Natural lighting is one integral – but often overlooked – concept in both standard architectural design and sustainable design. Natural lighting is an appealing design statement because it is naturally lovely. It also is significantly more energy efficient because it reduces dependence on artificial light for most of the day.

The key to incorporating natural light is in providing brightness while managing glare – and that’s where retractable awnings can be a crucial design element.

Lighting is an incredibly important method to highlight the mood and functionality of a space. In traditional architecture, natural lighting creates a specific mood to enhance comfort. Nowadays, sustainable design is introducing a complementary feature: to save energy.

One architectural book defines the patterns of light and dark as a “tapestry” that balances the room. Light highlights functional areas; it establishes and smoothes visual contrasts. Effective lighting strategies blend color, contrast, and shadows, which makes the variability of natural light attractive. The uniformity of artificial light can’t bring the same delicate touch.

Additionally, artificial light isn’t necessary. There is a giant (and electricity-free) light source right in the sky. Sustainable designs – called daylighting  – use sunlight as an interior light source to cut down electricity usage. Because this is so energy-efficient, daylighting is a highly desirable component energy efficiency programs, even recognized by LEED certifications.

The key is to make the lighting scheme effective, so natural lighting has to:

$       Mitigate heat gain. Too much heat, and air conditioning use becomes an energy issue.

$       Control glare and UV rays. Direct sunlight can cause problems with normal tasks (reading or working at a computer).

$       Optimize light. Sunlight can be a good thing, not just a thing. Good lighting creates a feeling of warmth, comfort, and well-being, as well as reduces headaches and eye strain.

The key to natural light is controlling that light, and that’s where retractable awnings are a vital design concept.

Retractable awnings have long been incorporated in traditional architecture to produce translucent shading – in other words, diffuse natural light. As part of a lighting scheme, retractable awnings bring two important advantages:

$       The fabrics of these awnings softly diffuse light, producing the warmth of the color reflecting from the fabric.

$       The exterior shade from retractable awnings reduces glare and prevents UV rays from entering a room.

Retractable awnings enhance sustainable lighting design, as well, through better efficiency than windows, window tinting, blinds and shades, or fixed awnings:

$       Retractable awnings reduce summer heat gain by blocking sunlight during hot, long-light months. This reduces heat gain by as much as 77% (up to 20 degrees) and cuts air conditioning use by 25%.

$       Retractable awnings allow winter heat gain. This is incredibly important. Sunlight is crucial to providing natural heat during autumn and winter. Cutting off sunlight permanently through fixed awnings or heavy window treatments actually increases energy use in winter months – more than it saves in summer.

Design isn’t a product. Design is a plan. Retractable awnings can enhance the lighting of a room or save money simply by being installed. But you can really maximize your investment and get truly spectacular results with a little bit of planning.

First and most important, look at the fabric. High-quality retractable awnings (even in budget lines) use solution-dyed acrylic. It’s a durable, stain-resistant, fade-resistant fabric with excellent color quality. Even better, it’s approved by the American Skin Cancer Association for its UV protection. Because solution-dyed acrylic is synthetic, it is available in an astonishing array of colors and patterns. For maximum impact on natural lighting designs, consider retractable awnings fabrics in warm, honey-colored tones like dark yellows, beige, orange, or cream. That palette provides very soft color that reduces glare while still being bright and cheerful.

Another major factor are accessories for the retractable awning. Motors are a cinch; motorized retractable awnings are used four times more often than manual retractable awnings according to industry research. Other features like remote controls or switches allow awnings to be installed in otherwise inaccessible areas – over extremely high windows, sides of buildings, or over walkways – and be opened and closed easily. Other features like timers, wind sensors, and rain sensors can protect the retractable awning in threatening weather (and times with lowlight, when any natural light should be maximized).

