Lighting Up The Outdoors

Today, you can find everything from elegant wall lighting to solar lights to low-voltage landscape lighting to illuminate the outside of your home. Outdoor lights come in nearly as many style variations as indoor fixtures, making it easy to create your own unique style for the outside of your home.

By choosing the right outdoor lighting you can add curb appeal to your home and get more out of your outdoor living space. Whether it's a deck, patio, kitchen, pool and spa, gazebo or garden area — express yourself with the latest outdoor lighting styles and trends.

Some hot styles include Arts and Crafts, European, Contemporary and Energy-Efficient and are available as wall lights, hanging lights, post lights and ceiling lights.

Arts and Crafts, Mission-style outdoor lighting fixtures with bronze finishes like antique, textured or sleek oil-rubbed are very popular, especially when you're looking to enhance your front entry. To add extra curb appeal use art glass accents or Tiffany style glass panes.

The traditional look in outdoor lighting always stays in style because it complement almost any architectural style. Right now the hot look is a European fixture with lots of accents and decorative art glass. Many traditional collections come with outdoor wall lights, ceiling lights and outdoor post lights to create a harmonious, yet stylish flow to your outdoor living spaces.

If you're looking for a cool and sleek contemporary style to complement your home's architectural style both inside and out try a Dark Sky outdoor wall light that shines towards the ground rather than the sky. These fixtures offer a great look and are environmentally friendly. Dark Sky fixtures conform to light pollution specifications set forth by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).

One of the hottest trends remains using energy-efficient outdoor lighting. Look for designs that use fluorescent bulbs, are ENERGY STAR® rated, low-voltage fixtures and those that have options like dusk-to-dawn and motion sensors.

When it comes to landscape lighting, solar lights are a popular choice because they don't require wire installation and are energy-efficient. They may a cost bit more than other types of outdoor fixtures, but they'll never add to your electric bill. Another energy-efficient option is using low-voltage landscape lighting, which allows you to creatively light a pathway or garden bed.

Visiting showrooms like LAMPS PLUS that have American Lighting Association certified lighting designers to help with product recommendations, lighting advice and design tips is a great place to start to learn about outdoor landscape lighting.

	Take special care in choosing your lighting around your pool and patio area because it helps set the mood for your outdoor living space and accents your design elements. Today's hot tubs and inground pools have amazing, energy-efficient, multi-color LED lighting for both underwater and around the exterior. But don't stop there, consider lighting a pathway from your house to your hot tub or pool for those late night swims and soaks. Besides setting the mood and tone of your spa experience, lighting is an attractive feature that keeps the area safe.