What the word actually means
Most outdoor lighting answers the question of how to light a property. Accent lighting answers a different one: what deserves attention. It is selective by definition. One feature, lit deliberately, while everything around it stays dark. The dark part is not a gap in the plan. It is the reason the lit thing stands out.That is really the whole idea, stated as plainly as it can be. Choose two or three features and light nothing else. The pull is always to light one more thing, and holding it is the entire skill.
What is worth accenting
Not everything is improved by a fixture pointed at it. Anything with surface relief picks up light
https://evercrestlighting.com/permanent-lighting/ and shows it off, because light raking across a rough surface creates shadow and shadow creates interest. Smooth surfaces light up evenly and stay dull. Form is the other thing to look for.
How people get it wrong
Plans go wrong when the list grows. One feature becomes four over a couple of conversations. At some point the property is evenly lit, and the accents stop being accents. A disciplined plan leaves most of the property dark on purpose.The best accent plans tend to look almost underdone on paper and exactly right on the property at night, which is why they are hard to sell and easy to appreciate.
Accent lighting next to the other outdoor categories
Accent lighting is usually one layer of several. The other layers are path and bed lighting, security coverage, and the house itself. It is the difference between a lit property and a designed one.
One more thing about brightness
Accent fixtures do not need to be bright. Your eyes adjust to darkness, so a small amount of light reads as a lot. The goal is to draw attention, not to interrogate the shrubbery.
Uplight and downlight
Accent light can come from the ground or from overhead, and the two look nothing alike. Uplighting comes from below, so it reads as dramatic and slightly theatrical. Light from above reads as ordinary, which is exactly why it works so well over seating and paths.
A maintenance note
Anything aimed at a tree or a shrub drifts out of alignment over the years. A shrub uplit perfectly this spring will have swallowed the fixture in three years. It is not a fault, it is just how it works. Re aiming every couple of seasons keeps the plan looking the way it was designed to.The test is always the same: go outside at night and look at it. If a fixture has drifted off the subject, it takes a moment to correct.
Having a plan drawn
Accent lighting is decided at the property, after dark, by somebody looking at it. EverCrest Lighting installs accent lighting along with landscape, patio, security and permanent roofline systems for residential and commercial properties throughout Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, from Greenville. The consultation is free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].