It’s that time of year. Time to dress up your patio, and outdoor patio lighting is one way to create ambiance. With so many different options, how do you choose? This blog offers a few patio lighting considerations, like lighting role, bulb type and personal style.
Determine Your Outdoor Patio Lighting’s Role
Guests don’t want to be entertained in the dark! You have many great options for your new outdoor patio lighting. Make sure to have your patio or porch well-lit with great decorative exterior lightingso you can have guests over for warm, summer night gatherings and fun evening barbeques. Here are some roles lighting can play:
- Task lighting. Brightly illuminate an area and decrease eye-strain with task lighting. For a more versatile approach to outdoor task lighting, use a product like Oelo’s dimmable LED white patio lights, which can go from almost zero percent brightness to a warm, bright task-efficient lighting.
- Accent lighting. Go double-duty with accent lighting that also acts as security lighting. Great accent lighting highlights and accentuates certain aspects of your home, such as beautiful architectural features or covered patios. Evenly well-lit areas keep potential threats, like intruders, away from your home.
- Celebratory lighting. Create an outdoor area that has the ability to come alive for any occasion with colored patio lights, like Oelo’s permanent LED holiday lighting. Simply change the colors and settings with your smartphone or switch out bulbs in string lighting to set your desired effect.
Choose What Type of White Patio Lights to Go With
Now you need to choose between LED, incandescent or CFL outdoor decorative lighting. The choice of lighting comes down to personal preference.
Keep in mind that if your project requires many feet of lighting – such as in the case with string lighting – on limited electrical outlets, LED patio lightingis the best option for you because it requires less electricity than incandescent string lights.
- LED bulbs. Consider LED decorative exterior lighting, which is energy efficient, emits almost no heat, attracts less bugs and has a true white coloration that doubles as great task lighting.
- Incandescent bulbs. Incandescent decorative exterior lighting emits a vintage-y halo and is less expensive than LED lighting. However, incandescent lights tend to require more electricity, driving up your bill in the summer months.
- CFL bulbs. CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Lamp bulbs, are also energy efficient but tend to emit a harsh light. These types of bulbs are best used, if you choose to, in lighting fixtures that can totally conceal the bulb.
Decide the Look of Your Outdoor Decorative Lighting
Decorative exterior lighting comes in multiple forms, such as ceiling-mounted lights, wall lighting and string lighting. Your outdoor living space and your personal taste and needs will determine what type of outdoor patio lighting you’ll ultimately choose.
- Festive. Quickly transform any patio area with festive string lighting. Change your lighting’s colors with new bulbs or with the help of a controller, like Oelo’s colored patio lightsapp, and set the tone for fun get-togethers.
- Dimmable. Dimmable outdoor lighting, such as Oelo’s white patio lights, allows you to set the ambiance of your outdoor space. Utilize bright lighting for social gatherings in your outdoor space or dim your lighting down for a more romantic ambiance.
- Decorative. Decorative lighting, such as chandeliers and sconces, are great for outdoor areas. Consider the style of your home and the materials that would best complement it, then pick out decorative lighting options that show off your unique style.
Follow these guidelines and tips when you decide to shop around for your new patio lights and you’ll end up with an outdoor living space that is beautifully unique and serves the right purpose for you.
For more information about Oelo’s LED white patio lights, check out LED Patio Lights that Outsmart Their Predecessors in the Oelo blog!