Summer will be here before you know it, and your days will soon be filled with fun around the pool. You don’t want the fun to end when the sun goes down so now is the ideal time to update your outdoor lighting. Good landscape lighting not only makes your pool area safe, but beautiful too! To inspire you, here are 9 outdoor lighting options for poolsides in Buffalo Grove, IL.
Related: The Various Types Of Outdoor Lighting And Their Functions In Winnetka, IL
Submersible Lights
In-pool lighting is a must, to avoid a scary plunge into what looks like a dark, watery abyss. Part of the fun of illuminating a swimming pool is that you can use fixtures that change colors: red, blue, purple, green… in-pool lights can change to create a completely different mood for special occasions. In-pool lights make the space beautiful even when nobody is in the water. The play of light on gently rippling water creates soft ambient lighting, and dynamic shadows on any nearby vertical surfaces.
Water Feature Lights
If your pool has a waterfall - or if there’s a fountain or waterfall nearby - this is another great opportunity to harness the magical interplay of light and water.
Pool Deck Lights
Safely illuminating a pool deck is essential. Typically, pool deck lighting is concentrated on the perimeter where it illuminates plantings, privacy walls, trees, or other features. Moonlighting is a beautiful way to add subtle lighting around a pool. To achieve this effect, install lights high in the tree canopy. You’ll be rewarded with a lovely dappled effect as the “moonlight” filters through the leaves and branches. For safety and ambience, you don’t need much more light around the pool than in-pool lighting and artistically placed pool deck lighting that also brings attention to what’s around the pool.
Pool Structure Lights
A pergola, pavilion, gazebo, or cabana offer welcome shelter for swimmers. At night, these structures can become a poolside entertaining hub. String lights are a popular way to add a festive touch to the poolside atmosphere.
Uplighting
The most dramatic effects come from light fixtures that are placed immediately below tall features like trees or even the home’s siding. You’ll get plenty of light as it reflects off these surfaces, plus the added drama of highlighted textures. Rough-barked trees and masonry walls lend themselves perfectly to uplighting.
Downlighting
Illuminate the area without blinding anyone, by installing downlights under the lip of a seat wall capstone, pillar, or under the counter of a poolside bar.
Washes
The wash technique uses a broadly-dispersed light to softly illuminate a vertical structure. This is a less dramatic effect (you won’t notice the intensity of the light and textures will be softer), but it adds plenty of ambient light for safety around the pool. A perfect place for a wash effect is the side of a cabana or other enclosed pool structure.
Path Lighting
Path lighting illuminates the way to and from the pool. It can also add a romantic feel by the pool. This is a good option not only for paths but also as a way to softly illuminate the perimeter of the pool. Path lighting can be placed directly along the path, or set back slightly to illuminate nearby foliage as well as the path.
Fire Pit
A gas- or propane-fueled fire pit is a welcome addition to any poolscape. Chilly swimmers have an opportunity to warm up, and the fire itself creates some ambient light.
Related: Outdoor Lighting For Celebrations And Gatherings In Highland Park, IL
