Two sides, two purposes
Front yard lighting is for people looking at the house. Out back you are inside the lighting, not looking at it. That flips the priorities. Nobody is grading the back yard from the street. What matters is whether the space still works after dark.The short version: do not treat the back as an afterthought of the front. A roofline system does a great deal for the front of a house and almost nothing for where you sit. Two spaces, two separate sets of requirements to satisfy.
The thing that empties a patio
The fastest way to make a patio feel wrong is a bright fixture in somebody's line of sight. A bare bulb at eye height blows out your night vision, so the yard turns into a black wall. The fix is to keep sources out of the sight line: step lights, under rail, up in the trees, or behind a planter.
Bistro and string lighting
Strung lights above a patio give the space an edge overhead. A patio without them is a slab under an open sky. With them it reads as a defined space. Warm and dim is what you want, because bright overhead strings turn a dinner into a parking lot.None of this is a question of spending more, since most of what separates a good patio from a harsh one is where things point.
Layers, roughly in order
Think of it as three jobs, not one switch. Overhead, low, and accent. Separate switching is worth asking for.
Restaurants and businesses face this too
For a business with outdoor seating, the lighting decides whether those tables get used after sunset. Warm overhead light turns an empty evening patio into occupied tables. The same rules apply, only the consequences are measured in covers.
Lighting buys you months
Without light, the back yard has a curfew. A lit one keeps working through the shoulder months and into the evening year round. Mild evenings are not limited to July, and the dark is what keeps people indoors. The lighting is the thing standing between a nice evening and an unused patio.
Warm light near where people sit
Outdoor light attracts things on a warm evening. Insects are drawn more strongly to the cool end, which is
https://evercrestlighting.com/about/ a second argument for keeping patio light warm. It will not make a patio bug free, and that is not a claim worth making. But it is worth factoring in.If a permanent system covers the rear elevation, keep it warm and dim when people are out there, and the patio and the house agree.
Getting your patio looked at
Patio lighting has to be planned in the actual space, ideally after dark. EverCrest Lighting designs and installs patio and outdoor living lighting for homes, restaurants and businesses in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, out of Greenville. Consultations are free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].