And always remember to look at the frame. Almost all of the function of a retractable awning comes from what it offers indoors (light control, energy efficiency) but its beauty comes from how it looks outside. There are many frame styles, and high-end assemblers can custom-size retractable awnings to the inch. Plan where you need an awning based on your lighting and energy needs inside – but match the style to the outside for the best curb appeal.

Residential solar outdoor lighting brings homeowners a return on their landscape investment. That loss of daily enjoyment is transformed through outdoor landscape lighting by transforming darkened grounds into a welcome fantasy of light. Whether glowing with an inner light or outlined in elegant tracery against the night sky, solar landscape lighting paints the beauty of natural and cultivated forms, a pool, fountains and pathways with subtle shade, shadow and color. In our house, for our pools, fountains and the perimeter of ponds we use underwater landscape lighting fixtures that provide and ethereal, yet understated landscape lighting effect. While our visitors appreciate delicate lights capes, we  gain extraordinary appreciation to find outdoor living enhanced luxuriously by countless nuances of outdoor landscape lighting design, that dramatic play between light and shadow. Well-place solar landscape lighting along walkways and near hazards shows thoughtful concern for guests and adds safety to our garden of light.

Our ability to design landscape lighting system to paint an infinite palette of mood begins with full knowledge of how light works within a given space. We also know our tools – the world’s best landscape lighting products – and how to effectively harness them. Existing gardens may produce landscape lighting design challenges that are creatively resolved every day with stunning results.

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We do not want to just go out and buy any old landscape lighting fixtures, we need to plan on how we want our homes, gardens, outdoor rooms, and landscaping to look first. Are we going to light up our barbecue areas, pools, trees, flowerbeds, fountains, statuaries, and gardens? Now, what type of lightng do we want to use?

In coming up with some landscape lighting design we can look at the architectural features of our homes and landscaping. We may want to use some uplighting for an archway or to highlight an arbor. We can use additional submersible lights in our pools or place them in ponds and fountains to highlight the movement of the water. We can silhouette the trees and bushes in our landscaping by placing lights below them and behind them. There are functional lights and fashionable lights. Some low voltage lights are both fashionable and functionable when placed under stairs, bench seating, and handrails; they are meant to be nice to look at and create safety at the same time.

We can also get some landscape lighting ideas from neighbors and friends. If our houses are well lit durimg the night they are safer and more secure than a house that has no lights at all. By lighting up our driveways, pathways, and steps we can rest assured that accidents will not happen after dark. Motion detector lights are another source of security; these lights will turn on if someone or something walks by. Some lights have photocells that will automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn; these lights are good even if we are away from home.

We always want our friends and neighbors along with our families to enjoy the landscaping and not the lights; we just want them to enjoy the effects of the lights. We want to have just enough lights for enjoyment and safety. When we start our landscape lighting installation we need to make sure we can conceal the light fixture as best as we can. We can place them behind tree branches, shrubs, or foliage plants. All we want to see is the ambience of the lights and not the fixtures.

We always want to remember the safety of our family and friends when it comes to our landscape lighting design. The lights should illuminate all pathways, stairways, gates and driveways during the night. Floodlights are a good choice for lighting a deck area while entertaining and tube lighting under the handrails is not only a safety feature but also lightens up the area.

Most of our ideas will probably come from all the areas in the garden that we are proud of such as tall trees, flower gardens, and unusual plants. Since we already enjoy these areas during the day we also want to relax with them during the night and that is where the landscape lighting design plays a role. Solar landscape lighting is a sensible way to create safety in the garden, but we must place them where they will receive the energy from the sun during the day. Low voltage lighting and rope lighting are a couple of good lighting options. These are just some landscape lighting tips we need to consider when we want our landscape and home safe.

Plan your landscape lighting to use shadows to your advantage.

