Similar to an outdoor kitchen, your deck extends your living area outdoors. As the weather continues to warm up, we are all likely looking forward to spending more time on our decks with family and friends. Outdoor deck lighting is necessary if you hope to extend those hours with family into the evening. A perfectly lit deck will invite you to spend more time outside during the cool nights of summer.
McKay Landscape Lighting has experience lighting a number of different types of decks. From tiny decks with a simple table and chairs to large decks with large pergolas and many seats. This blog post will focus on more traditional outdoor deck lighting ideas. Also, read out our post on Unique Deck Lighting Ideas, or 4 Outdoor Lighting Ideas for Your Deck & Patio.
McKay uses specially designed fixtures to enhance the look of your deck. One type of these fixtures (clearly seen in the photo) are installed onto prominent posts of the deck. These fixtures provide light close to the ground and have a relatively large spread of light. Not only do they make the deck look great, but they also greatly increase the safety of the deck area. By providing light to all areas of the deck, these fixtures create a traditional yet great look for your deck.
Another outdoor deck lighting design tactic that McKay uses is downlighting. As pictured above, there are lights installed in the nearby tree that shine lightly onto the deck area. This provides a softer, larger spread of light on the deck area. McKay tries to hide these fixtures as much as possible, so that the light seems to "appear" from nowhere.
If there are no trees near the deck, the actual house is another option to provide downlighting to the deck area. Fixtures can be installed on the house, but unlike a traditional light fixture, these fixtures will provide low-voltage lighting to the deck and not flood it with high-powered commercial lights. Another option is to install downlights on an overhanging pergola. If the deck has a pergola, McKay fixtures can be hidden to provide a soft downlight on the deck area.
A final use of downlighting, as pictured above is grill lighting. If you have a grill on your deck, then you may know the struggle of grilling after sunset. An outdoor grill light will adequately light your grill from above while once again not overpowering it with high-voltage commercial lighting.
If you have any questions about outdoor deck or patio lighting or would like to discuss your outdoor lighting needs, please feel free to contact us or schedule a free consultation online, and we’ll contact you to set it up.
View more photos in our Specialty Lighting Gallery»
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Our dedicated team at McKay Landscape Lighting works with you to create a custom landscape lighting design that's unique to your property. From design to installation to service, you can count on our team of experts to make sure you are happy with your lighting system for years to come.
