More than Just Posts and Steps: 7 Deck Lighting Ideas
Today’s decks are fully functioning outdoor rooms, with comfy furniture, planters with vibrant flowers and fragrant herbs, trickling fountains and charming pergolas.
A great deck is a place to enjoy the whole day, from your first sip of morning coffee with the twittering birds to your last relaxing moments of an evening spent beneath a twinkling canopy of stars.
The key to a deck’s evening ambiance? The perfect lighting.
A deck can be a magical place at night.
It’s where great grilled dinners are served, candles are lit and memories are made.
We’ll talk about the elements of great deck lighting here, but keep in mind the artistry of how it’s put together makes all the difference.
And, you’ll never want to leave your deck.
A Quick Word About Posts and Steps
Everybody knows about lighting deck steps and posts. They’re typically the first line of defense against a pitch-dark deck.
Tread lights fit right into the vertical part of your deck steps, called the riser, and focus light downward onto the step immediately below it.
They offer enough light for safety, but the light is subtle enough that it isn’t distracting.
Because the fixture itself is set into the step, it’s barely noticeable in the light of day. Even at night, you notice the steps and the soft light, not the fixture.
LED lights that slip under a post cap are the most common way of incorporating lighting into your deck. They provide a nice warm ambiance for entertaining, but depending on the height, they can be a eye-level distraction when you’re seated.
Consider using accent lighting on the side of your post, maybe mounted 18 inches above the deck, rather than the standard 36 inches up. This will cast a soft glow downward, rather than in your eyes.
Think Beyond Steps And Posts
There are lots of other options to illuminate your deck to create a safe, beautiful atmosphere and give it a resort feel.
Grab a cold beverage and some snacks, because you’re not going to want to go back inside.
Add Undercap Lights
If your deck includes built-in benches for seating, undercap lights are essential. These subtle fixtures are designed to be hidden, casting light downward.
Tucked beneath the edge of your bench, they offer safe, subtle illumination without glare, spilling a nice pool of light at your feet.
Enjoy Moonlighting
It doesn’t get much better than soft moonlight illuminating your deck at night. But what about cloudy nights when the moon doesn’t cooperate?
Introducing moonlighting — the next best thing.
A light fixture is placed high up in a tree near your deck and angled downwards. The effect? Moonlight shining down through the branches. It feels natural, and creates a lovely effect as the leaves and branches create shadow patterns on your deck.
Decks are ideal for moonlighting. If there are trees overhead, they’ll create intriguing shadows as the light filters down through them, and you can happily entertain your guests under your “moonlit” sky.
Don’t worry about damage to your trees. We only install lights in mature trees we know can support them. We use stainless steel screws so they don’t cause disease or damage. We’ll return to adjust the screws as the tree grows as part of our annual service agreement.
We hide the cable on the non visible side of the tree so you don’t even know it’s there.
No trees? No problem. We can mount lights high in the eaves of your house to create the same effect.
Entertain Pergola Lighting
If you have a pergola over your deck, you have a great opportunity for stunning deck lighting.
The pillars and crossbeams of your pergola provide a great platform for a variety of pergola lighting options.
Imagine subtle recessed lighting that illuminates your table for dining and hosting barbecues. We can hide all the wiring and fixtures, so all you see is the soft wash of light.
Uplights attached to the bottom of pergola posts or installed in the flooring highlight the structure’s architecture.
Add strings of festive bistro lights overhead for instant fun.
Consider LED Strip Lights
LED strip lights are one of the most popular LED lighting products on the market this year, with huge potential for your deck.
Just like the name describes, these are flexible strips with tiny LED lights embedded in them. They come on a roll and usually have an adhesive backing.
They’re available in a wide range of colors — and they can change colors. They tuck discreetly beneath your deck railings or stair treads, so you see the light, but not the source.
Notice a theme here? The best deck lighting is subtle, hidden, tucked away. It shouldn’t distract from your conversation, your entertaining or your late night snuggling.
Don’t Forget Your View
When you relax on your deck, your view includes the landscaping surrounding your deck. Don’t leave it in the dark.
All your favorite garden plants you love during the day take on a whole new look when illuminated at night.
Imagine the lacy leaves of your ferns casting delicate shadows. The texture of tree trunks, expertly lit, create garden drama.
Why let elegant garden statuary and fountains disappear in the dark when you can enjoy their beauty from your peaceful deck perch?
Flower beds surrounding your deck look ethereal at night, with 2-to-4 watt LED lights nestled into the bark mulch.
We design with 30 different types of light bulbs — not just one — to expertly highlight the landscaping around your deck.
Create Ambiance With Dimmers
Dimmers are essential for a romantic evening on the deck. Dim lights are the perfect backdrop for candlelight and outdoor fireplaces.
All of your deck lighting is available with an automated, fully dimmable option that can be controlled with your preferred smart device. From pergola bistro lighting to downlighting, you can dim your lights as much or as little as you need to create the perfect ambiance.
Don’t Worry About Glare
A relaxing evening on the deck is ruined if you’re staring into the glare of landscape lighting. We’re anti-glare experts.
We use LED landscape lighting with bulbs that produce warm white light. We select bulb types and wattages that provide the amount of light needed, with no excess.
We choose fixtures that direct light exactly where it needs to go. We use glare shields and “eyelids” — solid caps above the bulbs that concentrate light where you want it.
Less light can be more. It’s all about where you place the fixtures, their angle, the color and temperature of the light.
That takes more than basic installation. It requires skill and expertise from experts who make high-end landscape lighting their only focus.
Give Us A Call
When your deck is professionally illuminated by skilled artists, you won’t really notice any of these individual lighting elements.
But you’ll notice if they’re suddenly gone.
A client recently called in distress because their deck lighting wasn’t working.
We quickly found and fixed the problem, but the call sticks with me, because it’s a great example of the kind of difference professional deck lighting can make.
This client was used to spending every summer evening on the deck, relaxing in the soft glow of artistic lighting that made that deck a treasured retreat.
When the light was suddenly gone, so was the ambiance.
Lighting makes all the difference.
If you want your deck to be a magical, romantic place to spend your evenings, we’d love to hear from you. Give us a call at (801) 440-7647 to schedule a free consultation, or fill out our simple contact form.
Located in Midvale, Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah serves customers throughout Utah’s residential areas, including Salt Lake City, Park City, Draper and Holladay. Our outdoor lighting portfolio includes projects from Salt Lake County and Utah County, to Davis County and Summit County — and beyond.
