How to make decorative lighting with your own hands

The illumination of streets and parks, squares and squares, buildings and garden plots can not be called a new idea. The tradition of installing decorative lighting appeared and took root in Russia from the beginning of the 18th century. Today, the lack of night light in public gardens can affect the attendance of objects. But the hanging along the tracks of your own country plot of unusual lanterns will help not to stumble in the dark.

Do you need lamps in the garden?

Among the main tasks that decorative lighting should perform at the dacha are the following:

• Security or technical;
• Architectural;
• for decoration.

Lamps of the first kind are installed exclusively for the purpose of functionality. They should provide comfortable movement through the territory at dusk and at night. In addition, the included lamps create the effect of the presence of the hosts to deceive the attackers and protect the dacha from their penetration.

Very colorful buildings look highlighted in a special way during the holidays. Color lanterns, garlands and LED strips are used here. Architectural elements of buildings are allocated by installing directional decorative lighting.

Original flower beds will help unusual lanterns in the form of opened flowers or interesting figures. Established among plants, in the daytime they add beauty, and at night they carry a functional load and illuminate the garden.

How to revive the night area with simple means

It's nice when you do not have to roam in the dark in the paths of the garden. The porch, gate and gate, entrance to the inner parking lot must also be lighted for security reasons. Sometimes it is enough to twist branches of several trees with luminous ribbons to achieve the desired effect. Although such decorative lighting in the country is the smallest of the tools available now. In the same way, you can indicate the boundaries of your property so that they can be clearly seen in the dark. The location of small lanterns along the perimeter of the fence gives the person psychological calmness. Experts advise to avoid the overabundance of lighting devices on the site, as it is more comfortable for people to move from a dark garden to a well-lit home. It is the main building that is meant to be the center of the light enchanting spectacle.

The brightest accents are recommended to highlight gazebos, bushes and some trees. Decorative garden lighting on flower beds and reservoirs is enough to designate with special means. Look great floating among the water plants pond white or colored balls. Lanterns in the form of small sculptures and flowers, placed among plants and shrubs, will add to the overall impression.

Basic, duty and decorative

Street lighting differs from home by several parameters. These include:

• Technical indicators of street lamps;
• Presence or absence of supports;
• The possibility of use in hot and cold weather;
• Preservation of efficiency in all weathers;
• durability.

The most convenient is the use of a combination of on-duty and main light sources. Decorative street lights play the role of special, effective elements in the overall design of the site. Among them we call classic forged lights installed along the tracks or embedded in the wall of the building. Being part of the overall picture, they not only decorate the territory, but also perform the function of the main overhead light, wholly highlighting its site of the site.

On-duty sources include devices that provide the surrounding area with flooding rays. Such a device should be away from home and above all buildings. It is convenient to install the lamp on duty at the garage, at the entrance to the site, along the perimeter of the territory, near the farm buildings.

Small searchlights, which distinguish an interesting element of architecture or a particular plant, should be barely noticeable. The purpose of their use is to emphasize, rather than outshine some details of the landscape, the facade. You can designate the borders of a flower bed or a swimming pool if you dig a chain of spotlights along the perimeter. This move will not only create a magical setting in the garden, but also make it safe to walk around the site in twilight.

Protection class and technical data

Due to operating conditions, decorative street lighting should meet increased requirements. According to the international system of classifications, there are two classes of protection and several subgroups. Lanterns should be protected from water leakage, dust ingress, made of protective heat-resistant and impact-resistant glass. It is necessary to select the specimens used in production of materials resistant to corrosion: stainless steel or aluminum. The best characteristics are models, the body of which is made of natural or plexiglas. A good indicator is the ability to operate the device in several modes: from bright to muted.

Types of outdoor lamps

The designation, installation methods and types of fastening of street lighting devices "speak" their names:

• Wall;
• Console;
• Floor;
• Portable;
• Floating;
• Floor-standing;
• Supporting;
• Lanterns.

With a well-organized system, devices are installed using various lighting supports. Decorative and functional lamps are usually placed in three levels. To the upper zone, located above the level of vision, include the roofs of buildings, high poles and walls. The middle level is small trees and some architectural elements of buildings. The lower zone includes lawns and paths, flowerbeds and small shrubs, steps, soil and ponds. To achieve an ideal result, decorative street lighting fixtures are harmoniously located in all three of these areas.

Color Zoning

Decorating the territory of your site and knowing some design tricks and tricks, you can independently turn the garden into a kind of magic space for a wonderful holiday. Using decorative lighting on a large area, you can divide it into several zones. Distribution of street lamps with cold light through a small garden is capable of visually pushing the boundaries.

To create an atmosphere of comfort in the patio, gazebos and on the terraces will help the use of soft diffused light. The muted electricity of warm tones will be very appropriate here. Festive mood is created by hanging flickering garlands and LED multicolored ribbons.

To obtain an expressive and harmonious illumination of the site, it is sufficient to use lanterns of several colors. It is important to follow the rules that read:

• Inclusion of a dazzling white backlight will make the surrounding landscape lifeless;
• Do not use bright yellow and red lamps;
• Between devices should not be more than 10 m;
• It is preferable to install lights with scattered light above the tracks.

Stand-alone or wired: which is better

Planning decorative lighting of the site, you can face the fact that in some corners of the garden is difficult to conduct electrical wiring. In such cases, experts recommend using models that accumulate solar energy during the day. They are economical, have a modern design, are easy to maintain, completely safe and autonomous. Solar lights automatically turn on with the onset of twilight and burn until the morning.

In inaccessible places, it is also possible to install lamps equipped with sensor sensors. Some models are made with fasteners in the form of clothespins. If you hang such "tricks" on the trees, you get a very funny design. Such hanging lanterns are used in gazebos and on rails, in any place where it is possible to fix a hook.

Installation: what to look for

Over the entrance doors reinforcing forged sconces with classic glass shades. In addition to decorative, they perform a functional role. Directly in the ground, ground models of lanterns are installed. Sometimes they look like fairy-tale sculptures, birds or animals.

Experts consider the lighting system to be successful, when most of the light sources are disguised among plants in beds, in flower beds, in tree crowns. In open areas only beautiful models are installed. Since the landscape of the garden area is subject to regular natural changes, light accents should sometimes be moved.