Jun 17 2010
Outdoor Post Lighting
There is a wide variety of choices that homeowners can make when it comes to outdoor lighting for the home. However, one of the most common lights used in landscape lighting is outdoor post lighting. This lighting was originally installed as a type of security lighting to provide light to residential streets and highways for passersby.
Outdoor post lighting for use in the residential landscape design grew from the street lighting that was installed for security. Utility companies added pole lights to their offerings and homes began to have pole lights installed to provide ample lighting for driveways and dark areas of the yard. These types of security lights do not have to be installed by the utility company; they can also be purchased at home improvement stores and installed by the homeowner. Of course, a large pole has to be installed which is what makes it easier to have it installed by the utility company.
Over time, outdoor post lighting began to become a more decorative option for landscape lighting with poles made from a wide range of materials and the light fixtures more decorative to complement the home or surroundings. Poles can be copper, nickel, cast iron, wood and more and they can also be in a wide range of shapes, no longer simply round poles stuck in the ground.
Post lighting can serve double duty by having address markers, bird feeders or even planters built onto the post in addition to having a light fixture. These are much more ornamental than the utility post lights that the power company installs for security and yet at the same time the light provides safety and security as well.
Post lighting provides down lighting that can be used to display a particular area of the yard such as a favorite flowerbed. Decorative posts can be positioned slightly behind the flowerbed with the light angled downwards toward the flowers and a soft bulb used instead of a high-powered bulb. The effect is dramatic and beautiful when night falls over the garden. Posts with birdfeeders attached can be used to attract the beauty of birds to the garden and add a daytime function to the light posts in addition to the illuminating function.
Outdoor post lighting is a multi-functional lighting source that has been used for many years in residences and along streets and highways. It brings both beauty and security to the landscape and should be a consideration for every home when lighting options are considered.
-Sharon Chapman
Related posts: