Lighting Your Outdoor Space
LIGHTING YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE
Now largely considered by many to be an extension of a residence, a house’s exterior isn’t just for curb appeal, but a usable space that 
can make a home feel larger and more versatile. Outdoor lighting has played a key role in this process, from landscape lights that accentuate a flower bed or walkway, to exterior lighting fixtures that illuminate an outdoor kitchen or patio. Lighting also aids in safety as well, providing security as homeowners approach a residence after dark, or protect it when they are not home.
Outdoor lighting can include outdoor wall lights, ceiling fans, post lights, and hanging lights, and can adorn everything from a space outside an entrance to a home, to a gazebo providing a backyard sanctuary. In recent years, Energy Star lighting has allowed homeowners to make eco-friendly choices related to outdoor lights, especially important given that exterior lights are often the most used in a given residence. For more ideas on energy-efficient outdoor lighting, see Energy Star’s @ Home Tips.
Landscape lighting can provide the perfect complement to outdoor lighting fixtures, offering an accent to the home’s outer features, or illumination of a garden bed, and can even serve as a guide to a pathway leading from the driveway to the home. Landscape lighting systems have become far more affordable, and easier to install in recent years, and solar landscape lighting options have further made installation something that can easily be done without the help of a professional.