It is a common misconception among homeowners that shadows are a bad thing, and that the purpose of light is to brightly illuminate everything to the extent that no dark spots appear. The opposite is actually true. Houston landscape lighting works best as a blend between light and shadow, so use a balance of darkness and light when planning your landscape lighting system. Depending on the degree to which you vary this contrast, you can create all sorts of luminary effects and varying states of mind. Bathing exceptionally dark areas of your yard in soft ambient light from tree lights mimics the effects of moonlight and is highly romantic. Up lighting statuary, bird baths, and other ornaments creates an elevated sense of emotion ideal for garden parties. Hiding light fixtures within shrubs and flower beds creates a mystical effect where objects appear to glow with a light of their own. How you plan your landscaping lighting layout and landscape lighting maintenance program is really a matter of how you plan to feel when you look outside your window or spend warm summer nights on the patio. Start by evaluating plant materials, shrubs, trees, and gardens. These are forms that create shadow, and serve as guidelines to follow that are literally already growing right behind your home.

Plan your landscaping lighting with multiple layers of light in mind.

To achieve the type of depth and dimension we are talking about it, is necessary to use more than one layer of light. ILD landscaping pros typically plan a design around four distinctive layers of illumination, some of which distinctly overlap one another; others of which blend and synthesize together. Every landscape lighting design is different and must be planned around the unique dimensions of a yard and the contents within it. Fountains, sculptures, rock formations, bridges, and ornamental structures all provide accent or feature lighting opportunities. Trees provide moonlighting opportunities with concealed mercury vapor lights. Depending on the overall emotional tone you plan to create, any number of light fixture types can be used to illuminate these objects. You may want to install fixtures that are completely hidden so as to only illuminate objects of interest, or you may go the other route and use highly visible, decorative fixtures that add an additional aesthetic to your yard. If you are uncertain as to what type of fixtures to use, call one of our professionals and ask about specialty commercial grade fixtures that are made for specific types of landscapes and particular mood-setting lighting effects.

Be safe and practical when planning a landscape lighting system.

We recommend that the DYI homeowner stick with low-voltage landscape lighting equipment exclusively. 12-volt lights are generally all that you need to illuminate an outdoor area, and represent much less of a shock hazard to children and pets. They are also much safer to install. Do not forget to pay attention to the smaller practicalities of landscape lighting, either. Trip hazards such as steps, sidewalks, and driveways are good candidates for outdoor path lighting. Uplighting around trees can provide a visual aid that helps family and guests navigate in uncharted territory. Since these aspects of lighting involve safety as well as aesthetics, we recommend you consult with a professional firm for a free evaluation of your landscape lighting plan. This will help ensure that that you have thought of all the necessary contingencies, and will eliminate surprises, mishaps, and needless additional expense in the future.

Plan on contacting a landscape lighting professional.

Our landscape lighting crews are some of the best in the business. They understand how light works and where the light should go to maximize your visual nighttime enjoyment. No tree is too high for our professional tree climbers! We are experienced in all forms of outdoor landscape lighting from simple low voltage systems to more complicated high voltage mercury vapor lighting systems. We stock a full range of landscape lighting materials such as fixtures, lamps and replacement parts. We not only service what we sell, but we can assist you with repairs or maintenance to existing outdoor landscape lighting systems installed by our competitors. All of our technicians are experienced licensed professionals and we subcontract no work to outside vendors. The results will be spectacular!

Security
Landscape lighting is one of the best security systems you can install. Landscape lighting can be used as a deterrent to residential crime. Correct proportions of landscape lighting surrounding your home, has been shown to minimize crimes by as much as fifty percent. Landscape lighting has two great uses to aid in the security of your home. The lighting can intimidate possible intruders to avoid trespassing on to your property. Should this fail, the illuminated areas will also make it possible for you or your neighbor’s to see any intruders as they trespass.

Safety
Typically low voltage lighting systems are used for landscape lighting around the home. The preferred light fittings used to create landscape lighting, are low voltage, weather resistant fixtures. The low voltage used reduces the risk of electrocution if live wiring or terminals are touched. Also if power supply transformers are used to reduce the voltage, then they also isolate the low voltage system from the mains voltage which increases safety.

