Outdoor Entertaining: Unique Lighting for Your Perfect Outdoor Oasis

If you're like many modern homeowners, your ideal of an ideal outdoor living space is one that serves as a personal oasis. Perhaps you've cultivated a thriving culinary herb garden complete with classically inspired statuary or maybe you've carved out a serene space in the middle of a flowering thicket. Whatever type of sanctuary you've created in your outdoor living space, you probably want to be able to enjoy it as often as possible, and there may be nights when you find yourself reluctantly heading indoors as the sun sinks below the horizon. However, with the right type of outdoor lighting, you can relax or entertain in your outdoor living space no matter what the time of day. Following are just three ways to light up your night:

Water Feature Lights

If you've got waterfalls, fountains or ponds in your outdoor living space, consider using lighting to add a dramatic effect. Backlighting works well on waterfalls and fountains, and in-ground lighting highlights and defines ponds. If you're lucky enough to have a stream running through your property, you can place solar lights on the bank for added visibility. 

Walkway Lights

Walkways of all types, from winding garden paths to basic concrete walks leading up to your front door can benefit from ground-level lighting. Walkway lights increase aesthetics as well as provides a layer of protection against slip-and-fall accidents, making them ideal if you like to do a lot of outdoor entertaining. 

Another lighting option when you want visibility on walkways or other ground-level spaces is downlighting from posts placed alongside the walkway. This is a great option when you want the area to be extremely well-lit at night. 

Specimen Plant Lights

Specimen plant lights showcase individual trees and shrubs that feature particular visual interest. Monkey puzzle trees, for instance, make good choices because of their unusual appearance. You might also choose to have specimen lighting options installed for the purpose of backlighting your favorite flowering shrubs. Specimen plant lighting is also instrumental for those who want to create architectural balance after dark. For instance, if you've got two tall arborvitaes flanking your front entryway, specimen lighting backlighting each one provides a classically elegant appeal. 

Overhead Fairy Lights

If midsummer soirees are a part of your seasonal entertaining agenda, consider bringing an ethereal accent to the picture by stringing fairy lights in tree branches. You can also use them on hardscaping features such as gazebos, railings, pergolas and arbors. 

Whether your favorite after dark activity in your outdoor living space is enjoying an al fresco dinner party with friends or soaking up the serenity in the company of a good book, outdoor lighting helps enhance the experience.