Accent lighting is defined by what it does not light
Most outdoor lighting answers the question of how to light a property. Accent lighting answers a different one: what deserves attention. It is not coverage. One feature, chosen on purpose, with the surroundings left dark. The dark part is not a gap in the plan. It
https://telegra.ph/Roofline-Lighting-What-Goes-Up-There-and-How-It-AttachesWhy-Roofline-Lighting-Works-When-It-Is-Done-ProperlyConsidering-Roofline-09-06 is what makes the lit part read.The concept is simple to say and hard to hold to. Pick the handful worth seeing and resist adding to it. The pull is always toward adding, and holding the line is what keeps the result looking designed.
Good candidates
Not everything is improved by a fixture pointed at it. Anything with surface relief responds well, because light raking across a rough surface creates shadow and shadow creates interest. Flat painted siding mostly just gets brighter. Form is the other thing to look for.
The most common mistake
Plans go wrong by addition. One feature turns into six as the plan grows. At some point the property is evenly lit, and nothing stands out anymore. Restraint is the actual skill here.The best accent plans read as sparse in a drawing and correct once you are standing in front of the house after dark.
Where it sits among the other work
Accent lighting is usually one layer of several. Landscape lighting handles the yard. Security lighting deals with the places that need to be seen. Roofline lighting takes care of the house itself. It is what makes a plan look considered.
One more thing about brightness
Output is easy to get wrong upward. Your eyes adjust to darkness, so a small amount of light reads as a lot. You are creating a point of interest, not trying to read a book by it.
Two directions, two moods
Direction changes the whole character. Uplighting comes from below, so it reads as dramatic and slightly theatrical. Downlighting comes from above, the way light normally does, so nobody notices the technique.
Plants grow. The aim drifts
Landscape accents point at plants, and plants move. Growth blocks the throw, and ground level fixtures get knocked out of position. Nothing is broken. The aim just needs a look. Re aiming every couple of seasons keeps the plan looking the way it was designed to.The test is always the same: go outside at night and look at it. If a fixture is lighting mulch instead of the tree, it is a five minute adjustment.
Getting it designed
Accent lighting is decided at the property, after dark, by somebody looking at it. EverCrest Lighting does accent lighting along with landscape, patio, security and permanent roofline systems for residential and commercial properties throughout Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, based in Greenville. Consultations are free. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].