The definition nobody gives you
The difference between accent lighting and general lighting is the question being asked. It is selective by definition. One feature, chosen on purpose, with the surroundings left dark. The dark part is not an oversight. It is the other half of the effect.The concept takes one sentence and a lot of discipline. Choose two or three features and let the rest of the property stay dark. Every plan gets pressure to grow, and the pressure comes from both directions.
What tends to earn it
Not everything looks better lit. Anything with texture picks up light and shows it off, since the shadows a texture throws are the point. Flat painted siding mostly just gets brighter. Form is the other thing to look for.
Where accent plans fall apart
Plans go wrong when the list grows. One feature turns into six as the plan grows. At some point the property is evenly lit, and the accents stop being accents. Restraint is the technique.A good accent plan looks thin written down and right in person, which is an awkward thing to sell and an easy thing to live with.
Accent lighting and everything else on the property
Accent lighting is usually one layer of several. Landscape lighting handles the yard. Security lighting deals with the places that need to be seen. Roofline work covers the building. Accent lighting is the layer that adds intent.
One more thing about brightness
Output almost always ends up too high. After dark it takes very little light to draw the eye, and overshooting looks harsh rather than impressive. The goal is to draw attention, not to interrogate the shrubbery.
Two directions, two moods
Direction is a mood decision. Uplighting throws shadows upward, which nothing in nature does, so it reads as dramatic and slightly theatrical. Downlighting comes from above, the way light normally does, so nobody notices the technique.
A maintenance note
Landscape accents point at plants, and plants move. A shrub uplit perfectly when it went in will grow past the beam. Nothing is broken. The aim just needs a look. Re aiming every couple of seasons keeps the plan looking the way it was designed to.Aim gets checked the same way the design was made: by walking out at night and seeing what the light is doing.
Getting it designed
Accent lighting is decided at the property, after dark, by somebody looking at it. EverCrest Lighting does accent lighting along with landscape, patio, security and
https://rentry.co/e7x3ob5h permanent roofline systems for homes and businesses throughout Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, based in Greenville. Consultations are free. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].