Nine Illuminating Outdoor Sculpture Lighting Ideas

Let there be light!

Since the invention of the lightbulb in the 1800s, lighting has come a long way. Just like most technology in the 20th century, advancements in lighting improved rapidly.

Now, a lightbulb isn’t just a tool used to reveal our surroundings and stay safe. Lighting has also become a way to express our personalities, aesthetically enhance our surroundings, and convey our own personal sense of style.

So, if you’re interested in enhancing your San Diego backyard, outside lighting design ideas are a great way to jump-start your creativity.

Our backyards don’t just need to be a place where our pets use the restroom. They can be an extension of our homes. When a backyard is in tip-top shape and landscaped beautifully, the value of our home can even increase.

One way to achieve any of these looks is through the use of sculptures. Sculptures come in many shapes and sizes. Some can be extremely large whereas others can be no more than a foot tall.

To get the most out of your sculptures, you’ll want to consider the lighting you use around them. Here are nine outdoor light ideas to illuminate your garden sculptures and landscaping.

 

Outdoor Light Ideas: Enhancing Sculptures Through Illumination

Using lighting is a great way to elevate our backyards. We can make our backyards feel magical, modern, or even masculine. Outdoor sculptures can instantly transform any backyard to suit our personal style choices.

One-way sculptures can make even more of an impact is through lighting. Explore these outdoor light ideas to figure out how to get the most out of your sculptures at night.

Uplighting

Uplighting provides any sculpture with some intriguing contrast. By placing a light at the base of the sculpture and shining it upwards, a shadow effect is created. The base of the sculpture will also be illuminated which will bring out its features in the dark.

To successfully employ uplighting, make sure the light you are using is slightly angled. This will ensure that you receive a delicate shadow effect, while enhancing the features of your outdoor sculpture.

String Lighting

String lighting isn’t just great for creating ambiance. It could also be used as a way to delicately illuminate your outdoor sculptures. This method is especially useful when you want your outdoor lighting to be soft and glowing, rather than contrasting.

To start, hang the string lighting from a tree, a pergola, or fencing. Then place your sculpture underneath the string lighting. The string lighting will give your sculpture a subtle glow that will make your backyard feel romantic and peaceful.

Silhouettes

If you want to create a bit of interest in your backyard, then try out silhouette lighting. Using silhouette lighting behind a sculpture will allow you to see its shape, but not its specific details.

For sculptures with negative space, this will make the pattern become even more distinguished. To complete silhouette lighting, place a light directly behind the sculpture. When nighttime rolls around, you’ll have the benefit of extra lighting and the artistic appeal of shadowy art from your sculpture’s silhouette.

Shadowing

Think your home’s siding is just for looks? Think again!

Your home’s siding paired with the right lighting can create an artistic masterpiece. So, how do you do this exactly? By using your sculpture to create a shadow on your house.

To complete this technique, you’ll first need a sculpture that has a prominent shape. For example, a horse, metal spiral, or a leaf. Then, you’ll place a light at the front of the sculpture and shine it upwards at a slight angle.

This will create a shadow effect on the side of your home. You can also reverse the shadow method to create shadows on your walkway or driveway.

Walkway Illumination

Sometimes all a beautiful sculpture needs is a soft glow of light. Use your walkway lighting to illuminate your sculptures features at night. To get the most of this technique, your sculpture will need to be placed near your walkway lights.

Cross Lighting

Don’t be afraid to use more than one light to highlight an important outdoor feature. In fact, using more than one light and crossing them can have a more dramatic effect.

This is especially useful for large, expensive sculptures, or outdoor features like a waterfall. To achieve cross lighting, you’ll need to place two lights near the ground on two sides of the sculpture.

Feel free to experiment with the placement of the cross lighting to see what creates the most effects.

String Light Contact

If it makes sense for your sculpture, considering wrapping string lights directly around it. This is an especially powerful technique for geometric pieces. Feel free to add as many or as little string lights as possible to achieve the look you want.

Spot Lighting

Spotlighting your sculptures is similar to the shadow effect. However, when spotlighting, your goal won’t be to create a shadow effect, but only to directly illuminate the sculpture. This means that the sculpture won’t be in front of a large backdrop of any kind.

Spotlighting creates a profound effect that can truly make your sculpture feel like it’s placed in a royal palace.

Color Coordination

The color of lights matter. Outdoors lights have different shades, so it’s best to use a color that complements your home and the desired look of your backyard.

It’s also a good idea to take into account the color of your outdoor sculpture to make sure it doesn’t clash with the lighting color.

Outdoor Light Ideas: Which Ones Will You Try?

When it comes to outdoor light ideas, there is no one way to get it right. In fact, you should feel inspired to try out a variety of lighting techniques.

To get the most out of your lighting ideas, plan ahead. Start by determining what your backyard’s most beautiful features are. Then, choose a color and lighting technique to illuminate these features.

Always keep in mind the style of your home. Since your backyard is an extension of your indoor space, it’s a good idea to not veer too far off from the design of your home.

In need of spectacular lighting for your backyard sculptures and features? Contact us today and we will take care of all your lighting requirements and needs at your San Diego area home.