Outdoor living spaces

Are You Ready? Outdoor Lighting for Your Columbia Deck or Patio

August 29, 2016 By Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia SC

Outdoor lighting creates the best area for summer night life on your patio. — Outdoor lighting creates the best area for fall night life on your patio.

Are you ready for fall? It’s the season of mild temperatures allowing for outdoor dinners on the deck and endless late-night conversation on the patio. While personally you may be more than ready for these meaningful moments, your property may not be. So the past few weeks, you’ve been sprucing up your landscape, tending to outdoor maintenance in anticipation of the changing season ahead. While you were doing all this, did you notice any dark spots on your property after sunset? Your landscape and architecture may be illuminated, but if your outdoor living spaces are dark, your neighbors and passers-by may be enjoying your outdoor lighting more than you are.

Decks and patios provide a spot to enjoy fall nightlife that can be relaxing and intimate or exciting and lively. They really can be whatever you want them to be. Outdoor lighting helps you create these atmospheres. It provides mood and aesthetics and also makes your favorite outdoor living space functional after sundown. Now that milder nights will soon be here, it’s time to upgrade your outdoor lighting so you can take round-the-clock advantage of these areas, and Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia can help.

With LED, we may be able to add more new lights than you think.

If you are concerned about the additional costs you will accrue on your energy bill by making an addition, consider LED for your deck or patio. Even if your system consists of halogen fixtures and components, LED is an option. In many cases, more LED fixtures can be added to your transformer than halogen because they pull less voltage, meaning you can get more light for the same amount of energy consumption. While some may be reluctant to mix halogen and LED lights, we would not suggest such a option if it could not be done seamlessly. Of course, if you would like to keep your system consistent, your new deck or patio addition can certainly be halogen. Or perhaps, you would like to upgrade your entire system to LED. That too can be arranged.

We know you are ready for the cooler, fall nights outdoors relaxing and celebrating with friends and family. Be sure your deck or patio is ready too. Outdoor lighting is that final touch you have been looking for. It will elevate your outdoor living spaces and provide a safe place for your favorite gatherings. If you are ready to add deck or patio lighting, contact Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia today. We will do a custom design that will highlight the very best of your unique space. Call Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia today at (803) 935-4611, email us at columbiasc@outdoorlights.com, fill out the form to the upper right or visit our website for more information. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Outdoor Lighting Captures Columbia Nights Outdoors

May 24, 2016 By Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia SC

Connect different outdoor living spaces with outdoor lighting.

Memorial Day – the day we all remember the sacrifices made to keep our country free, a day to gather with friends and family and be grateful for all we have, the first sure sign of summer. If your family was like mine, you probably spent most of the weekend and Monday outdoors. The weather was beautiful, and the temperature wasn’t too overpowering. It was a perfect weekend for games, food, and relaxation. As the sun began to set, did you find yourself wishing you could see your family a little better? If your home does not have Columbia outdoor lighting installed, you may have found yourself listening to their voices more than looking at their faces.

Like your indoor spaces, your outdoor spaces need lighting if you plan to use them at night. Outdoor lighting provides a safe environment in which your family can relax and play while creating an atmosphere that cannot be captured any other way. Dock lighting can add safety and beauty to your waterfront home. If your Columbia residence is a waterfront property, you may have already installed this type of outdoor lighting. Now consider using outdoor lighting to bring all of your outdoor living spaces together. Outdoor lighting can connect your dock to your pool area, which in turn will connect to your patio, garden, and your residence.

Outdoor lighting enhances the look and safety of your outdoor living spaces.

Columbia outdoor lighting provides safe, visually striking outdoor living areas. With your paths, steps, and pool or deck edges clearly illuminated, your family will be able to avoid trips and falls that could ruin a perfect evening. Just as lighting enhances mood and look indoors, it will outdoors too. Outdoor lighting designed and installed by Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia can be used to evoke any mood you want – serene, enchanting, exciting, or dramatic. Using a variety of lighting techniques, fixtures placements, and bulb intensities, we can craft a lighting design that enhances your property’s very best features.

So be sure that your next weekend outdoors isn’t impacted by the disappearance of the sun, and take advantage of some of the best outdoor hours of the day. Call Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia today at 803-935-4611, email us at columbiasc@outdoorlights.com, fill out our form to the upper right or visit our website for more information. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia

Kenny Kaufman, Owner

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia
803-935-4611

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia Makes Your Fall Outdoor Improvements Shine

October 28, 2015 By Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia SC

When making outdoor improvements for your last outdoor gatherings of the season, don't forget the outdoor lighting! — When making outdoor improvements for your last outdoor gatherings of the season, don’t forget the outdoor lighting!

