Landscape Outdoor Lighting Kits

Trees literally give life to the world, because without them, there would be no oxygen to breathe, and the soil would quickly erode in the wind and rain. As such, tree lighting is more than a science. It is an aesthetic discipline that showcases one of man’s most primal and perhaps first symbols of consciousness. Tree lighting with even the best landscaping lighting kits can never exactly be done the same way twice any more than two trees can ever exactly grow or look the same way. Residential Landscape Lighting and Design has composed this article on tree lighting as a general guideline, not a hard-fast rulebook on tree lights and landscape lighting kit installation. These recommendations are based on an average luminance of 10 foot candles and provide suggested wattages in landscape lighting kits to achieve what lighting designers call “moonlight effects”, or in layman’s terms, artificial light with the ambient, softer qualities of natural moonlight.


Residential Landscape Lighting and Design’s extensive selection of landscape lighting kits and accessories are designed with trees preeminently in mind. We seldom run across a municipality or business entities with no trees whatsoever on property. We have yet to find a homeowner with no trees in the yard, although we are sure there are a few out there somewhere. (For these people we recommend seedlings, as they can still be valued clients regardless). As such, almost every landscape tree lighting kit we provide contains a down lighting as well as up lighting components. Simply stated, these terms are merely directional in nature and do not refer to anything mysterious or technically complicated about landscape lighting kits themselves. Down Lighting means exactly what it says—shining light downward toward the ground, and up lighting means to shine the light upward. To effectively show all parts of a tree in the dead of night, one must combine these two lighting techniques so as to “wash” the tree in light. This allows viewers to clearly see the differentiation between leaves, branches, and the trunk regardless of viewing angle. Both sets of lights also have to be positioned in such a way as to illuminate the entirety of the tree’s canopy and not just the middle, vertical core.

Landscape lighting is often a very complex and highly tedious science that requires professional service organizations cross-trained in landscaping in addition to their expertise in lighting. Landscape lighting kits, however, allow private individuals the opportunity to become lighting designers in their own right, particularly when it comes to lighting their favorite trees in both front and back yards. Provided that one is physically fit enough to climb a tree, or to use environmentally safe tools that will not damage the tree, lighting and landscaping kits can transform a dark tree line along a fence or wall into an illuminated natural edifice of organic browns and living green. In the fall, the changing colors of leaves adds even more effect through Nature’s own hand, and even in the death of winter a well-lighted tree still speaks to the potential for new life in the Spring to come.

Just as light and life form a cycle of rebirth and life, so too does the choice and installation of a landscape lighting kit represent a cycle of design, aesthetic, and effect. With a little simple math, one can determine tree canopy size by multiplying the width and height of the tree in feet. Then, by assessing the density of foliage and using one’s own subjective judgment to determine exactly how much emulated moonlight will be desirable for that particular tree, choosing the appropriate landscape lighting kit simply becomes a matter of selecting from one of our lists in this category. RLLD has included a corresponding chart to help lighting designers and private individuals alike select the precise wattage level required for a tree of particular size and the necessary luminance to achieve optimal visibility according to one’s own outdoor decorative style and taste.

By: Kimberly Quang To learn more visit our landscape outdoor lighting kit section or read more about landscape outdoor lighting kits

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How To Choose Great Light Fixtures

Home décor doesn’t end with some pretty vases, throw cushions, and paint. Your light fixtures are an important part of adding the finishing touches to a room. So how do you choose great light fixtures?

Everybody’s tastes are different which is why there are thousands of different choices in light fixtures. And some of the new styles have added an entirely new “light” to the options.

Before choosing your fixtures you’ll need to decide what type of lighting you need and what you are trying to achieve. You’ll also want to consider the type of bulb the lightening uses. There are many choices other than traditional light bulbs.

Ambient lighting is used as background lightening. It’s not designed to work with but rather to set a mood. It’s not a very useful lighting but if you choose fixtures that fit the room it can add character and charm to the room.



Accent lighting is used to “accent.” It can add depth, create a focal point, and of course create an atmosphere. Small halogen spotlights, track lightening, table lamps, and strip lights are all examples of accent lighting. How you aim your accent lighting will depend on what you are trying to do with it.

If you want to make a painting a focal point a strip light above the painting works well. If you want to prevent UV span lighting to plants floor spotlights that beam off the ceiling work well. If you want to light up a curio cabinet a book clip works well.

Task lightening is the lighting you depend on to complete tasks such as cooking, sewing, or working at your computer. It should be focused on the area you will be working in. Task lighting that is halogen, tungsten, or fluorescent works best.

Occasion lighting is used for special get together such as a party. It’s used to set the mood and create an ambiance. You’ll have to experiment a bit until you get the mood you want. You can easily make a room romantic or vibrant using lighting. You can also use occasion lighting to highlight an area of a room. Don’t forget that you can use colored bulbs to set the tone.

Traditional wall lighting is often more decorative than it is practical. The candle light bulbs are designed to add soft lighting to the room and many chandelier fixtures use this type of lightening over the dining table.

Enclosed fixtures are your typical fixtures that you find in halls, bedrooms, and bathrooms. You can also get enclosed fixtures that are weatherproof for your outside lighting.

Spotlight are very vogue and there are some great fixtures to choose from. They are also quite versatile because they send beams of light in any direction you want. Spotlights can be used in track fixtures or in cupboards, on desks, or above pictures.

