There’s no doubt that a beautiful lighting scheme can transform the look of any room inside your home. But it’s important to remember that effective lighting can benefit outdoor areas as well. “Nightscaping” is a new trend in landscaping where careful attention is paid to the outdoor lighting scheme. Warm, soft lighting can transform an otherwise dark environmental space into an area that feels cozy and inviting. When planning the lighting design, you’ll want to do more than simply shine direct light on the backyard. Lighting placement and technique are two important components to consider, so that you can create the perfect amount of ambiance for your outdoor living spaces.
First, you’ll want to survey the area before deciding where to place your outdoor lights. Spend time in your backyard at night and see which spots could benefit from increased lighting. As with indoor lighting, you want to use multiple lighting sources to craft layers of light. This means, you’ll need a main source light, followed by smaller light sources that serve as accents. This is where lighting technique comes into play. Below is a shortlist of popular lighting techniques:

Highlighting: Place a spotlight at the base of a feature.
Silhouetting: Place a spotlight behind a feature.
Shadowing: Use spotlights to create soft shadows (often works very well with foliage).
Moonlighting: Place a lighting fixture (without glare) in a high up area and cast it down towards the ground.
Path lighting: Create a path using small lights along patios, walkways or driveways.

If you are looking for some inspiration or ideas on ways to brighten up your outdoor spaces, visit Indiana Lighting Center’s showroom online at http://indianalighting.com or any of their three Indianapolis showrooms. They have hundreds of lighting fixture designs that can jumpstart your redesign project.