Best Lighting Ideas for Your Sarasota Patio: From Ambient to Task Lighting
When you head out to your patio for the evening, nobody says, “Wow, that ambient lighting is amazing,” or “Good thing I have targeted task lighting for cutting up this mango.”
You just want the lighting out there to be perfect for everything you want to do, from mixing fun drinks to trimming your dog’s nails. (Life isn’t all glamour, right?)
What are the best lighting ideas for your Sarasota patio? You need a mix of different types of lighting, from foundational ambient lighting to focused task lighting to accent lighting that shows off your fantastic Florida plants. Toss in some string bistro lights and tiki torches for fun, and you’re set until the sun comes up.
Let’s learn more about outdoor lighting for patios, including:
Why Your Patio Needs Layers of Light
Instead of one bright lighting source that makes your patio feel like an operating room, lighting designers combine a few different layers of light to perfectly illuminate your outdoor space. Each type of lighting has its own job to do, and they should all work together to make your patio safe and beautiful.
Let’s take a look at Sarasota patio lighting ideas:
A Look at Ambient Patio Lighting
Ambient lighting casts a soft, comfortable overall glow that allows you to safely navigate your patio and see people around you without harsh, blinding glare.
Downlighting from trees or overhead structures offers ambient patio lighting. Strings of bistro lights overhead contribute to ambient lighting, too.
Think of ambient patio lighting as the foundational lighting on your patio, and the first layer of light you’ll build on.
Task Lighting for Patios
Task lighting is pretty much what it sounds like — a functional layer of light focused on specific areas.
Task lighting for patios includes the cool lighting that comes on when you open your grill, if you’re lucky and have that handy feature. It’s the LED strip lights installed in your outdoor kitchen that illuminate your utensil drawer.
Task lighting includes the path lights that hang out along the edges of your path, lighting up your walkways for both safety and appeal. It’s the lights built into your stair risers or under capstones on a seating wall to make these spaces safer and more usable.
Task lighting is more focused, specific lighting that helps you do what you need to do in your patio space.
Outdoor Lighting for Patios: Accent Lighting
Accent lighting shows off a bit, in a good way. It strategically highlights your patio area’s best features.
It’s the uplight that keeps your stunning bottle palm visible after dark. It’s the wall washing technique that highlights the texture of your stone garden wall.
Your impressive 6-foot-tall croton with bold patterned leaves is basically artwork. Accent lighting lets you enjoy it after dark.
Take a look at your patio to see what features you could highlight after sundown. A statue? A fountain? Your stunning bougainvillea? An outdoor fireplace?
Accent lighting lets you enjoy all your favorite patio features after dark. It’s one of the best lighting ideas for your Sarasota patio.
Decorative Accessory Lighting
Here’s where you layer on some fun, with a dramatic outdoor chandelier over your patio dining table; flickering tiki torches between your patio and pool; rechargeable table lamps on your side tables; candle lanterns for a romantic glow.
Outdoor lighting for patios, when designed in layers, all works together to keep you from falling in the pool, slicing your finger while you cut up a lime, and making you look great on that long-awaited patio date night once the kids finally get to bed.
Patio Lighting Design Tips
Once you’re set up with your layers of lights, a few pro lighting tips will
keep your patio glow going:
Take Advantage of Technology
Lighting technology has made its way out to your patio, and you’ll love the convenience.
Control it all from your phone.
Group your outdoor lights into different zones and illuminate the front yard, backyard, and patio independently.
Adjust the brightness of each zone to create the perfect mood. Want a soft glow on the patio for your cozy dinner for two, or a full-on fun vibe for your teen’s pool party?
Just click.
Schedule your outdoor patio lighting to turn on at sunset and off at a designated time, so all you have to do is stroll out there with your bowl (or carton) of mint chip ice cream.
Punch Up Your Patio with Color
Color-changing LED lights offer a ton of patio possibilities. Set the scene with soft pastels for a princess birthday party or bold sports team colors for your game-night gathering.
Outdoor patio lighting is extra fun for holidays. Make your Halloween patio bash extra spooky with eerie orange and purple lights, or drench it in patriotic red, white and blue for your July Fourth pool party.
Be Dark Sky Friendly
Many upscale luxury communities are increasingly interested in responsible landscape lighting that doesn’t pollute the pristine night sky.
This approach directs light only where it’s needed, downward onto your patio, paths and landscaping.
Fixtures with hoods or shields prevent light from spilling upward. Lights are aimed carefully with precise placement. Bulbs with warm color temperature are less disruptive to wildlife.
Wishing for a Moonlit Patio? Wish Granted
You can’t always depend on the real moon to illuminate your patio with a romantic glow. Feel free to fake it, with moonlight you create.
Outdoor lighting fixtures installed high above in your trees or nearby structures spill light down onto your patio, creating a gentle wash of romantic illumination.
Why Leave Outdoor Lighting for Patios to the Pros
You might be great at layering your kids in sweaters for a holiday ski weekend or layering chocolate cake with buttercream icing, but this layers of light strategy is a whole different thing.
You want landscape lighting professionals on the job who are skilled in the art and science of lighting; knowledgeable about color temperature, beam spread and voltage; and with a commitment to taking the time to do everything exactly right.
No corroding wires. No weak transformers. No rusting fixtures.
Just layers of just-right outdoor patio lighting that work together seamlessly to perfectly illuminate your outdoor life.
Frequently Asked Questions About Outdoor Lighting for Patios
Q: Is it better to install my patio lighting before or after the patio is installed?
A: If possible, it’s best to install the wiring, conduit, and fixtures before your patio goes in, or at least coordinate them during the patio installation. That way, crews can lay PVC conduits beneath the patio base to safely hide all wires.
But if your patio is already installed, you can still add lighting. Crews can run low-voltage wire through garden beds or beneath the soil along the edge of the patio or remove some pavers to run lines underneath then replace the pavers.
Q: How much does landscape lighting cost?
A: It depends, of course, on the size of your property and the number of transformers and fixtures you’ll need, but expect to pay anywhere from $5,000 for a basic outdoor lighting installation to $85,000 for a deluxe design for a large coastal luxury estate.
Q: How long will my landscape lighting last?
A: Professionally installed lighting systems should last 25 to 30 years. After about 12 to 15 years bulbs will likely start needing replacement, depending on the amount of hours they run.
The outdoor lighting fixtures that Tropical Gardens installs have a lifetime warranty; bulbs have a 50- thousand-hour warranty; and transformers have a 5-year warranty.
Ready for the Best Lighting Ideas for your Sarasota Patio? Talk to Us
If you’re not spending every evening out on your patio, did you forget you live in Florida?
Or maybe you forgot to have outdoor patio lighting installed.
You got here just in time. It’s almost sundown.
Tropical Gardens offers expert, creative patio lighting services in Sarasota as part of complete landscape transformations.
Add skilled, professional outdoor lighting to your patio to help keep you safe out there while it makes your outdoor living luxurious, festive and magical.
Let’s get started.
Give us a call or fill out our form today! Our team of Sarasota designers will help you create outdoor patio lighting that will even make that dog nail trimming task seem brighter.