Not just the Garden
Although landscape lighting brings your garden and exterior amenities to life at night time, facade or feature lighting to the exterior of your home should also be considered. If the landscaping has been done correctly it should compliment the house properly during the day. Why not extend the landscape lighting to the exterior surfaces of the home as well.<BR>Narrow beamed lighting that highlights sharp features and wide angled flood lighting to pick up flat surfaces are preferred. These two simple methods create pools of light and shadows that will transform a house that may be uninteresting during the day, and make it come to life at night.
Installation
Low voltage landscape lighting is easy to install even if you’ve never done any electrical installations before. The easiest are prewired lighting systems. These are low voltage light fittings that come completely prewired and ready to install, with weather proof transformers, sealed connectors and pre-installed lamps. All you need to do is place each light fitting that is connected to a string of wire, where you want it, connect the transformer to the mains voltage and turn it on. It’s that simple.
Separately wired low voltage light fittings and transformers should only be installed by persons that have the experience to do so. It is recommended that these installations should be carried out by a qualified electrician.
Remember that during the installation it is desirable to include a timer or a daylight sensor so that the lighting is automatically switched off during daylight hours.
Normally landscape lighting is added after the landscaping has been completed. With this in mind it would be a good idea to lay conduits or ducts into your garden. This would minimize any trench digging when it came time to run your low voltage wiring. Map out where you think you will want your light fittings and lay conduits or ducts to suit.

Design
Once the layout of the landscape has been established, it is very important to plan the placement of your landscape lighting. Lighting can focus on aspects in your landscape which are special to you, such as garden art, a water feature, or an unusual planting.&nbsp; Create a point of interest by highlighting a particular tree, shrub, or architectural aspect of you landscape with a flood light placed at ground level and focused upward.&nbsp; Combinations of light and shadow can create dramatic effects in complete contrast to the daylight scene. Lighting around pools can create a nice mirroring effect off the water or create a tropical feel. Lighting can hide obvious landscape problems while accentuating positive features. Landscape lighting design is very similar to the design of the landscape itself.&nbsp; <BR>Most landscape architects will include a lighting scheme with their design.

Budget
Low voltage landscape lighting is often a do-it-yourself project and there are many options to suit your budget.&nbsp; Landscape lighting is also more affordable than ever coming in dozens of styles at a wide range of prices. Although it is tempting to purchase the cheaper incandescent lighting systems, in the long run the compact fluorescent options are better. Incandescent lamps will last for between 750 to 1000 hours. Halogens will last for 3500 to 5000 hours. But fluorescent lamps will last for as much as 10,000 hours. Because low voltage fluorescent light fittings have a lower power consumption than incandescent or halogens this makes them more desirable. Fluorescent light fittings also last longer than any other light fitting because they do not get as hot.

Solar Lighting
An alternative to low voltage lighting are solar lights. Solar landscape lighting stores energy captured during the day and then when it becomes dark enough, the outside lighting switches on automatically and stay on all night until they run out of battery power. A very good point is that solar lighting dose not use any wiring or external power source Unfortunately the disadvantages of solar lighting is that they give out very low levels of lighting and this gets dimmer as the night goes on.

The living room is a fantastic hub for entertaining and relaxing. You should give it a lighting that surrounds the whole room. You should place an overhead light in the middle of the room, a few recessed lights in the corner and some table lamps on the side. Lighting should be flexible so you can switch easily from bright to subtle for your entertaining and relaxing activities, respectively.

The kitchen will need bright illumination most of the time. This is to allow safe cooking and food preparations. Countertops should be very well lighted so chopping and slicing can be done without any accident. Kitchen stove tops should be given bright and direct illumination to avoid having burnt food.

The dining room is another area where flexible home lighting should take place. This area is often used for entertaining so a cozy set of lights can make for a relaxing and hearty dinner. At other times, it is used as a working space where kids do homework or where parents finish their reports.