Temperatures are finally cooling down, and it’s beginning to feel a lot like fall. Though rain may drive us inside occasionally, it’s a really great time to get outdoors and enjoy being together. As you gear up for the last outdoor activities and gatherings before winter sets in, you may be sprucing up your outdoor areas or even adding new ones. Now is a great time to refinish the deck, expand your small patio, revitalize your landscape, or add that fire pit area everyone’s been suggesting. As you plan, gather materials, and get to work, don’t forget outdoor lighting. Though it may not be the featured improvement, remember that these outdoor living spaces, like the front of your home, will need lighting in order to be functional. A little thinking and planning now can save you a lot of work in this area later.

New outdoor lighting components are often easier to install while you are making an addition, and occasionally, if the work is not completed during construction, your new additions must be partially disassembled to allow component installation. Furthermore, installing new lighting when you make an addition decreases the time your property will be in disarray. Construction and installation of any home improvement is a bit messy. If tasks are completed simultaneously, you will only need to contend with the construction chaos once.

By adding outdoor lighting during your improvement, you will minimize the time your property is in construction chaos.

There is nothing wrong with adding outdoor lighting one area at a time. Many of our clients choose this option because they make improvements over time. It affords them the opportunity to discover what outdoor amenities they truly want on their property. Just remember that balance is key. When you add the area, go ahead and add the lighting. Your property will look better, and you will be able to better utilize the space. Also remember that our LED outdoor lighting fixtures are much less demanding on transformers. Given your current transformer, you will be able to add many more lights if you choose LEDs. Don’t be afraid of them. While there are many low quality LEDs on the market that have a bluish tint or appear “colder” than halogen lights, the LEDs utilized by Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia can be mixed into a halogen system without anyone ever knowing the difference.

No matter what outdoor improvements you have in mind this fall, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia can help. From romantic café lights strung around a fire pit area to deck lighting to landscape lighting for those new trees and shrubs you just planted, we will make your outdoor living spaces beautiful, functional, and the place your friends and family want to be this fall. Call us today!

Kenny Kaufman

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia
(803) 935-4611

Columbia Labor Day Celebrations Are Better With Outdoor Lighting

August 26, 2014 By Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia SC

Make sure your outdoor living areas are party ready this Labor Day.

Like Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer, Labor Day serves to remind us the summer season is at the close. Sure, we’ll have some more hot days, but schools have started back, and fall is practically here. It’s nice that the summer months are sandwiched between holidays that get to be enjoyed even by adults. So what do you have planned? A fun evening with the family and friends? There will probably be food and drinks, music, conversations, and memories made and shared. Of course you want to get the most out of your Labor Day holiday, so consider outdoor lighting. Not only will it liven up your gathering, it will also enable your party to keep going strong long after the sun has set.

Nights are already growing shorter, so you will have fewer hours to enjoy the outdoors using natural sunlight. Columbia outdoor lighting illuminates your outdoor living spaces, gardens, and landscape, so you can continue to unwind and celebrate hard work without being chased indoors by shadows. Not only will your Labor Day gathering be beautifully lit, so will all of your fall gatherings and your family nights outdoors. Columbia outdoor lighting provides the visibility you, your family, and your guests need to navigate your outdoor living spaces safely.

Outdoor lighting creates areas you want to spend time in after dark.

Columbia outdoor lighting also enhances your outdoor living. Rather than shying away from a cold, shadow-shrouded area, you and your guests will step into spaces that are warm and glowing with natural light. You’ll want to be there. The beautiful designs from Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia accentuate the most lovely and unique features of your property. Each design we create is unique to the property for which it is designed. No two properties are alike, and their outdoor lighting should not be alike either. Bathing trees, flowerbeds, sitting areas, and fire pits, outdoor lights create beauty that keeps you lingering all night long.

So if you are ready for your Labor Day gathering to be the most memorable you’ve ever had, call Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia today. You, your family, and your guests will relish time outdoors at your home this fall. Nighttime temperatures are mild. Don’t lose this opportunity to enjoy these nights. Contact us today.

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia
(803) 935-4611

Columbia Outdoor Lighting Makes Fall Outdoor Gatherings Memorable

August 19, 2014 By Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia SC

Get your outdoor living spaces ready for fall gatherings with outdoor lighting.

