7 Ways to Utilize Outdoor Lighting to Help Enhance Your Commercial Landscape

Lighting is an important component of any commercial landscaping design. Carefully chosen lighting can bring your outdoor space to life, and it can even transform a garden into something truly magical. This is especially true when the sun goes down. There are a variety of ways you can use outdoor lighting to help enhance your commercial landscape. Here are seven ways you can incorporate outdoor lighting in order to improve your outdoor space.

Create ambiance

For commercial landscapes, the ability to use lighting to create a special type of atmosphere is critical. Lighting can be introduced to help bring any nighttime landscape design to life by creating a mood that suits your tastes and the needs of your business. From holiday settings that are complete with twinkling white lights during the holidays, to soft nights lit only by glowing fire pits for savory summer evenings, commercial landscapes need to be flexible in order to flow with changing seasons and moods. Outdoor wall fixtures are ideal for commercial landscapes because they allow you to control light levels in different zones throughout your space, while maximizing energy efficiency through directional illumination.

Illuminate hardscape elements

An important component of lighting any commercial landscapes is highlighting the elements that need to be seen, such as pathways for pedestrians or vehicles. This is particularly crucial if you have a commercial landscape in which people are moving at high speeds throughout your space. For example, consider hotels or office building parking lots. These are just some of the locations where lighting is crucial in order to highlight key features. When properly lit, these areas can be seen clearly and navigated safely. Softscape elements (such as ornamental grasses and flowers) may also get lost if they aren’t properly illuminated.

Illuminate garden areas

While commercial hardscapes may garner most of the attention, you also want to be sure not to ignore lighting your garden areas. Commercial gardens provide a visual cue for patrons who may need to enter through less attractive areas of your space. Attention to these spots gives people an indication of what's inside even before entering. If any of your features, like fountains or ponds, can be highlighted through lighting, they are more likely to become the focal point of your entire landscape design.

Illuminate trees

One area of commercial landscape that is often overlooked in terms of lighting needs is your trees and other garden elements. Highlighting trees goes beyond your typical Christmas tree light strings. There are many options that can illuminate individual trees or groups of trees. Doing so will help your space come alive at night!

Illuminate walking paths

Ensuring that your pathways are properly lit is paramount to the safety of your landscape area, as this will ensure that patrons can see where they are going, whether they’re crossing a courtyard or walking to an outdoor seating area. Unfortunately, many commercial landscapes have areas with no lighting. It’s essential for landscape designers to consider how their clientele will move around their outdoor space when it’s dark outside, and whether there are any dark areas that could be potentially hazardous.

Illuminate signs

Most commercial landscapes feature signage. All areas that feature your business’s name, logo, street signs, and directional indicators should be easy for people to see, whether it’s day or night. The best way to ensure these elements are easily visible is by providing well-placed lighting.

There are many options when it comes to illuminating signage including wall-mounted fixtures, post-top fixtures, or lighting that hangs down from above.

Illuminate entrances and exits

Just like any other part of a commercial space or building,  your doorways also need adequate lighting. It’s essential that visitors can easily find your property's entrances and exits. Lights that highlight your doorways will ensure patrons can find their way, especially at night.

Ornamental commercial lighting is an integral part of any commercial landscape design. Effective lighting will enhance the look of your space by drawing attention to key features. While it’s important for commercial landscapes to be visually appealing, it’s also more important that they be safe and functional.