The bedroom should be given different layers of light. A bright one in the middle of the room will allow you to pack things clearly for your luggage when you travel the next day or it will let you clean your room at night. Bedside lamps will give you focused lights so you can catch up on some readings. Soft lights from wall sconces will allow your body to adjust to sleeping time.

Lastly, the bathroom should be given bright luminance over its different areas like shower, sink and toilet. Recessed lights are often used on such specific areas. Wall sconces are a staple in the vanity mirror. A small chandelier or pendant light can add a little charm inside a bath with a tub. Lights in this room should be adjustable to a dim to create a soothing effect.

This 60 m² bedroom, was divided into three areas. The right side is the living area; in the middle is the lounge, on the left side is a walk-in-closet and bathroom. The entrance was in the middle of the room. Material that separates each room using wood as a gate to divide each area.

All three areas have a common thread, a touch of mega melamic dark chocolate. In the living area, the application found on the headboard and the panels around the LCD TV (Liquid Crystal Display). In the lounge area, a touch that is on the wall opposite the central entrance. While in walk-in-closet could be looked at the built-in cabinet.

Dark brown Color make a large space seem not empty. The presence of furniture can also be more elevated.

Once inside the room, we’ll see a lounge area, which features a two-seat black leather sofa. Here, the owners are usually talking and reading, even breakfast. Sofa accompanied by a white coffee table, which is placed on the carpet of black hair.

Behind the sofa there is panels as high as the ceiling, accented with spiral motifs and oriental-style arches. Accents are made of sandblast glass. Equipped with lights on the inside, to shed light on the vine motif.

A lot of artificial light Applied in the master bedroom. In addition to the earlier panel, was also seen in the living area. Headboard of the bed, the table panels on TV, and ceiling, all shined by the game of artificial light. The lights produce yellowish light, which support atmosphere of calm for the rest.

In the living area there are beds and a TV table, and reclining chair. One wall lined with orange wallcover, gold color with a rose motif.
These rooms are large, thus giving flexibility in laying out the interior. To support the comfort and privacy, rooms are equipped with various facilities and extra space, like a studio type apartment.

To enter the sunlight and facilitate the air circulation into your bathroom can make a window in the bathroom. This window is sometimes avoided because for some people felt to interfere with privacy. But there are some solutions if you still want to put a window in the bathroom. You can use frosted glass, or give blinds at the window. If the intensity of the open window, very rarely better place the vent in the room which was situated approximately 1.8 m from the floor.

Besides the window can also be used skylights to incorporate sunlight into the bathroom. This is done especially when the bathroom was in the middle of the building. The cover can be of tempered glass skylights, polycarbonate, and fiberglass. Air circulation can also be made, with slightly raised skylights so there are gaps that allow air turnover in the bathroom.

Incoming sunlight and good air circulation will reduce the damp conditions of the bathroom. With so germs, bacteria and fungi are reluctant to nest in the bathroom which is always dry.

Adjusting the lighting for areas that are often exposed to water splashes, it is often inconvenient. The reason is seemed too risky if we need to place the lamp in such areas. Splashing water can broke the lamp, and dangerous to the health and safety.

Nowadays electronic technology allows all matters relating to the arrangement of lighting in a bathroom can be realized safely. Now available in market, type of lamp that includes protection against splash water and dust.

Actually that lights are not much different with the lights in general. Both types of lights and designs. You can choose many design options which beautiful, unique, and even luxury. The difference lies in its protection, against dust and splashing water. Protection is characterized by the Index of Protection (IP) of dust and water.

IP consists of two numbers. These number show the level of protection provided against an object, from external interference. The first digit indicates protection against dust and other solids material. While the second number indicates protection against liquids.

Well, lights for wet areas usually have a number of IP 54. Number 5 means the lights are protected from dust. Figure 4 means the lights are protected from splashing water from all directions. With the guarantee of such protection, no longer need to worry about putting lights in wet areas. So the Sink or shower area can also lit by the lamp.