Choosing outdoor lighting is not always easy.Bounds, appliqués, spots... To make the right choice, many criteria are to be taken into account and nothing should be left to chance about the power, shape, brightness, or even the fit of your home style.
But exterior lighting also has several functions. Indeed, both useful and practical to bring a point of light, it is also used for its decorative and dissuasive functions in the face of the wrongdoers.
So, how do you choose your outdoor lighting? What are the criteria to consider when lighting up a terrace, marking a walkway, or lighting up a plant massif? Here is our shopping guide that will help you see more clearly.
How can you secure the exteriors of your home?
The exterior lighting must be functional, discreet and efficient, as it must allow you to get easy traffic thanks to quality marking, while providing the ideal visibility to avoid any attempt at burglary.
Marking
To mark a garden driveway, a garage descent, or a road leading to the entrance door, the lighting must be functional. It must allow easy access, without however turning your driveway into a "landing track". Therefore, you should prefer medium-power lighting. And to place your beacons in an ideal way, it is advisable to respect a gap of about 3 to 4 meters between each element.
As regards solutions, you can opt for small 230V spots and with average power (100 lumens are largely sufficient). Too powerful lighting could have the opposite effect and dazzle people instead of guiding them.
Also remember that if it's a garage downhill, there are high risks for your car to pass on the installed lighting. Therefore, you must choose models of rotabili spots, such as those in the Lumihome range that are perfectly resistant to a pressure of one tonne.
If you want to mark a mark over a limited distance, do not hesitate to opt for the Solar LED spot kitsThey will avoid having to pull a sheath and are very easy to install. The Lumihome kits are perfect for this use."Our new solar kit is as powerful as the 230V, and it also has excellent autonomy. At Lumihome, it is one of our greatest prides," explains Christophe Coelho, president of the French brand. "We have managed to create technology as powerful as it is simple to use."
Finally, if you already have 230V wiring installed, know that the Lumihome range also includes 230V LED terminals. The Pyramid model (which also exists in solar version) is particularly suitable for marking, due to its limited height of 40 cm.
Security
To ensure the safety of your home and to deter misintentioned people from entering it, more powerful lighting than for marking is recommended (minimum 300 lumens).
To illuminate the entrance door, garage, or the surroundings of the house, the LED appliqués are ideal. Thanks to their diffused light, they allow to illuminate a sensitive area. Not to mention their practical side which facilitates the search of the keys and the opening of the door!
Many models of appliqués are also equipped with a motion detector, which lights up or increases the intensity of the light diffused as soon as a presence is detected.
And if you don't want to do any work, solar appliqués are the solution. To do this, you can trust the Lumihome technology and the models of its solar range that allow up to 8 hours of standby lighting, to effectively avoid any risk of intrusion. Indeed, our new solar range has evolved a lot in terms of autonomy, explains Christophe Coelho. New generation batteries ensure efficient lighting throughout the night
Choose the right lighting to bring an elegant decor touch
The exterior lighting also has a decorative function, which will highlight a tree, a massive, a swimming pool, a terrace, and many others, provided you make the right choice.
To do this, the quality of light is essential. Beware of the first-priced lights with blafard shades that differ from one another. outside chub For a pleasant and homogeneous look, it is best to choose a quality lighting solution.
The development of plant elements such as a tree, a massif or a wall
To highlight this type of element, Catherine Rochetaux, head of Lumihome, advises the spot pick LED. Indeed, the idea is to illuminate a specific place by a solution that is both powerful and targeted, which will highlight the plant element. And for this reason the spot pick is the ideal!. Simple to install, the LED picket spot is directly in a massive and plugged into the 230V network. Its luminous flux is very directed for precise light, and it is also discreet enough to pass unnoticed by day.
Lighting an outdoor wall: use of LED appliqués to be fixed directly
At each type of lighting its function, and to illuminate an exterior wall, nothing like LED appliqués. They attach directly to the wall, and depending on the models, can even create a graphic effect, like the LED dual-flow appliqués.
Once again, you have the choice, since you can also opt for solar appliqués, which thanks to Lumihome technology, will provide as powerful brightness as the 230 V.
The lighting of a terrace
的To enjoy an outdoor evening, to dine and chat with friends, it is important to choose the size and power of your lighting, says Christophe Coelho. To do this, it is essential to know approximately the dimensions of your terrace. Indeed, the goal is not to have too much intensity that could dazzle and become unpleasant. That is why we must avoid overpowering the terrace in lighting.
To give you an idea, if your terrace is relatively small (less than 20 square meters), you should prefer a power of about 100 lumens and discreet and elegant lighting.
For larger terraces, you can install more than 500 lumen lighting by multiplying the light points in order to distribute the light ideally. Lumihome offers high-power built-in LED spots, specially designed to illuminate large terraces. Their 60 LEDS diffuse a very powerful light flow (630 lumens), but balanced.
To light up your terrace, you can also choose the solar LED or 230V terminals in the Lumihome range. Simple to install, they bring a light at all height and elegantly delineate the contours of the area.
Finally, know that Lumihome also offers terrace terminals, with an integrated USB plug, ideal for charging your phone or connecting a connected speaker during the summer.
Choose the right color
To create the desired effect, it is important to choose the shade of your lighting. To help you, know that:
- The cold light, around 6 500 K, is blue in appearance.
- The soft light, around 4,000 K, is neutral white. It is the tint that is closest to the daylight. It is also the most used light on the outside as it brings a very white and modern brightness.
- The warm light, around 2,700 K, is mainly used to create a cocooning atmosphere.
Our advice: focus on warm or neutral white lighting, especially if it is intended to light up your terrace.
What protection?
Your luminaire will be placed outside, sometimes sheltered from rain, but not always. That's why you will have to check the protective index of your outdoor lamp.
See the packaging for the letters
We recommend you opt for an IP equal to or greater than 44, especially if your lighting is not sheltered.
Highlight your garden in the middle of the day
The exterior lighting also has a decorative function. Indeed, the light it emits produces an effect that flatters the eye as soon as nightfall. But the exterior lighting must be as beautiful as the light! That's why the design of your terminals, the look of your spots, or the shape of your appliques is crucial.
Lighting solutions should be ideally suited to your exterior, and should be consistent with your home style.
If you want to structure your garden, a vertical line is needed. Therefore, the choice of shapes and type of spots and outer terminals will have to be made in this direction.
If your home is contemporary, it is advisable to stay in sobriety and therefore choose clean and linear shapes for your outdoor luminaires. For your facade, play the card of discretion and opt for wall luminaires of the color of the front: a grey applique on a concrete wall, a ochre or black lamp for a brick wall, will be of the most beautiful effect.
Finally, regarding the colour colour of lighting, we recommend a warm white for a classic facade, and a cold white for a rather modern architecture or a facade in bellows. Indeed, this shade will bring out the blue of the stone with brilliance.
Choosing its exterior lighting is not easy. However, by applying these tips, you should be able to create a harmonious set that corresponds to both your home style and your expectations.
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