Outdoor Lighting Design in Northern Virginia
Schedule a Free ConsultationOutdoor lighting can extend the use of your outdoor spaces into the evening while highlighting the features that make your property unique.
Outdoor Spaces incorporates landscape and architectural lighting into patios, pools, decks, walkways, landscaping, and other outdoor living projects throughout Northern Virginia. Rather than treating lighting as an afterthought, we consider where illumination will improve visibility, highlight important features, and create the right atmosphere throughout the property.
Is Outdoor Lighting Right for Your Project?
Lighting is most effective when it is planned alongside the outdoor space itself.
A new patio may need subtle lighting around steps and walls. A walkway may benefit from fixtures that help define the path after dark. Trees, architecture, and landscaping can be illuminated to create visual interest, while a deck or pavilion may need more functional lighting for dining and entertaining.
Outdoor Spaces typically incorporates lighting as part of a larger landscape or outdoor living project rather than installing lighting as a standalone service.
Planning it early allows fixtures, wiring, masonry, landscaping, and other features to work together instead of adding lighting after construction is complete.
Outdoor Lighting Design Choices
Path, Step & Wall Lighting
Lighting around walkways, steps, walls, and changes in elevation can make it easier to move through an outdoor space after dark.
Options may include:
- Path lights
- In-ground well lights
- Undercap lights
- Deck post lights
- Stair and riser lights
- Bollards
Some fixtures are designed to be visible parts of the landscape, while others can be integrated more subtly into masonry, stairs, or other structures.
The right combination depends on the layout of the property and where people need to move between the house, driveway, patio, pool, and other outdoor spaces.
Landscape & Architectural Lighting
Lighting can also be used to highlight features you want to see after sunset.
Uplighting is typically positioned near ground level and directed upward to emphasize trees, landscaping, or architectural elements.
Downlighting places the fixture higher and directs light toward the ground, which can illuminate entrances, patios, landscaping, or other areas below.
In-ground fixtures can provide another discreet way to highlight masonry, pathways, or landscape features without adding a prominent fixture above ground.
Rather than lighting every part of the yard equally, we look for opportunities to create contrast and draw attention to the most important areas.
Ambient & Entertainment Lighting
Some lighting is less about directing movement and more about creating the atmosphere of the outdoor space.
Bistro or string lighting can add a warmer, more casual feeling to patios, pergolas, and covered structures.
Low-voltage lighting is also becoming increasingly popular for outdoor projects and can be incorporated into landscape and hardscape designs depending on the needs of the space.
Outdoor Spaces can also integrate outdoor speaker systems, allowing lighting and audio to be considered together when designing areas for dining, entertaining, or relaxing.
What Affects the Cost of Outdoor Lighting?
The cost of outdoor lighting depends on the number and type of fixtures, the size of the property, and how the lighting is integrated into the overall project.
Common factors include:
- Number of fixtures
- Fixture type and placement
- Size of the area being illuminated
- Walkway, stair, and wall lighting
- Landscape and architectural lighting
- Electrical and wiring requirements
- Integration with patios, walls, decks, or other structures
- Low-voltage lighting systems
- Outdoor speaker integration
A few fixtures incorporated into a walkway or patio will have a different scope than a lighting plan extending across multiple outdoor living areas and landscaped portions of the property.
Planning lighting as part of the larger design can also help reduce the need to modify finished masonry, landscaping, or structures later.
Our Outdoor Lighting Design Process
Consultation and Site Evaluation
Lighting is typically discussed as part of the larger consultation for your patio, landscape, pool, deck, walkway, or other outdoor living project.
We consider how you plan to use the space after dark, which areas need functional illumination, and which architectural or landscape features you would like to highlight.
Design and Fixture Planning
Lighting is then incorporated into the overall outdoor design.
We consider fixture type, placement, pathways, steps, walls, trees, structures, gathering areas, and how the property will look from both outdoors and inside the home.
For larger design projects, we typically aim to present the initial plan approximately two to three weeks after the consultation.
Installation
Once the overall design is approved, lighting installation can be coordinated with the surrounding landscape and construction work.
Timing depends on the size and complexity of the project and whether the lighting is being integrated into patios, walls, landscaping, decks, or other structures.
Outdoor Lighting Design in Northern Virginia
Outdoor Lighting FAQs
What Types of Outdoor Lighting Can Be Included in My Project?
Outdoor lighting options can include uplights, downlights, path lights, in-ground well lights, undercap lights, deck and stair lighting, bollards, and bistro or string lights.
The right combination depends on the property and what you want the lighting to accomplish.
Should Outdoor Lighting Be Planned Before Construction?
Whenever possible, yes. Planning lighting alongside patios, walkways, retaining walls, decks, landscaping, and other features makes it easier to determine fixture placement and coordinate installation before those areas are finished.
Can Outdoor Lighting Be Added to an Existing Space?
In many cases, yes. The available options depend on the existing hardscape, landscaping, electrical access, and the areas you want to illuminate. Outdoor Spaces generally focuses on lighting as part of a larger outdoor living or landscape project.
What Is Low-Voltage Landscape Lighting?
Low-voltage systems are commonly used for outdoor landscape and architectural lighting and have become increasingly popular for residential projects.
They can be used for features such as paths, plantings, walls, trees, and other areas of the outdoor environment.
Can Outdoor Speakers Be Included With My Project?
Yes. Outdoor Spaces can incorporate speaker systems into outdoor living projects along with lighting, allowing both features to be considered as part of the overall entertaining space.
What Your Neighbors Are Saying
Outdoor Spaces was great to work with and we are very pleased with the final product! I’d previously reached out to a few potential companies to design and install our patio/landscaping but Outdoor Spaces was the only one who understood what we wanted and gave us a beautiful design!
— Erin