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 selective by definition. Point it at one tree, one column, one entry and leave the rest alone. The dark part is not a gap in the plan. It is what makes the lit part read.The concept takes one sentence and a lot of discipline. Choose two or three features and let the rest of the property stay dark. Every plan gets pressure to grow, from the homeowner and sometimes from the company selling fixtures.
What tends to earn it
Some things reward being lit and some do not. Anything with surface relief picks up light and shows it off, since the shadows a texture throws are the point. Smooth surfaces light up evenly and stay dull. Shape helps too: a tree with structure, an arch, a column, a gable peak.
The most common mistake
Plans go wrong by addition. One feature becomes four over a couple of conversations. At some point there is no dark left to contrast against, and nothing stands out anymore. A disciplined plan leaves most of the property dark on purpose.The best accent plans tend to look almost underdone on paper and exactly right on the property at night, which is why they are hard to sell and easy to appreciate.
Accent lighting and everything else on the property
Accent lighting is usually one layer of several. The other layers are landscape, security and roofline work. It is the difference between a lit property and a designed one.
Dimmer than you think
Output almost always ends up too high. After dark it takes very little light to draw the eye, and too much reads as a floodlight. You are creating a point of interest, not lighting a work area.
From below or from above
Direction is a mood decision. Uplighting throws shadows upward, which nothing in nature does, 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. It is a small thing that makes a big visual difference. Re aiming every couple of seasons keeps the plan looking the way it was designed to.The test is unchanged: stand in the yard after dark. If a fixture has drifted off the subject, it
https://jaredyqxm820.yousher.com/custom-outdoor-lighting-design-the-difference-you-pay-for-is-your-lighting-quote-actually-a-design-four-questions-that-settle-it-custom-lighting-design-explained-a-buyer-s-guide is a five minute adjustment.
Having a plan drawn
Accent lighting is decided at the property, after dark, by somebody looking at it. EverCrest Lighting does accent lighting as part of a full outdoor lighting plan for residential and commercial properties across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, based in Greenville. Consultations are free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].