Sight and Sound
What about combining your outdoor lighting with your favorite music? Newly introduced, Lux Entertainment’s Haddonfield & Princeton line, which features this Bayville model, couples low wattage lighting with an exceptional surround sound feel. Your guests won’t even know where the smooth sounds are coming from.
Made of aircraft aluminum and UV powdered coating, it has high light output equal to a 45 watt warm light bulb and low power consumption of less than 3 watts of power and up to 100,000 hours of bulb life. Though we love how this bronze color blends in with a natural wood fence, look for a stainless steel mountable model in the spring of 2010.
Cost: $290
For more info: Luxoutdoor.com
Crystal Light
On the tippity top of the high end of outdoor lighting, this Billiards Chandelier by Michael McHale is made from an interesting combination of brass industrial piping, rubber sockets and crystals. It’s bold and quite pricey, but if you’re willing to splurge, Michael McHale makes beautiful handcrafted centerpieces for any distinguished room, including an outdoor patio. Tip: Just let the company know that you’re using it for outside so they can put on some protective pieces.
The Billiards Chandelier has a squarish footprint and comes in two sizes: The Billiards Chandelier (31″ x 35″) featuring 22 refrigerator bulbs and the Mini-Billiards Chandelier, (21″ x 23″), shown, featuring 13.
Cost: approximately $8,998 and $12,000
For more info: www.michaelmchaledesigns.com
Post-It
Providing soft lighting to the exterior of your home, and keeping your loved ones from tripping up your walkway, here’s one of those outdoor posts that a house just can’t be without. Made with an imperial bronze finish, it’s 20-1/2 inches tall and 11-inches in depth. It allows three 60W bulbs and has a candelabra base.
Cost: Prices range from $162.50 to $350
For more info: Quoizel.com
Venetian Rain
You know the entrancing look of rain splashing against your windows? Kichler just created a new line of outdoor lights called The Venetian Rain to replicate the look and feel of a rainy day. The glass is textured to give the appearance of rain on a flat, clear window pane.
Perfect for your front door or back, each elongated, inverted-triangle shade houses one to four candelabra bulbs to light your path, and the intricate iron framework and finials add to the collection’s unique beauty. The lamp comes with 7 traditional fixtures — one ceiling flush fixture, one chain hung unit, one post light, one wall pocket and three different sizes of wall mounted units for hanging. All metals are powder-coated and available in a hand-painted Burnished Bronze or a deep Black finish with gold highlights.
Cost: Suggested retail price: $387
For more info:Kichler.com
In-Ground Spotlights
Ever dream of being Tiger Woods, well for the um, good reasons? Practice your nightly chip shots with this well-lit putting green that uses Unique Lightscaping’s Augusta in-ground lights. But since most of us aren’t turning our backyards into Par 3’s the in-ground well lights can be used to spotlight anything in your yard, including flower beds, a seating area or a fountain. Equipped with a 20 Watt MR-16, 10,000 hr. Halogen lamp, and 75′ of 16/2 THW UV brown wire. Each cup is made from high impact polystyrene and measures 4-1/2 inches by 9-5/8 inches.
Cost: $499.50 per bundle of light, cup, pin and flag.
For more info:Seagulllighting.com
Focal Points
Okay, so most of us don’t live in museum-style mansions like this monstrosity pictured. However, it’s a perfect example of good landscape lighting to use on any backyard — whether you have a groundskeeper or not. The lights create several focal points which enhance the grounds. It utilizes a variety of fixtures, directional lights, path and well lights and puts the focus on areas to highlight and illuminate for safety. It also creates wonderful curb appeal. There are a combination of outdoor lighting fixtures including a Polaris directional light that is on a ball and joint swivel that moves 360 degrees to change what it is focusing on. Made out of brass, it includes 25 feet of wire, and has a 20W maximum wattage. The Meridian series, which comes with a lifetime warranty is an in-ground well light made from weathered brass and includes a guard to allow for above-ground installation too.
Cost: From $156 – $192
For more info: visit Seagulllighting.com and search “meridian.”
