Backlighting of a country house ideas, photos and rules of facade lighting

What is architectural lighting for a house

Installation of facade lighting performs decorative and operational functions.

Decorative purpose - original illumination of walls, making buildings and structures bright and memorable. For example, for shopping and entertainment centers and business centers, external lighting becomes an advertising tool, attracting potential buyers and tenants. The decorative function of facade lighting is to create an aesthetic and attractive appearance of a building or structure. It is used to emphasize architectural details, give a general style and mood, and also to draw attention to the object. Facade lighting can be performed using various types of lamps and light sources, such as spotlights, floodlights, LED strips, etc. They can be placed along the contours of the building, on its facade, windows, balconies or other architectural elements. The color palette and lighting intensity can be customized to meet specific customer requirements and preferences. In addition, modern control systems allow you to create different lighting scenarios, change colors and effects, and program automatic operation.

The operating function is to create street lighting in Moscow and the region, increasing the comfort of city residents. In combination with street lamps, external wall lighting forms a lighting composition of buildings and streets. 

Types of architectural lighting for country houses

There are six main types of architectural lighting for houses. Which type of outdoor lighting for a country house should you choose? It depends on the features of the building, the goals of the project and the architectural environment.

Accent lighting

Local or accent lighting for a country house visually highlights decorative elements such as columns, windows and cornices, moldings and other decorative elements. Not the entire building is illuminated, but only individual architectural elements.

Contour lighting

Contour lighting is designed to highlight the silhouette of a building. LED strips and lamps are placed along the contour of the building: along the roof line, at the corners of the building, along the contour of window openings and entrance doors.

The building takes on a new look in the dark, and often looks more attractive than in natural light. The type of illumination is implemented using lamps placed in the corners of the building, LED strips and garlands.

Floodlight

Floodlight covers the entire building from the roof to the foundation, it illuminates both the house itself and the surrounding area. The solution allows you to achieve the effect of daylight at night. However, the light from the spotlights directed at the facade will also fall into the rooms. This is one of the reasons why this type of lighting is rarely used for outdoor lighting of a country house.

Dynamic lighting

Dynamic lighting creates a variety of compositions by playing with shades and tints of light. Lighting devices allow you to implement any lighting scenarios. The lighting is controlled by a built-in computer program, you can choose the intensity and color depending on the time of day, weather or as part of a special event.

Functional lighting

If the task is to illuminate a building, make its use in the dark safer and more convenient, then your choice is functional lighting. Functional lighting outside the house usually does not take into account the aesthetic effect, more attention is paid to safety and functionality.

Decorative lighting

Decorative lighting  makes the building more aesthetically pleasing, emphasizes its architectural features, can hide facade flaws and emphasize decorative advantages.

Architectural lighting project

Decorative lighting of a country house begins with a project. It doesn't matter whether you are planning to light a small house or a multi-story cottage. The project will allow you to imagine the final result before installation, and will give you the opportunity to make changes at this stage. The design part should be entrusted to specialists: they will not only develop a 3D concept, but will also help with the selection of lighting fixtures, provide you with 3D visualization after choosing the lamps, and also develop connection diagrams.

It is optimal to design the exterior lighting of the house at the same time as selecting finishing facade materials. The quality of the finishing material can affect the choice of lighting design. For example, if the finishing of the walls of a private house is planned using materials with a smooth surface, there is a possibility that the backlight will start to “glare”.

The lighting scenario for facade lighting requires specialists to know the features of lighting equipment, because it is subject to serious loads, as well as a creative approach and a sense of style. 

What you need to consider when drawing up a house lighting plan:

1. Features of the building's architecture. The lighting should emphasize the advantages of the building, for example, bright floodlighting of a small wooden house will look out of place.
2. Features of the location. Distance from neighbors affects the choice of lighting, because bright lighting of your house can cause them discomfort.
3. If you plan to light several buildings on the site, a single project will allow you to comply with the overall concept.
4. Determine the budget that you are willing to spend on creating street lighting. The choice of lighting fixtures for facade lighting, their number will directly depend on this.

Principles of facade lighting:

1. Facade lighting of a house should be reliable, with a long service life
2. The lighting system should meet safety standards
3. It is important that energy consumption is economical
4. During installation, it is necessary to take into account the possibility and convenience of subsequent repair of damaged areas.

Smart lighting of houses

We recommend choosing a "smart" facade lighting system: this will significantly facilitate its use in the future. The presence of a smart light system allows you to control the lighting, its brightness, select a program a couple of clicks of the remote control. You don’t have to go outside to turn off or turn on the lighting of the facade of your country house.

Tips for installing lamps

• To illuminate the facade of a house with metal parts, do not use spotlights installed on the ground and directed at the wall. Choose wall-mounted models and direct the light towards the site.
• For uniform illumination of a one-story At home, it is optimal to use double-sided façade lamps. They will provide even light to all parts of the façade.
• Powerful floodlights can only be placed on the ground, directing the beam to the façade of the house. If the light causes inconvenience to motorists passing by the house, you will have to dismantle the lighting fixtures.
• Use LED backlighting: it provides maximum brightness and consumes minimal power.
• When developing a lighting plan and choosing fixtures, the homeowner should think not only about the design, but also about how to save on electricity costs. Motion sensors will help reduce costs.
• Contour lighting requires less energy than flood or background lighting.

Common mistakes in facade lighting

• There is no point in using lamps with subdued light to illuminate the walls of a house made of dark wood. Dark rough walls will absorb all the light and there will be no effect.
• If you want to illuminate a window, calculate whether the light will interfere with the inhabitants of the house. Usually, such a mistake is made when making a project with floodlighting facade lighting.
• Do not allow the light streams to intersect with protruding elements.

Creating a plan, its coordination, selection of lighting fixtures and installation of structures at the site should be entrusted to professionals.

How to save electricity?

• If the home lighting is created for functional rather than aesthetic purposes, install lamps with motion sensors.
• LED lamps consume less electricity than halogen and fluorescent lamps.
• Flood and background lighting require more powerful lamps than local lighting. Accordingly, flood and background lighting will cost more.
• Smart control with different modes will allow you to choose a more economical lighting option for ordinary days and a brighter one for events.