20
July/August 2019
F E AT U R E story by Charlie Litton
Lights, Home,
Action
Outdoor Lighting Goes Beyond A Porch Lamp
photography PROVIDED
design by Mady Besch
A house is the single largest purchase most people will make. Yet, it’s tempting to leave lighting the property for a later time. The outdoor lights are often little more than an afterthought. It’s a significant challenge to make what surrounds a home all-at-once safe, cozy, secure, inviting, and beautiful. A few well-placed lights in the backyard, for example, can make indoor spaces feel larger. A well-lit exterior not only deters unwanted guests but also extends the time a space can be enjoyed for a backyard cookout or relaxing under the stars. “It’s one thing you can put together to make your house look sharp and a little safer, a little more secure,” says Jerry McKay, owner of McKay Lighting. Josh Reeves of Midwest Lightscaping says that people need to keep their goal in mind when thinking about what to light. “Is it security? Is it aesthetics?” Reeves says. “There are also safety aspects, like stairs. Once you know your lighting goals, you can match the proper f ixtures to the goals.” The best way to achieve great outdoor lighting, McKay says, is to have a plan, and a homeowner can’t do that if they aren’t sure what they want. A good way to create a plan is to act like it’s Christmas. “Drive around the neighborhood and start to notice it,” he says. “See what good lighting looks like… what you like, and what you don’t like.” For example, some houses are lit in such a way that it produces a lot of glare. It might actually be harder to see the front porch on those houses with the lights on than with them off. That defeats the main purposes of external lighting. There are three main t y pes, or functions, for external lighting: task, ambient, and accent.
Outdoor Water Feature Lighting in Omaha, provided by McKay Lighting
Task lighting is perhaps the most important and should be the f irst priority. Task lighting includes lighting all entry ways and footpaths, the driveway, and the garage. Task lighting is about safety and security, without intruding on anyone indoors, including the neighbors.