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Pathway lighting - Tips for placement and design

When a homeowner thinks about pathway lighting, is he or she more interested in decorative element of outdoor lighting or casting illumination for safety along the path? The answer might be both, and of course safety and security is paramount, something a well lit pathway can achieve.

However, one of the main path lighting disasters is an overly lit area, looking more like a runway than a properly lit path. This is a problem perhaps of not considering the overall lighting plan ahead of time, or just not knowing some basic lighting tricks.

Garden path lighting

Let's focus on some landscape lighting tips that will help incorporate your pathway into the scheme of your backyard or front garden area at night.

• Even spacing - path light fixtures should be evenly spaced
  Continuous light - keeping the light continuous along the path saves those visitors from having to adapt to different light levels as they walk down the pathway.
  
• Incorporate lighting - see the big picture of your lighting design. Incorporate your path fixtures with your accent lighting effects outside.
  
• Winding path - you can pull the view to the end of the section and provide visual direction with perspective, by placing lights on the outside radius of the bend. This can also help avoid trees, shrubs and bushes from blocking the light.
  
• Good spacing - even spacing with above ground fixtures will give people a comfortable and safe feeling. You can do so by making sure that beam spread intersects and overlaps a bit.

Buying landscape pathway fixtures

Choosing from top lighting manufacturers is key for a sound long term investment. Well made fixtures by brands: Focus, Hadco, Unique, Nightscaping, FX Luminaire and Kichler and Arroyo Craftsman. To buy online you can visit our outdoor lighting page.

Suggested fixtures are: mushrooms, tulips, florals, sanibels, and more.