionals, the stylistic lights will add beautiful illumination to your landscape. That’s why you should never hesitate to hire AM Garden for help.

Contact us today for professional lighting design and installation services.