These outdoor lighting ideas will transform your backyard into a beautiful outdoor living space with help from Carter Oosterhouse and this Creative Ideas project from Lowe's. These ideas are inexpensive, customizable and easy to do-it-yourself.
First take a walk around your yard at night and choose places that you want to illuminate. Think about pathways, gathering spots, trees, plants and architectural elements to highlight. Using lighting, you can increase visibility, create an ambiance and add drama to your backyard.
Layers of Light:
Start with a focal point and build out from there. This can be a place where you and guests gather. You can easily create a focal point by installing a gazebo, like the Garden Treasures Aluminum Gazebo from Lowe's. Layer lighting in the gazebo by placing lights both high and low. Illuminate the perimeter of the gazebo with battery-operated or regular lanterns by hanging them around the outside edges of the gazebo. Add strings of mini bamboo lights overhead. Loosely string them from each post to the center of the roof. Hang a votive candle chandelier over the seating area, and finish the look off with solar cut-glass jars as a table centerpiece.
Making Light Work:
You can provide lighting for additional seating areas with an easy DIY project to make tube lights. Spray paint two stove pipe end caps and some metal clamps. Cut strip of textured plastic to your desired length with a utility knife. Mark where you want the clamps to go, then help someone bend the plastic into a tube while you fasten the clamps. Put a battery powered outdoor night light in the bottom cap, then put the caps over the ends. Light-cube side tables are another great project you can do yourself to add warm ambient light to your outdoor space. For instructions on building these light-cube end tables, go to http://www.LowesCreativeIdeas.com/cubes
Lights for Direction and Drama:
You can add lighting to direct traffic and add visual drama. Solar path lights are very simple. All you have to do is stick them in the ground. Place them along walkways, near steps, or make a path leading to your gazebo. To show off the best features of your backyard, use low voltage landscape lighting. Use a flashlight with spot and floodlight settings to see how different lighting arrangements and angles will create different effects. Make final adjustments to get the best dramatic effect on plants and trees.
With lighting, you can take an ordinary yard and make it beautiful and easier to navigate. You can easily make outdoor entertaining into a whole new experience.
Find more creative ideas and projects at http://www.LowesCreativeIdeas.com
Find all your supplies for these DIY projects at http://www.Lowes.com
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