Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Acworth, GA, installs and services residential and commercial outdoor LED lighting systems in the metro Atlanta area. The goal of the professional lighting design and installation team is to beautify Acworth, GA, homes and improve life by illuminating the landscape with LED outdoor landscape lighting.
How Undercap Lighting Makes Outdoor Living Spaces Even More Amazing
The events of the past year have caused a paradigm shift to outdoor living spaces. Homeowners and businesses alike overcame social distancing and shutdown challenges by reclaiming, repurposing, and enhancing the backyard.
Outdoor living spaces extend the home’s interior onto the deck, porch, pool, spa, and yard. Fresh air, the night sky, and the community of neighbors brought enjoyment and hope to a nation under lockdown. As a result, many homeowners now have a greater appreciation for the outdoors and outdoor living. By adding a new lighting system or improving the existing landscape lighting system, the outdoor living experience can continue after the sun goes down.
What Is Undercap Lighting?
A lighting technique in the lighting designer’s tool kit is undercap lighting. Undercap lighting is an efficient strategy that enlarges the living space, improves safety and security, and creates an aesthetically pleasing ambiance. Undercap lighting is discreet, and the light fixture is unseen. Only the splash of light on the walkway, path, deck, stairs, or other hardscape is seen. The concealed nature of undercap lighting adds mystique and wonder to the LED landscape lighting design. This type of landscape lighting also adds real value to the home. The fixture itself is installed so that it casts a downward beam. The effect is to define and clarify a space, accentuate dimension, and enhance safety and security. Undercap lighting in these applications can complement any outdoor space.
- Benches and walls
Undercap lights are frequently used to illuminate sitting benches. This common usage results in undercap lights often being referred to as “bench lights.” Benches in a designated sitting area benefit greatly from this lighting technique. Discreet, unobtrusive undercap lights define the edges of the bench, making it visible and accessible for visitors. Bench lights perform their task well, especially when the seating area is in a shadowed or dark area of the yard or located near a fire pit.
Undercap lighting allows a bench to be accessed and used without making the hardscape feature a focal point. Sitting areas sometimes are intentionally secluded for privacy. Undercap lighting makes the area safe without compromising the sense of solitude.
A wall may serve both a practical and an aesthetic purpose. Retaining walls may hold soil in place, channel water, or provide seating. Accent walls may have an entirely aesthetic function. Undercap lights can add dimension to the wall that enriches the gravitas of the entire lighting layout. The application of proper lighting in and around retaining and accent walls reduces the likelihood of falls in the area.
- Steps
Steps pose a serious fall risk in an outdoor living space. An appropriate lighting strategy that includes undercap lights significantly increases safety. By casting light directly onto the steps, the hazard is greatly reduced or eliminated altogether. Because undercap lights are discreetly installed into the vertical face of the stairs, the aesthetic of the steps or staircase is not altered during daylight hours.
- Firepit or outdoor fireplace
When the days grow short and cold, the fire pit makes outdoor living comfortable and enjoyable. The glow of a fire pit creates a warm, subtle ambiance that brings a calm relaxation to a busy, stressful day. Undercap lighting makes the area around the fire pit much safer while preserving the cozy atmosphere created by the low flame and the radiating warmth of the fire pit.
- Outdoor kitchen
The outdoor kitchen has never been more popular. Undercap lights installed under the countertop create beauty and improve functionality in the outdoor kitchen area. Benefits include aiding food preparation and mobility. A tastefully illuminated outdoor kitchen enables guests to see and appreciate the culinary aesthetic of a well-prepared dish or meal.
Can Undercap Lighting Be Installed on Existing Hardscapes?
A qualified and experienced lighting designer and technician team can install undercap lights on existing hardscapes to create a beautiful and seamless look in the outdoor living space. It is best to enlist the design services of a professional landscape lighting team early in the process when new construction is involved.
To learn more about landscape lighting design, contact the office by phone at (678) 324-6842.