Fluorescent lighting covers a nice large area and a quite energy efficient. However over the past few years with more fashionable fixtures and halogen bulbs their popularity has waned.

There are different types of fluorescent bulbs all which give off a different type of lighting. White lights are good in a loft or workshop. If you are putting them in your house avoid green and blue which are bad for your eyes, instead choose a warm yellow color which will give you a nice soft lighting.

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to the type of lighting and the type of light fixtures they want to use. The most important thing to remember is to choose effective lighting for what you want to achieve, and choose fixtures that compliment and give the finishing touches to your room.


About The Author:

Aura Mirchandani is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory.

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Teak Furniture - Ideal For Outdoors

When it comes to wooden furniture, most people just classify them as hardwood furniture, or softwood furniture. Simple classifications do help to make buying decisions easier. However, in reality, even when wood belongs to the same category, they can have rather different characteristics.

For example, not all hardwood is suitable for the outdoors. That is because outdoor furniture has to be exposed to external elements such as weather, moisture, insects, weeds, etc. Furniture gets damaged very easily when left outdoors for prolonged periods of time.

Therefore, if you are considering buying furniture for the outdoors, you have to be extra careful about the raw materials that is used to create the furniture. Some homeowners may just jump to conclusion and write off wooden furniture, thinking that they may rot when left outdoors. Others may think that steel furniture sounds like a better option.

In general, if you buy furniture that is made from some kind of stainless steel, it’s a relatively safe choice. However, steel is still subject to rust and oxidation, which dulls the shiny appearance of the surface. Furthermore, steel can never achieve the same aesthetic effects of wood.


If you still prefer wooden furniture, you may be comforted in knowing that there are certain types of wood that is suitable for the outdoors. Teak is one such example.

Unlike other types of timber, teak has got some unique characteristics, that may it extremely durable. In fact, teak is renowned for it’s ease of maintenance and durability. The wood contains high levels of resinous oils, which helps to keep out moisture, insects, and plant growth. You may be surprised to find that teak won’t rot even when left in the outdoors.

Teak does not grow in rain forests. It is a deciduous plant that grows in hilly areas. It is mostly found in South East Asia. But the highest quality teak comes from Indonesia. These are not carelessly harvested raw materials. The teak actually comes from specialized tree farms.

If you are looking for high quality teak furniture, be prepared to pay a premium price for the furniture. That is mainly because it takes several decades for teak trees to become mature. To get a better price for the furniture, you may wish to consider buying teak furniture at wholesale prices. The more you buy, the more discount you can ask for.

One would expect a wood that is as durable as teak to be hard to work with. Fortunately, that is not true at all. Many expert craftsmen find teak to be an easy wood to work with. In general, most teak are straight grained. You do occasionally find wavy grained teak though. For this reason, teak is a very popular material that is used to build decks, cabinets, etc. You even find it in expensive boats!

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The importance of lighting in an interior design project!

Dear Friends,

Light is an essential part of our daily activities. Just like
we need air, water and food to survive we need light in
order to function efficiently.

Gone are the days when people used to stop working after
sunset. The invention of electricity has made life easier and
has helped to improve efficiency.

The use of light in interior spaces greatly affects the environment
and "mood" inside the space. Here are some of the aspects
that can be considered while lighting an interior space.

1) Natural light:

The Sun is the biggest source of light available on our planet.
We all are dependant on it. Sunlight is not only required to
function but is also responsible for biological balance of
the Earth. Sunlight also keeps the air clean by killing any
possible bacterial attacks which might be harmful to health.

It is normally assumed that sunlight can penetrate inside
a space for about 7 feet (approximately 20 meters). If the
architect has taken proper care during planning of the
structure, then sunlight can be a very good and free source of
light.

2) Artificial filler lights:

These types of lights work on electricity and are required
mostly at the night times. But this is not always true. There
are some geographical locations where the weather is cloudy
for most months in a year.

At such times filler lights in the form of fluorescent tube
lights. These types of light are used to create the same
effect that the sunlight would create. As the name suggests.
these types of lights "fill" the space evenly with light,
eliminating any dark spaces.

3) Special lighting for special spaces:

Special lighting is required at spaces where it is necessary
to create a "mood" or special "ambience" inside a space. To
achieve this use of color is done. Lighting fixtures like
spot lights are used which divert the attention of the crowd
at certain focused areas.

These kind of techniques are also used in commercial showrooms,
to enhance the importance of the display areas. If you have
visited car shows, exhibition pavilions, you will see this
kind of lighting extensively used.

Special type of lighting requires more number of light fixtures,
because the area they cover is very limited.

4) Extreme lighting:

This type of lighting is used in spaces where the activities
have a special purpose, such as movie studios, pubs, dance
floors, etc.. Here the lighting used can be of movable types,
or can have more sophisticated controls such as intensity,
color, movement, controlled through music beats.

The above discussion shows, how the activities happening inside
a space directly affect the type of lighting used inside a space.
A properly planned lighting plan can greatly enhance the quality
of a space.

I hope this article was useful.

Copyright 2005 Shrinivas Vaidya

About the Author: Shrinivas Vaidya is the webmaster of Bedroom-Design-And-Decorating-Ideas.com .Visit TODAY to get an in-depth knowledge of Bedroom Design, Bedroom Furniture Sets, Bedroom Decorating Ideas.

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