You light a pergola or entertainment area by layering lights. This is a great way to make sure no part of the space feels overly bright while also maintaining a cozy atmosphere.
You built your pergola in order to enjoy the warm evenings, which means it’s always at least a little bit of a letdown when the sun goes down and everyone must go indoors. But with the right lighting, you can keep the gathering going long after sunset.
Nothing can set the tone quite like outdoor lighting. Technology has come a long way in the last couple of decades, and now lighting can be done with LED channels integrated right into outdoor structures and rooflines. Once installed, you hardly notice them. At least until they’re on! But if you prefer something a bit more rustic, bistro and globe styles have been one of the most popular requests around Northern Ohio as of late. The point is, you have lots of options these days.
How lighting is installed makes a big difference in how it feels. You can run a routed channel on the inner face of a beam or tuck it up against a top rail and it will feel like architecture. With string lights, on the other hand, you can leave them more loosely draped, feeling casual for backyard gatherings.
If it’s the practical concerns of wayfinding in the dark that have you thinking about outdoor lighting, that’s where task lighting comes in handy. It’s the practical layer. This is where you add a little more light over the spots where people prepare food or gather around a table, aimed so it lands on the surface without glaring into anyone's eyes. Pair with accent lighting and then you can tie the structure back to the landscape. Add a couple of uplights on the posts and a little light on nearby beds, and the pergola feels less like a bright island in the dark and more like part of a grand scene designed with love and care.
If this has you thinking about how you might want to add lights to a pergola or another outdoor space of yours, you can always schedule a free consultation with Outdoor Lighting Perspectives. A COLT-certified technician will come by after dark with temporary fixtures and give you a real-life demonstration of what’s possible on your property.