Lighting for Safety

When lighting a walkway, the most practical homeowners and designers think about safety first, and aesthetic appeal later. A well-lit path will ensure that your friends and family don’t trip over uneven walkway pavers or step into concealed puddles. Downturned lights should flank a walkway at comfortable intervals and should not be too bright or cause an unpleasant glare.

Finding an interval of the right size can be challenging. Bright contrasts can counter-intuitively serve as a tripping hazard, but no part of the walkway can be left in complete darkness either. Create a sweet spot where the furthest reaches of one light merges harmoniously with the next. Planting small shrubs and groundcover around these fixtures can help to soften the light they cast by reflecting it in various directions.

Moonlighting for Soft Romance

Once your walkway can be safely navigated after dark, you can focus on installing lights to tailor the atmosphere of the space. Moonlighting is an excellent way to cast a soft, warm glow on a front walkway to foster an effortlessly romantic mood. This technique entails installing a downturned light high up in the branches of a tree or on any nearby structure of a similar height. Opt for lights of low intensity, as their purpose is not to improve visibility, but to create ambience.

Spotlighting Nearby Focal Features

Highlighting interesting features that surround a walkway can completely transform it, from a simple transition to the home into a destination worth savoring. Uplighting is an excellent way to draw attention to intriguing features. This technique entails placing an upturned light at the base of a plant, or other focal point, to highlight small details in its architecture. The twisted limbs of a characterful tree would look amazing when brightly lit from below, casting a unique silhouette on any wall that may be situated behind it. The contours of a garden sculpture can be accentuated in a unique way by positioning the upturned lights at a particular angle.

Accent Lighting

There are various landscape lighting options that add little light to an outdoor area and contribute toward creating a particular aesthetic instead. String lights can be draped around trees and pillars, for example, to give a walkway a more romantic look and feel. Tiki torches are bold lighting options that can give a walkway a fun and exotic appearance. Large globes that emanate light can be scattered on the lawn lining a walkway, serving as an eye-catching feature without drawing too much attention with high-intensity light. Colored lighting can personalize a front walkway and make it look more energized. The color you select can complement the color scheme of your landscape or express your personal aesthetic flair.