How to Use Wash Lighting to Make Your Landscape Pop

How to Use Wash Lighting to Make Your Landscape Pop

What if one simple change could transform the landscape around your home?
You don’t need expensive and time-consuming renovations to make your San Diego yard look fantastic. All you need is the right wash lighting.
Wondering what wash lighting is and how you can use it to make your landscape pop? Here is a quick little guide to help you out.

 

What is Wash Lighting?

We’ve prepared a comprehensive guide to make your landscape stand out via wash lighting. Before we get into it, though, it’s important to define exactly what this kind of lighting is.

Wash lighting (also known as “up lighting”) involves mounting lights and strategically shining them on your landscape. Any kind of light can help draw attention to certain parts of your yard. Also, using different light colors can further affect the look, feel, and flow of your landscape.

Ultimately, wash lighting is about more than just lighting up your yard after dark. Instead, it’s about creating a unique ambiance around your home.

As any photographer will tell you, the right lighting is the difference between a landscape looking good and looking absolutely breathtaking.

Best Type of Lighting

Obviously, there are many types of lighting solutions that you can choose from. Which of them is the best choice for this kind of external lighting? Generally, LED lighting is the best choice to create the wash effect. One reason for this is that LED offers many wattage options. This effects how soft or how stark your lighting will look.

LED lights are also far less likely to overheat. And there are many “smart” LED options available. When correctly set up, these smart lighting solutions let you control your lighting with an app.

Such apps offer great convenience when you’re at home. However, they offer even greater peace of mind when you can adjust your home lighting and deter thieves while you are traveling.

Inside and Outside Lighting Solution

We are primarily focusing on how wash lighting can change your landscape. However, it’s worth noting that such lighting can also transform the look of rooms within your home.

Different lighting colors make for a great alternative to a new coat of paint. Also, as we noted before, you can actually try out multiple colors and see which one makes the space look best.

Keep in mind that no matter where you install this lighting, color choice is very important. Green and yellow lights within a room may actually highlight imperfections. However, blues and purples help create a chill ambiance while also hiding minor flaws within the room.

Where to Install the Lighting

Let’s say you are interested in installing wash lighting. That brings up a simple question: where, exactly, do you install the lighting at your San Diego home? The answer depends on whether these are internal or external lights and what visual effect you are going for.

For lighting inside the home, you need to install the lights high up. This allows you to get the wide angles you want and cast as much of the room in a flattering light as possible.

For lighting outside the home, it depends on the visual effect. Some techniques (such as shrub lighting) require you to place the lights lower.

Also, the additional space outside means that you can experiment with multiple lights and light spacing to achieve your desired effect. Now that you know a bit more about what wash lighting is, let’s dive into some of the best techniques for external lighting.

Using Architectural Lighting

Architectural lighting is a pretty simple concept. In fact, the name practically says it all! This is a form of lighting where you illuminate pillars, walls, or other aspects of your home’s architecture.

In some cases, this helps you to shine a spotlight on your favorite home features. If you’re proud of those pillars, for instance, just imagine how dazzling they will look at night!

In other cases, architectural lighting helps you to appreciate the more muted qualities of your home’s architecture. Experimenting with light placement will help you add depth and contrast to the exterior of your home and make it look like a brand new space.

Using Moon Lighting

There is something magical about moonlight, isn’t there? Even a simple stroll under the light of the moon makes an otherwise normal evening feel epic and romantic.

Believe it or not, wash lighting can help you get that moonlight feeling whenever you want. The key is to install concealed lights high up in your mature trees.

This effect ends up casting light downward (which is why “moonlighting” is sometimes referred to as “down lighting”). While you can try this out anywhere with tall trees, it works best in trees on either side of a walking path around your home.

Just think, you can now have a moonlit stroll whenever you want.

Shrub Lighting

So far we have focused on lighting that accentuates only a handful of elements in your yard, but what if you want to draw the eye towards many different outdoor features? In that case, shrub lighting may be your best bet.

Shrub lighting involves placing lamps lower to the ground and casting light on lower areas such as hedges. Not just any light though, the goal is to strategically shine transitional lighting on certain parts of the yard.

This kind of lighting helps visitors to focus on all of the little details that help your yard stand out. Moreover, multiple shrub lamps help draw eyes from one side of the yard to another.

Using this technique creates a true visual journey for your guests.

Light’em Up: Your Next Steps

Now you know how wash lighting can transform the look of your San Diego yard, but do you know which professionals can help bring your lights to life?

We specialize in landscape lighting, interior lighting, and much more. With our experience, you won’t just get a new set of lights, you’ll get a completely transformed home.

To get started, all you have to do is contact us today.

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