If you are going to add some outdoor lights to your home you may as well try to make an impact and do it well. If you take a little time and consider a few options before you get started it will pay off with the end result. Outdoor lighting has come a long way from the old fashioned light above the door approach. The range of fittings available opens up a whole new way to approach your lighting design. Look at these few tips to get you thinking.

When lighting a patio it is not necessary to have strong bright lights, in fact by using softer lighting effects you can achieve a much more restful feel. Lighting the patio indirectly is a good way to achieve this effect. Point a few spot lights across the surface of the patio area at ground level to see the light this can create. Lighting up a structure close to the patio, such as a wall or building, can help to illuminate the whole area in a very effective way.

Try not to place lights directly above the doors to avoid the old fashioned look. Spotlights placed in the garden or away from the building can be aimed at the entrance to give light in a slightly different way. If getting power to the areas around your home is difficult think about using solar lights and so remove the need for cables. Solar lighting units today are much better quality than the first models that were produced so have another look at these lights if you were disappointed in the past by their performance.

Try to use a little imagination in your choice of outside lights. The key to making your design stand apart from the rest is to use light in a different way. Try a few of these tips and check the results.