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Lighting Your Decks
Don't limit your deck lighting scheme to a paltry porch light.
Deck lighting should encompass more than just a little bit of
necessary illumination. It should make your deck shine!
Depending on the shape and style of your deck you can provide
just a few accents, or you can go the whole way with post
lights, recessed lighting and broad illumination for the whole
area.
Post lights are just what they sound like - lamps or bulbs that
fit on or in a post. There are a hundred different designs.
Many top a post with a stylish housing that adds the perfect
finishing look to your deck. Others are actually embedded into
the side or top of the post. Still others may simply attach to
the side to provide illumination for the deck area and an
illuminated accent to the post.
Recessed lights are similar to what you may have seen in some
movie theaters, along each side of the aisle at the base of the
seats. They may be placed along the base of posts, or just line
a section of the deck where it meets the house. More commonly,
they will outline the entire deck to provide both practicality
and beauty. There, they can show where the edge of the deck is
to prevent accidents and add color and design to the overall
look.
Ambient light to cover the surface of the deck and the area
above it can be provided in several ways. Even the
long-familiar wall sconce or lamp is now far from just a
mundane utilitarian device. As they give light, they add style
and a certain look to the whole deck area.
Outdoor wall lamps come in every conceivable design, from
Victorian to ultra-modern, from a metal shade on a swinging arm
to Disney characters. Whatever your desired look to add a touch
of elegance or personal style to the deck, there's a wall lamp
design available to suit.
Accent lights are similar. But their goal is less to provide
overall illumination even when it's also a style element. They
use light itself to create the style. Certainly the cover
design plays a role in what the final result looks like. But
the accent is there to do just that: provide an accent to the
house or deck, not to draw attention to itself.
They may be the more-or-less standard indirect, up-the-wall
accent of the sort that might just as often be seen indoors.
But they can also accent other exterior features. The deck
itself might be stained a cedar color, calling for highlights
provided by accent lights. Or, accent lights might provide a
small spot of illumination to the point at which the post meets
the deck or cap. In this way, they can overlap the function of
post lights.
Whichever component you choose to implement, and a good deck
lighting design can easily incorporate them all, keep a
consistent style across all elements. Your deck can be a
showplace with a look all its own.
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