Have you ever noticed how luxury resorts, event venues, restaurants, and hotels often have perfectly lit pathways and outdoor spaces? Have you admired the romantic, soft glow illuminating the trees, courtyards, gardens, and dining areas? If so, you have experienced the highly sought-after outdoor lighting effect known as moonlighting!
Moonlighting is an elegant and relatively easy way to enhance your outdoor living space significantly. In addition to aesthetics, outdoor moonlight lighting can improve safety and security while increasing your property value.
Below, we explain what moonlighting is, the appeal and benefits of moonlighting, and tips for achieving the moonlight effect. Read on to learn more about elevating your space with outdoor moonlight lighting!
What Is Moonlighting?
Moonlighting is a landscape lighting solution that aims to mimic the visual effects of a full or very bright moon shining into your yard.
The moonlight outdoor lighting technique is a form of downlighting that uses strategically placed, downward-facing lights to create a specific look.
In moonlighting, fixtures are placed high up in trees and angled down to create the appearance of a soft, cool, natural light effect, similar to moonlight filtering through the trees. This lighting technique allows the light to peek through the tree’s branches and leaves rather than shining directly and unobstructed into a specific space.
Appeal Of Moonlighting Your Outdoor Space
While enhancing the appearance of your property, pathways, and outdoor living space may be the primary reason you opt to install moonlighting, you will also benefit from improved visibility, increased security, and a higher property value.
With the multiple benefits of moonlight outdoor lighting, there is no wonder why so many homeowners and businesses choose to incorporate it into their properties.
Below, we explore the benefits of the outdoor moonlight lighting technique.
Elevate Your Space
Outdoor moonlight lighting helps you create spaces that feel romantic, relaxing, and luxurious. It is the perfect addition to your property if you wish to complement or highlight your other landscaping features.
Moonlighting can also elevate your space by creating dimension and drawing the eye to focal points. Overall, an investment in moonlight allows you to achieve a comfortable, cozy, yet upscale experience that you and your guests will enjoy.
Improved Visibility At Night
A practical benefit of moonlighting is its ability to improve visibility at night.
Add it to pathways, parking areas, seating areas, and dining spaces to make it easier for you and your visitors or customers to see where they are walking. Of course, this increases safety for everyone while reducing risks to you or your business.
Another benefit of moonlight outdoor lighting is that you can illuminate spaces with fewer luminaries. In traditional lighting, lighting fixtures are required at limited intervals because light only radiates in a specific area. However, moonlights naturally disburse light more broadly, making them a great choice if you would like to limit lighting and electricity costs.
Increased Security On Your Property
Increasing the security of your home or business is another significant benefit of outdoor moonlight lighting solutions.
Thieves and vandals often look for the path of least resistance and typically seek opportunities with the lowest perceived risk. Since moonlighting mimics the effect of a full moon and illuminates your yard, there are fewer dark corners and pathways to hide. Therefore, adding moonlights to your property effectively reduces unwanted visitors to your home or commercial space.
Increased Property Value
Beautifully landscaped homes elevate the neighbourhood and typically sell for more. Moonlighting helps you take your property value to the next level with high-end details found only in upscale spaces.
Outdoor moonlight lighting makes any area look more magical and luxurious, and investment in lighting will be worth it when it comes time to sell.
Tips For Achieving The Moonlight Effect
Since moonlighting installation often requires working at heights, we always recommend that you consult with a professional outdoor lighting expert.
Sometimes, you may also need to speak with your electrician about your unique vision and plan. We do not recommend attempting to install moonlights yourself.
However, if you have the skills to install your own moonlights, see some tips below about achieving the moonlighting effect.
Light Type For Moonlighting
When creating the moonlighting effect, your light selection is a critical decision.
As your light fixtures will not be easily accessible once they are installed, opt for a low-maintenance lighting solution. In addition, you will want a light type that is very bright and doesn’t have significant heat output. For these reasons, LED lights are most commonly used for outdoor moonlight lighting.
Light Colour Selection For Moonlighting
Naturally, the moon emits a soft glow that makes surrounding objects appear blue or silver, so opting for a cool-temperature white bulb is best practice with moonlighting.
Lighting experts typically use bulbs that shine at 4100K to effectively mimic the colour temperature of moonlight.
Selecting Lighting Fixtures For Moonlighting
Of course, you will need lighting fixtures that are weather resistant and suitable for installation in unsheltered areas of your property. The fixtures you select must also reduce the risk of fire since they will be tucked away in the branches of your trees.
In addition, they should offer a wide light spread, include glare guards, and direct light downwards – all factors that are critical for achieving the moonlighting look.
When shopping for moonlight outdoor lights, it is best to speak to a lighting expert who can recommend the ideal fixtures for your specific needs. In addition to the safety of your fixtures, a professional familiar with lighting can help you plan how many luminaries you will need to achieve your unique vision.
Install Lighting Correctly
Once you have selected the appropriate lighting type, colour, and fixtures for your project, it is time to install your moonlighting.
Install your fixtures as high up as possible in your selected trees. Place each light strategically so that the illumination filters through the tree branches and leaves.
When installing your moonlighting, do your best to hide the light fixture and its cords. Moonlighting installation can look sloppy if all the elements of the magic are readily apparent. Therefore, develop your plan for cord management before you even step onto your ladder.
Protect Your Trees
One consideration that many homeowners forget about when installing lighting solutions in their trees is the health of the tree itself.
Mature trees are not immune to disease and damage from dirty saws and screws. They will also keep growing despite having cables or zip ties wrapped around their trunk and branches, so it is important to consider the future growth pattern.
For the reasons above, always remember to be mindful of using clean tools and hardware when working in your tree. Also, take time to think about how the tree will be impacted by your installation and cord placement as it grows.
Mature trees are assets that take decades to grow, so never risk their health! It can be devastating and costly to remove a tree that was once a beautiful and thriving part of your landscape.
Conclusion
In conclusion, moonlighting is a unique outdoor lighting solution that aims to mimic the effect of a full or very bright moon illuminating spaces outside.
To achieve the moonlighting look, a technique called downlighting is used strategically to filter cool coloured light through trees and branches.
Moonlighting is popular at luxury resorts, restaurants, hotels, event spaces, and hotels. It creates a romantic, magical, and cozy aesthetic that is attractive to home and business owners seeking to elevate their space with an upscale aesthetic.
Adding outdoor moonlight lighting to your property has benefits beyond adding luxury appeal to pathways, parking areas, gardens, and outdoor entertaining spaces. It also improves visibility, enhances security, and increases property value.
When planning and installing moonlighting, it is best to work with lighting solution experts, landscapers, and electricians to ensure you prioritize safety and purchase light fixtures that will help you accomplish your overall vision. You will need the correct lighting type, bulb colour, and lighting fixtures to achieve the moonlight effect.
Don’t forget to prioritize the health of your trees when installing lighting solutions. Always use clean tools and hardware. Lastly, take time to consider the future growth pattern of your trees so that your cord and light fixture placement does not negatively impact them as they grow.
Upgrade Your Outdoor Living Space With A Premier Deck
A perfectly lit property with enchanting lighting solutions will have you eager to show off your space and invite guests to your home. Are you ready to host them on your deck or patio? If not, Decks by Premier is here to help! Our team of professional deck builders has been helping homeowners elevate their outdoor entertaining spaces for over 90 years. We are proud to serve Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, and surrounding areas.
Reach out to us to speak to a sales representative today. We can also schedule a no-obligation, on-site consultation to get your deck upgrade process started!
