Advertisement
A terrace is an ideal addition to any home. This unique space allows us to get in touch with nature. There is no better feeling than resting while looking at the stars after a tiring day of work. However, your experience can be even more captivating with the right decor. A good way to start this project is by applying some deck lighting ideas to help you create a design by simply combining lights.
One of the decks’ main problem is that they are located outdoor, so once the sun goes down, their use can be limited if it is not well lit.
Although the main purpose of lighting a deck is to make it viewable even during the night hours, there is no need for this lighting project to be ugly. With the appropriate deck lighting, you can enjoy a pleasant and functional environment at any time of the day.
Just remember that depending on where you live you may have to adapt your project due to safety and construction regulations.
What you should know about outdoor deck lighting
Image source: Hughes Landscaping
Safety regulations aren’t the only thing to worry about when you decide to start a lighting project.
- In the case of decoration in external environments, you must also ensure that the lights are subtle so that they do not disturb the view, especially at night. Nor do you want to receive complaints from your neighbors saying that you have a disco on your terrace.
- In general, you want deck lights to be enough for some outdoor activities like preparing dinner or gathering with family and friends. For this, you do not need complex systems that overload the decoration. There’s even the possibility that you simply want to light up this space so you can appreciate it from a distance.
- Like the rest of your home’s lighting, energy consumption is one of the problems that exist when installing more lamps. Nowadays there are beautiful low voltage deck lighting options that you can apply to save energy. You can also find a couple of solar deck lighting ideas to build a self-sustaining home.
- Low voltage systems have the negative point that the installation costs may be higher at the beginning than those of a conventional system, especially when it is necessary to install a 120-volt to 12-volt transformer.
Now that you understand the basics, we will continue to suggest some deck lighting ideas to decorate your home.
Deck lighting ideas
Post Mount Lighting – To protect eyesight
Image source: Snavely International
The standard options when it comes to outdoor lightings are pole and track lightings. These have many design alternatives that can be applied depending on the needs you have.
Thanks to the average height at which the lamps are on the posts, you can avoid annoying glare. Curiously, this advantage also brings important negative points: being higher than your gaze is, they are likely to reduce your visibility of the night sky, in addition to the fact that you will need stairs to install them.
If you install a lamp facing down, you will achieve an effect similar to that of a central light in a hall, illuminating large areas using fewer lamps.
You can delimit spaces by placing multiple sconces on rails, dividing areas without using walls.
Under-Table Lighting – To see the little details
Image source: Harold Leidner Landscape Architects
A popular option used even in modern kitchens is to install a pair of lights underneath the worktables for spot lighting in work areas.
This can come in handy even on cloudy days to work in outdoor kitchens and ensure that you do a precise work.
Accent Deck Lighting – The best decorative alternative
Image source: geoff sumich design
If you have visited an art gallery, you will remember seeing small lights on the works of art to better appreciate them. This idea can be applied in the same way as exterior deck lighting.
Decorative lights only work as a way to create an accent on a, so they are not very bright.
Curtain Lights Shimmer Across a Covered Deck – Covering every available space
Image source: Christmas Lights, Etc
This type of DIY deck lighting is common during Christmas, but it does not mean that it is exclusive for this time. Light curtains look good on any decorative project as they create a magical atmosphere.
In the market, you can get temporary curtains that adhere with glue to the lattices of your terrace, as well as permanent options that use hooks and screws.
Hanging Lights – Endless options
Image source: PaveStone Brick Paving Inc.
Hanging lights offer many options when it comes to styles. Getting a pattern that fits the pergola on which they are installed is simple, and they look elegant by default.
Because they are a variety of centralized lights, they illuminate large areas of the terrace effortlessly.
Wall Lights – For invisible installations
Image source: Flavin Architects
The wall sconces work as a stealthy patio deck lighting since the necessary electrical installations are hidden within the walls. This allows all cables to be arranged in a space that no one can see.
If you do not want to put the cables in an internal pipe inside the walls, you can use plastic supports that help keep the facilities accessible for repairs.
Sunken Deck – Cozy spaces
Image source: austin outdoor design
The sunken decks have a step-shaped gap that creates a more welcoming space to sit and gather. These can be made more pleasant with adequate lighting that mixes the benefits of landscaping with the terrace building materials.
String Lighting – Beautiful but fleeting
Image source: ilumus photography & marketing
If you have ever installed a set of string lights, you will know that these are used to create fantastic drawings or guides on walls and floors.
The disadvantage of this type of lighting is that the bulbs burn easily, so their useful life is not as long as other options. We recommend that you use them for specific times or social events, but not as dominant lighting.
Step Deck Lighting – A security upgrade
Image source: Miracle Contractors, LLC
Movie theaters began to use these type of lights on their stairs so that people can see where they walk without the risk of falling. You can also do it on your terrace stairs to have additional security at night.
Some designs of these lights are so striking that you may even decide to place them exclusively for decorative purposes. You do not have to install them on all steps but can vary in pattern depending on your taste.
Outline your Deck in Rope Light – Another use for PVC
Image source: It’s The Little Things
A transparent PVC tube becomes the perfect support for a string of lights that you can install very easily in any space, however difficult it may be.
Thanks to the protection and rigidity that the tube offers, you will not have to worry about the bulbs being exposed to nature or slipping away from where you installed them.
With these tubes, you can create many deck lighting ideas since they are durable and have a customizable component that will allow you to change them depending on the occasion.
Recessed Lighting – To avoid creating bumps
Image source: Stellar Decks
If you want to install outdoor LED deck lighting, the best alternatives are recessed lamps. These are inserted inside the walls and ceilings, which prevents the installation of protruding elements that could get in the way.
Recessed lights are the most elegant on the list, but their installation is one of the most complexes since they should preferably be included in your terrace’s blueprint before its construction.
Pool Deck Lighting – Lighting that cannot be missed
Image source: Elad Gonen
Pools, by law, must be well lit. They should be surrounded by bright spotlights that allow constant monitoring of their exterior and interior.
Remember that swimming pool ladders must also be marked with lights to avoid accidents when using them.
Under Deck Lighting – Adding functionality
Image source: Bright Ideas by Martinec
Other deck lighting ideas that you can apply is that the lamps are installed in ceiling fans. Using fans on balconies allows for better air circulation, so you’re solving two problems with one installation.
Additionally, these will help cool down on hot days, so if you have enough available height, you should consider this solution.
Safety is first
All these deck lighting ideas are perfect for quickly decorating your terrace or deck, but you must remember that the lights will not only be an investment in landscaping but also in security.
Because these spaces are outdoors, darkness will prevail at night and will limit their use if you don’t have adequate lighting. Walking without seeing where you are going, or climbing dark stairs are dangers that you can avoid with a lighting project.
Before, it was understandable that people were against installing lights outdoors because the bulbs burned more easily, but with the arrival of LED lights, that is a concern of the past, so there is no excuse for not illuminate your home’s exterior.
If you enjoyed reading this article about deck lighting ideas, you should read these as well: