What exactly is flood lighting and how can it be used to improve your home's curb appeal?
First off, flood lighting might not be the best term to convey the lighting effect this technique is meant to create. The phrase "flood lighting" puts us in mind of an over powered bright light, atop a post, washing light over everything.A large post light in the middle of the front yard will cast a lot of light over everything surrounding it.
Your home, surrounding trees, the neighbor's windows, etc., will be blasted with light. Blasting everything on a property is what call lighting with a shotgun. The shotgun lighting method does little to improve your home's curb appeal.
In the world of landscape lighting, when we discuss flood lighting, we are talking about accenting your home's unique architectural features with strategically placed up lights.
These lights are placed at the base of your home's facade and shine upwards. These lights cast a wide, soft, spread of light to wash the different architectural features of your home in the right kind of light.
In this sense, the lighting is tailored around your home's architecture to create a warm, inviting effect.
However, the value in wash lighting isn't limited to just accenting your home's unique architectural features. Highlighting your home's architecture can also provide some security benefits.
How many fixtures do you need for proper floodlighting?
A single fixture will not be enough to capture your home.
Bespoke floodlighting is created through several layers of light that play off one another to create a cohesive whole.
For example, every home's front entryway is one of the most important pieces to capture. However, the lighting design shouldn't stop there.
The overall goal should be balance and composition. Lighting the various individual architectural features should create a seamless overall impression that allows the eye to smoothly travel from one point to the next.
Which architectural features do we focus on?
This can vary greatly from home to home. A contemporary new age home will be approached very differently from a colonial home.What on your home stands out? Are there heavy timber gables? Is there beautiful stone work or craftsman features? Look for the things that make your home different, or that excite you.
