The days are getting longer, the temperatures are milder – and the evenings invite you to spend time on your terrace. How to illuminate this famous outdoor space and how to create a warm atmosphere without necessarily spending too much money and too much energy? Which are the errors to avoid ? Here are the 8 most common: try to skip it.
1 – Think only of direct global lighting
Enjoying a delicious barbecue buffet with the family or a pleasant evening of games with friends on the terrace is a joyful experience. The lighting of your terrace must therefore be adapted. But if the situation is different according to the evening scenery, you may not need direct global lighting. You need especially bright light when eating, playing board games or reading your favorite book. You can also opt for indirect lighting of your terrace. In this case, recessed LED spotlights in the floor of the terrace are a good choice. You can also use spotlights to illuminate your plants or the wall.
2 – Not considering the location of your lights
The possibilities for implementing your terrace lighting ideas are almost limitless. If your patio is covered, you can use patio lights for its ceiling. The outer panels in particular emit a pleasant, flat, diffused light that relieves your eyes when reading. The terrace floor is also a way to light up the outdoors. Install recessed streetlights in your terrace and enjoy ambient light effects. LED wall lights for the terrace are ideal as basic lighting. So think carefully about all the possibilities of setting up that are offered to you. It’s not just the ceiling or the floor, you can consider different areas.
3 – Do without chic and efficient LED lights
A terrace is the perfect place to enjoy warm summer evenings with family or friends. In order to fully enjoy the evening, the lighting must be correct: it must be both functional and decorative and create a warm atmosphere so that you can forget the space of an evening your daily life and relax. Consider LED lights! An elegant interplay of light and shadow creates a pleasant atmosphere, beautiful lighting creates a pleasant atmosphere and, thanks to LED technology, can be switched on without fear of excessive energy consumption. Because modern lamps are equipped with LED chips which consume up to 90% less energy and have a long service life.
4 – Not worrying about the protection level of your lights
Always check the protection level of your lights. Outdoor lamps must have an IP value of at least 44. Information on the level of protection can be found on the product sheets or the technical data of the product.
5 – Not caring about the “temperature” of your lights
Choose a warm light for a warm atmosphere, for example a very warm white. This color “temperature” has a lot of red components and tends towards yellow. This creates a living room atmosphere in which you and your guests will feel comfortable.
6 – Install too bright lighting
Pay attention to the brightness of your outdoor lights: Too bright light can disrupt the serene nighttime ambiance of your outdoor space. For large areas, however, you need a little more light intensity. About 400-600 lumens are enough for a nice outdoor light. A powerful floodlight that highlights parts of the front of the house should put out several thousand lumens depending on the size of the illuminated area. Use dimmable lamps! This way you remain flexible in the lighting design and can decide how bright your outdoor area is to suit your individual needs. In addition, this option offers additional possibilities for saving energy, because you not only reduce the brightness, but also the power supply.
7 – Do without sensor lighting
Use sensor lighting. Lights with motion sensors not only provide instant light as soon as motion is detected, but the innovative technology also guarantees high energy savings! This is reflected on your electricity bill at the end of the month.
8 – Consider only one type of lighting
Ceiling and wall lights
Ceiling or wall lights are suitable for general lighting. LED products also save a lot of energy because they are equipped with modern chips that consume much less electricity than conventional lamps. Wall and ceiling lights are kind of your generic lighting. They are also popular for areas next to your front door or on the outside wall of your garage.
Outdoor spotlights
The spotlights emit direct and targeted light. You will find a wide choice: from discreet recessed spotlights to adjustable spotlights. But LED outdoor spotlights are not only suitable for practical reasons. They also serve as accent lighting, provide attractive lighting aesthetics and can illuminate particular areas in a very aesthetic way.
Projectors
The powerful spotlights are ideal for outdoor use. They offer sufficient luminosity with high luminous flux values and a high IP protection level, which makes them weatherproof. Particularly large areas such as gardens can be beautifully illuminated with spotlights. In the same way, the facade of your house or the trees can be illuminated in this way to create a harmonious effect.