4 Landscape Lighting Techniques for Perfect Privacy in Camp Hill and Hershey PA Areas

For many homeowners, the backyard is an area of seclusion – one that doesn’t have the same noise, stresses, and judgments of the world outside. You don’t want your backyard retreat to be enjoyed only during the daylight, so part of creating that sense of privacy is using certain lighting techniques: for safety and security as well as ambiance and functionality. To achieve that balance between illumination and seclusion, consider a few of these ideas. Here are four landscape lighting techniques for perfect privacy in Camp Hill and Hershey, PA areas.

Say No to Floodlighting

A common safety and security technique is to use a motion-sensing floodlight by a backdoor. Motion-sensing lighting has its place, but it doesn’t add to the relaxed vibe of your backyard. Floodlighting uses a single light source with a high-powered bulb to illuminate an area. Not only is the bright light prone to temporarily blind someone who mistakenly looks in its direction, but it also casts harsh shadows on the ground, creating an unsafe walking environment. One option is to use motion-sensing technology with lights that sit low to the ground that illuminate just the walkway and the landing of the door. This will enhance privacy and reduce distractions while keeping safe and secure.

Opt for More Subtle Lighting

Those that prefer a true nighttime experience in their backyard will rarely use bright lighting techniques that showboat and highlight various features. Instead, they focus the lights near the ground to illuminate surfaces or situate them under shrubs or within masonry features so that the daytime effect is unobtrusive, and the nighttime effect is subtle but effective. LED lights can be placed in hard-to-reach areas, so you can get creative with subtly illuminating parts of your landscape without making it look like daylight.

Encourage Ambient Lighting

Direct spotlighting is a tactic that will put a landscape or home feature into contact directly from a light source and will automatically amplify drama. Using a more ambient lighting approach will allow your landscape to glow softly instead, which is far more relaxing. Use indirect lighting techniques where light bounces off a solid color wall or object and washes the surrounding area in a uniform glow that is far more subtle. This technique can improve the privacy of your backyard instead of putting your outdoor living spaces under the spotlight for the world to see.

Advantageous Landscape Features

Use existing landscape features to your advantage when designing a lighting scheme. Natural physical barriers should be emphasized and utilized, both for keeping a high level of privacy from outside and creating a high level of safety and security inside. Trees, rock outcroppings, and other natural features can be used to house light fixtures or add visual interest.

Meanwhile, consider man-made features such as fencing, walls, and the home itself as an opportunity to mount small LED landscape light fixtures so you can direct light exactly where you want it without cluttering the landscape with obvious fixtures.

To further emphasize privacy, consider adding landscape features that act as privacy walls such as tall cypress trees or pergolas that can be covered in vines, obscuring the views from outside. Any of these present an opportunity for artistic light placement.

Sometimes proper lighting is about using what you already have, but a few key choices in lighting and landscape design can make all the difference.