What the word actually means
Most outdoor lighting is trying to cover ground. Accent lighting inverts that. It is selective by definition. Point it at one tree, one column, one entry and leave the rest alone. The dark part is not a gap in the plan. It is the other half of the effect.The concept takes one sentence and a lot of discipline. Choose two or three features and light nothing else. Every plan gets pressure to grow, and the pressure comes from both directions.
What is worth accenting
Some things take light well and some do not. Texture is the best predictor: masonry, tree bark, timber, anything with relief in it. Flat painted siding gives you almost nothing back. Shape helps too: a tree with structure, an arch, a column, a gable peak.
Where accent plans fall apart
Plans go wrong when the list grows. One feature turns into six as the plan grows.
https://evercrestlighting.com/about/ Once everything is lit, the emphasis is gone, and the plan is just illumination. Restraint is the technique.A good accent plan seems minimal on a page and lands properly once the sun is down and you are looking at it.
Accent lighting next to the other outdoor categories
Accent lighting rarely stands alone. Landscape lighting handles the yard. Security lighting covers approaches and dark corners. Roofline work lights the architecture. Accent lighting is the layer that adds intent.
Dimmer than you think
Output almost always ends up too high. Your eyes adapt, so a modest amount of light on a dark property does a great deal. You are creating a point of interest, not lighting a work area.
From below or from above
Accent light can come from the ground or from overhead, and the two look nothing alike. Uplighting throws shadows upward, which nothing in nature does, so it reads as dramatic and slightly theatrical. Downlighting comes from above, the way light normally does, so nobody notices the technique.
Accent lighting is not set and forget
Landscape accents point at plants, and plants move. Growth blocks the throw, and ground level fixtures get knocked out of position. It is a small thing that makes a big visual difference. Re aiming is worth doing periodically.Aim gets checked the same way the design was made: by walking out at night and seeing what the light is doing.
Getting it designed
Accent lighting is decided at the property, after dark, by somebody looking at it. EverCrest Lighting does 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].