Every year as the weather turns crisp and the leaves turn to red, amber and gold, many New Jersey homeowners’ thoughts turn to outdoor entertaining. Whether it is a home harvest festival, Halloween or Thanksgiving, everyone wants to incorporate the outdoor fall air into their celebration. One key aspect of proper outdoor celebrations is how to design and implement lighting on your porch or patio to make your next fall get-together a memorable one regardless of the occasion. Here are some fresh ideas using the best fall outdoor lights for patio areas in NJ.
LED Rope Lights
These long strands of LED lights are best used as recessed lighting in the grooves, nooks and crannies around your porch. Many people also use rope lighting to accent the eaves or window frames of their homes. They are primarily meant to be put out of sight to add atmospheric lighting, but they can also be used around steps and railings as safety lights when properly installed.
Programmable Lights
Many LED rope lights are programmable via an attachable outlet box that can be integrated with wireless home lighting controls or via Wi-Fi using a smartphone app. Programmable lights allow you to program different hues to suit every possible occasion. Best of all, if secured safely with wires tucked out of sight and out of the weather, these lighting fixtures are virtually weatherproof and can be left up year round. While they can command a higher price than some other outdoor lighting options, rope lights are one of the easiest to install, and they offer more permanent outdoor area lighting solutions for homeowners.
Incandescent/LED String Lights
A temporary or semi-permanent solution for every occasion, string lights are a longtime go-to option for outdoor living space designers and party planners alike. Whether you are looking for the classic/vintage style large incandescent bulbs, or you want some little plastic jack-o-lanterns, goblins, ghosts and ghouls to festoon your entertaining area, string lights have you covered.
Short Term and Long Term Options
While string lights are not weatherproof or meant to be kept up year round, there are more durable, long-term options available depending on price. Which string lights you buy depends on what kind of upkeep you plan to invest in your lighting. These lights are fantastic for illuminating trees along pathways or the railings of a porch, but they can also be used on walls or as general atmospheric illumination, too. Keep in mind that unless you purchase LED string lights, you may find yourself swapping out lamps and bulbs every year to keep your lights bright and in good working order.
Tree Lighting
If you aren’t planning to wrap your trees in string lights for an autumn holiday, you may want to consider using spotlighting to illuminate your beautiful fall foliage or the stark beauty of your bare trees.
Create a Natural Focal Point
Tree lighting also allows you to make your trees the focal point of your patio or outdoor gathering space. Lighting effects make the trees contrast sharply with the darkness that pools around them as the brightness of the spotlights rise from the base of the tree. When this method is applied in the fall, it can make the autumn colors stand out late at night, adding to the overall atmosphere of your celebration and adding natural splashes of theme-appropriate color.
Pathway Lights
Safety is always the first concern when hosting a gathering outdoors, and second only to fire safety has to be adequate pathway lighting. These lights should be placed along the paths that lead from where guests will arrive back to where your celebration will be held. However, you want to select these lights carefully as bright pathway lights may make it harder to see in the darkness due to everyone’s eyes having to constantly adjust every time they look up.
Consider the Other Outdoor Lighting
These lights might interfere with the overall effect of the other lighting displays and installations you have in place. Any of the outdoor lighting methods discussed thus far, whether they are LED rope lights, string lights or spot lights, make excellent pathway lighting solutions. However, it is essential that their luminance balances out with the atmospheric lighting in your gathering area.
If you live in New Jersey and want to make your next fall party memorable and comfortable for friends and family alike, put some thought into how your outdoor lighting will be implemented. Give a few of your ideas a try, and see what happens. Consider making an appointment for a consultation with an outdoor lighting designer and installer. A lighting professional can help you set the tone for your outdoor living or gathering space with the right lighting choices for your needs. An experienced lighting expert can make all the difference to the enjoyment of your porch or patio in the fall.
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