August is over half way done, meaning we have just a little more than a month of official summertime left. The kids are starting back to school, and fall is practically here. With milder temperatures arriving soon, it’s time to start thinking about how you want to spend your evenings before winter drives you back indoors. Fall is time to enjoy being outside as the cool air invigorates us. It’s the perfect season for a barbeque with friends enjoying drinks or a fire pit night with the family making s’mores. Are you ready? Are your outdoor spaces ready? In addition to good food, drinks, and decorations, you’ll need to be able to see since night falls sooner. With Columbia outdoor lighting, not only will you get visibility in those outdoor spaces, but you’ll also get ambiance you can’t create any other way.

When you host your outdoor gatherings this fall, they will probably occur on the deck, on the patio, or around the fire pit. Columbia outdoor lighting can transform all three of these outdoor living spaces into welcoming places filled with cheer and laughter, all while performing some very important functions. These functions differ depending on the area.

Outdoor lighting helps create distinction between your patio and the rest of your yard.

Decks – Decks, like patios and fire pits, have sitting areas that need illumination in order for those using the area to navigate within them safely, but decks also have edges and steps that must be visible. Of course, you probably have railings, but even with them, it is quite easy for a foot to slip underneath the rail and over the edge in the dark. Columbia deck lighting makes those edges visible and ER trips less likely.

Patios – Patios are not typically elevated and often don’t have walls around them, so they may need some characteristics to help set them apart from the rest of the yard. Columbia patio lighting is the perfect addition to accomplish this. In addition to preventing collisions between guests, the lighted area of your patio will create distinction even without walls, hedges, or rails.

Make your outdoor living spaces beautiful and safe.

Fire Pits – From time to time, homeowners initially believe they will be able to get adequate illumination for a fire pit area from the fire itself. While some light will certainly be cast by the fire, remember that the intensity of firelight fluctuates greatly as a fire burns, and even at its brightest, a fire only provides one light source. This will create multiple areas of shadow and multiples areas where your guests may be fumbling about.

Columbia outdoor lighting for your deck, patio, or fire pit area gives functional illumination, so your guests are less likely to spill a drink or trip. It also creates festive, lively atmospheres that can drive the party. Finally, lighting itself is a decoration. Illuminating these spaces with light from various angles and with differing intensities allows your guests to see your outdoor living spaces in a new way.

Don’t let your guests fumble around in the dark or wonder about what facial expressions are saying during conversation. Add outdoor lighting to your deck, patio, or fire pit area, and make your next outdoor gathering, whether large or small, a night to remember.

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia
(803) 935-4611

Planning Your Outdoor Lighting System for a Landscaping Addition

April 8, 2014 By Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia SC

Did you mow your lawn this past weekend? I had to. Spring is finally here, and green is exploding all around us. With so much budding and new growth occurring here in Columbia, you’re not alone if you are considering a landscape improvement. If this is you, it is also a good idea to plan outdoor lighting in

When planning your landscape projects, think about outdoor lighting.

order to ensure that your additions can be seen clearly and contribute value to your property day or night. New landscaping and outdoor lighting go well together, but many homeowners are wary of doing too much at once. No matter the size and complexity of your improvement project, the key to success is good planning.

So what can you do to be sure that you outdoor lighting addition or improvement goes as smoothly as possible? Get out a pen and paper. Answer the following questions and bring those answers with you when you meet with your lighting designer from Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia. It will put you far ahead of the game.

Do you have an outdoor lighting system already in place? Make a note. If you do already have a system, be sure to note what kind it is and the size of your transformer. This will help your designer know what to expect and what options for expansion you may have.

What area of your outdoor spaces do you want to light at night?

What areas do you most want to illuminate? If you don’t have a system in place at all, know that you don’t have to light everything at once. You may simply want to highlight your landscaping addition now and leave your options open for expanding to other areas at a later date. Whatever you choose, be sure to note where you want lights now.

What mood do you want to set? Outdoor lighting can be used to create a variety of different effects – dramatic, elegant, soothing, or enchanting. The possibilities are numerous. Determine what emotion you want to feel when you step into the space. Write it down.

Can you provide examples? It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and it really is when it comes to communicating your vision to your designer. Of course, no designer can guarantee your end result will look just like a picture. Each property is different. However, the pictures help your designer understand what you want. If you have pictures of your landscaping, even if it is in progress, this helps as well.

So if you are able to answer these questions, you are ready. Call Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia, and see what we can do. You may be surprised how easy it is to install outdoor lighting along with your landscaping improvement. And once you are finished, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the outdoor season night after night.

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Columbia
803-935-4611