Add lighting magic to your outdoor living space

Even with the passing of the shortest day recently, we are still rising in the dark and heading home most afternoons to a dark or even blacked-out backyard. Whether  it is for safety, security, entertaining or just to set the scene, now is the time to consider garden lights. Luckily, they are more affordable than ever.

Straight off the top, I’m telling you don’t play with mains electricity. If you want to have a go at garden lights, please limit yourself to the low-voltage kits that simply plug into a power-point. They are simple to install and extremely effective.

Security and safety are quite easily achieved by installing a motion detector. Baddies like to hide in the dark – not in well-lit front paths.

Steps and paths become safer when they are lit and, more importantly, the pizza guy will find your house more quickly if the number is well lit too. Just be aware the occasional light might go on and off from time to time from passing cats or possums, and angle any lights away from neighbours’ windows.

If you are building a new house or garden and can’t quite afford lighting yet, allow for it later on by installing conduits under paths, pavers and driveways, so you access them down the track.

For entertaining, you need your lights a little brighter. You can have a mix of uplighting and downlighting. There are kits that can fit into your deck, steps and risers. Downlighting from the eaves can illuminate the yard without blinding your guests.

Once you’ve got the essentials done, you can set a scene or mood.

One-watt garden spotlights work well under trees, up against a wall or thrown up towards the underside of a corrugated iron verandah or pergola. Fairy lights wrapped around the fence, clothesline or across the yard from one side to another can really set a cute scene for very few dollars.

A good way to plan the look is to go outside and play with a couple of cheap torches.

Shining a torch on a tree trunk or a sculpture will give you an idea how effective lighting will be.

Of course, a torch may be different to your final lighting, so when I lay out my cable I allow for plenty of movement around the base of trees and features that I am lighting, so I get different looks, whether it is from the front, partly lit from the side or as a silhouette, from behind.

You can create different scenes if you have the extra cable to move around. I like pinpoint beams that are very direct. They hit features and leave the background in darkness.

Always hide your light source. Done well, it looks like magic.

Lighting in water features can create movement with the splash reflecting light everywhere.

Underwater lighting that sprays out onto a clean wall can be a moving masterpiece at night.

It’s funny. We spend a lot on finishes like brass, copper and stainless steel and then try to hide the fittings, but is important that they are strong enough to last in the garden. Mine are stainless steel and about four years old now and they’re showing no signs of ageing.

I think garden lights are like getting your photo taken professionally; with a little bit of lighting, even I can look half-decent.