Bonus Bricks
This is a beautiful way of combining your walkway and your lighting all in one piece. The Let’s Edge It! from Argee Corp features lightweight realistic plastic bricks with outdoor solar lights. Easy to install — simply snap them together! They also feature a swivel connector so you can create a straight design or curve the bricks to circle around a tree, garden, deck or fountain. The lights aren’t heavy like true bricks, are UV protected, have a 2-year warranty and come in grey or terracotta colors.
Cost: $62 for 20-feet, which includes four solar lights and 24 unlighted bricks. $90 for 40-feet, which includes six solar lights and 50 unlighted bricks.
For more info: Argee Corp
Lantern Look-alikes
The avant-garde, yet elegant new lighting from Home Infatuation, has that wow factor for any home. This modern day take on traditional hanging lanterns can transform a pool or pond, light up a tree or even be submersed in water to give that special underwater glow to your landscape. Don’t let the paper look fool you, they are actually waterproof woven wicker patterns made from weather-resistant polymer resin. Inside, each light contains an electric candle votive with three LED bulbs timed to glow at various intervals, giving the illusion of a flickering candle inside.
Each kit contains four lanterns and 20 feet of low voltage wire that can be mounted outdoors permanently, and a transformer with 18′ of extension cord. During the colder seasons, the lanterns can be unplugged and folded flat.
Cost: $120 for a set of four cylindrical lanterns
For more info:: www.homeinfatuation.com
Space Balls
These Moonlight lights by Home Infatuation, give your pool, deck or porch a Hollywood glamour feel. As free-standing, indoors-outdoors, permanent or portable lighting decor, they also have mounting options and changeable colors — to mix things up even more. Coming in four diameter sizes (9.85”, 13.75”, 21.65” and 29.50″), they have flat bottoms so they can sit on your deck, skim your pool, or even be screwed into a surface so they are permanent.
As fragile as they look, they are made of nearly unbreakable waterproof polyethylene that is also UV resistant and withstands extreme summer heat, snow and below zero temperatures. Each Moonlight holds a 5, 7, 15 or 23-watt energy efficient compact fluorescent bulb depending upon the size of the Moonlight. The lights come in classic white glob, terra cotta or faux stone finish in light or dark granite shades. Four additional colors can be purchased and changed by slipping a filter over the light bulb.
Cost: The prices range from $380 to $1495. Filters are $25 and under.
For more info:: Visit www.homeinfatuation.com
Modern Retro
Everything old is new again. That means even neon lighting is back. Although iLight Technologies was launched back in 2000, it’s just starting to pick up steam in the lawn and garden market. From this photo, it’s easy to see how homeowners can use the “Plexineon Color Series” in gardens or on porches. Highlighting their grill and bar area with blue neon, Plexineon has a soft, yet vibrant, glow unlike the vintage flashing motel signs. The material is shatter resistant, energy efficient and versatile, so it can be curved to highlight certain details in your backyard or on your home It comes in two, four, six and eight feet standard lengths and the system includes power supply, clips and wire.
Cost: Approximately $60 per linear foot with a three-year material warranty.
For more info: iLight Technologies
Traditional Elegance
Hinkley Lighting’s Raley Outdoor Lantern brings basic, functional lighting back to your outdoor porch. Whether you choose the hanging lantern (1608) or the wall lantern (1606), both pictured, you’re choosing a cast aluminum fixture with black finish and clear waterglass, and can even synchronize with coordinating landscape lighting. It’s traditional, yet very functional. The 1608 lantern is 13-inches wide and 30-inches in height and comes with four 40w Candelabra Voltage and a 144-inch chain.
Cost: $1287
For more info: visit Hinkley Lighting
Large Welcome
Another Hinkley lighting option, the Bolla outdoor lantern gives that little extra something to your front, or even your back, entrance. What a grand way of welcoming yourself — and your guests — home, this 14-inch wide and 26-1/4 inch high outdoor lantern has ye olde bronze finish with a light amber seedy glass. You can also coordinate your landscape lighting, bath fixtures and chandeliers with this entryway design.
Cost: $1017
For more info: Hinkley Lighting