I became charmed with the drama of outdoor patio lights at an exceptionally romantic restaurant in the old part of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We sat in the courtyard garden surrounded by outdoor art sculptures while rope lights wandered up and down the trees. It was the first time I had recognized the beauty and impact of outdoor lighting and outdoor art. I was mesmerized. Since that initial night I have visited many other romantic restaurants and have admired their outdoor lighting and outdoor art but nothing makes an impact like the first night.

I always try to capture the idea of bringing my living room outdoors. I been inspired by the efforts of others and I love to continue experimenting with the effects of outdoor patio lights. In choosing outdoor lights there are a few things you might keep in mind. I have listed 3 important factors below.

1. Determine the purpose of your outdoor lighting. Is the lighting going to be primarily functional and safety oriented or will it be more atmospheric? Some amount of outdoor lighting is needed for general safety. These bright outdoor patio lights should be placed at every door including your garage door. Other types of lighting can be simply for atmospheric effect. Lighting for effect can be dimly illuminated. Mood lighting should be changed about for greater dramatic effect.

2. Placement of the lights. As mentioned above the safety feature lights need to be by each door of your house at a minimum and it must be relatively easy to change the bulbs. If the light is in an awkward location, you might go months with a burnt out bulb and that is dangerous. Lights for effect can be placed in trees shining down or at the base of trees shining up. You can use rope lights to highlight trees in the distance or often simple white Christmas lights make a year-round romantic setting.

3. Type of light. There are numerous types of outdoor patio lights available these days. Of course the most popular and energy efficient are LED lights. The cost of LED lighting has really come down and these are the lights most recommended. There are also solar lights. Solar lighting has also become less expensive but these lights are slightly less reliable and often don?t give off enough light. Placement of solar lights is critical to their function and shouldn’t be counted upon in cloudy or rainy areas. Solar lights likely work best as atmospheric lights and shouldn’t be used as safety lights.

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