Top Pool Lighting Strategies
People who have pools in their backyard know exactly how enchanting that place can get at night. The vibe is that of a luxury resort, and you almost feel like you are on quite a relaxing tropical holiday. Lighting up the poolside and enforcing the magical atmosphere is an essential component of home decor.
Pool landscape lighting is the one-stop solution to all sorts of lighting ideas for the poolside in your backyard. With the proper lighting, you can save energy and get exquisite lighting in a budget-friendly manner. You will feel like you are in the Bahamas without actually being there!
Lighting a fibreglass swimming pool is required for the reasons mentioned below:
- To make the area surrounding the pool exotic and magical.
- To ensure that you can go for a swim even at night.
- To enjoy the atmosphere of the well-lit pool and its surroundings even from inside your house.
- To ensure safety. You do not want to end up in the pool accidentally, right?
This article will give you a basic idea about the pool lighting ideas that you can try out for your backyard pool. Let us know which one you prefer!
Pool Lighting Idea #1: Bright deck
It is always better to use in-ground lights over above-ground lights. This enables the pool as well as the path leading up to it to remain lit up properly. This way the lights will not get damaged easily and there will be no danger of your guests tripping on the wires.
In-ground lights can be installed even on concrete decks. By drilling and installing fixtures, in-ground lights can be easily put into your pool space. This lighting is a bit costly though.
Pool Lighting Idea #2: Tree lighting
This lighting is energy-efficient and a lot less costly. Here, the lights are all installed in the surrounding trees or even on roof corners. The lighting looks natural and resembles moonlight to a great extent. For those who want to get the feel of living in the lap of nature, this is the ideal lighting solution. The lights are dim and romantic as well for some well-deserved couple time.
This lighting can be opted for even without trees. The lights are installed on the soffits and gables of the house in that case.
Pool Lighting #3: Torch lighting
Thinking about installing a couple of tiki torches around your pool? Then you can opt for the high-quality tiki torches. These are brass or copper made and fixed into your property.
To get an authentic feel and to save energy, you could easily fill the torches with oil and light the wicks. In case you do not want the hassle, LED bulbs do the trick.
Pool Lighting #4: Waterfall lighting
In case you have water features such as a waterfall beside your pool, then you can strategise your lighting based on the water feature. The waterfall can be well-lit from underneath so that the light creates patterns as it dances off the ripples.
Wash lights can also be installed on the surrounding trees to fall onto the pool and the waterfall nearby, catching the movements of the bubbles and lighting up the ripples in the water.
Pool Lighting #5: Stair lights
Lighting up the stairs that lead to the pool is not just for show, but also for safety. The steps in the pool region which lead up to the deck or the patio need to be lighted in a dim yet effective manner. The best way to light up these stairs is by installing lights into the vertical riser of the steps. The lights that are used are called tread lights and they allow the light to fall onto the stair immediately below it.
What is so great about this lighting idea? In the light of day, the stair lighting fixture is barely noticeable. Even at night, the steps are lit up, not the installations. This can be a great way to improve fun events around your pool.
What is glare?
You do not want extreme light in your pool region. At night, you want dim lights that highlight the pool. The lights should be such that they do not fall on your face and blind you. LED bulbs that give off a warm white light are preferable in this case. The bulbs should be eco-friendly, and the wattage should be optimum, not more than is ideally required.
The fixtures used provide direct light where it is utmost required, and not in all directions. Glare shields and mechanical eyelids (solid helmets fitted above bulbs) are an added incentive. They help to put all the light where it is needed and such that there is no intense glare.
Do not think that less light is a problem. In fact, less light can often be a lot. The perfect angle to hang fixtures and making sure they are placed in the correct places are important when it comes to pool lighting. The colour and temperature of the light bulbs used also have a lot to do when it comes to pool lighting.
Conclusion
Building a pool and planning to create a cozy space around the water body in the backyard is a fantastic idea. But you will need to think about the decoration and the lighting as well. Instead of the basic submerged lights used earlier, illumination strategies have become more developed now.
The following are some of the tips and tricks that you can use to ensure great poolside lighting:
- Light up the pool deck and patio
- Give up lighting and down lighting a fighting chance
- Extra illuminating structures
- Light up vertically
- Tree lighting
- Pool as a mirror
- Decorative torches, lanterns or other instruments
- Light up the steps and the walkway
Usually, not too many lights are required around pools. This is because if there is too much illumination, then the stars are not clearly visible. Poolside lighting is as much for safety as it is for the ambience that it creates. Staring at harsh lights during a relaxing night by the pool is not optimum.
Top Pool Lighting Strategies
People who have pools in their backyard know exactly how enchanting that place can get at night. The vibe is that of a luxury resort, and you almost feel like you are on quite a relaxing tropical holiday. Lighting up the poolside and enforcing the magical atmosphere is an essential component of home decor.
Pool landscape lighting is the one-stop solution to all sorts of lighting ideas for the poolside in your backyard. With the proper lighting, you can save energy and get exquisite lighting in a budget-friendly manner. You will feel like you are in the Bahamas without actually being there!
Lighting a fibreglass swimming pool is required for the reasons mentioned below:
- To make the area surrounding the pool exotic and magical.
- To ensure that you can go for a swim even at night.
- To enjoy the atmosphere of the well-lit pool and its surroundings even from inside your house.
- To ensure safety. You do not want to end up in the pool accidentally, right?
This article will give you a basic idea about the pool lighting ideas that you can try out for your backyard pool. Let us know which one you prefer!
Pool Lighting Idea #1: Bright deck
It is always better to use in-ground lights over above-ground lights. This enables the pool as well as the path leading up to it to remain lit up properly. This way the lights will not get damaged easily and there will be no danger of your guests tripping on the wires.
In-ground lights can be installed even on concrete decks. By drilling and installing fixtures, in-ground lights can be easily put into your pool space. This lighting is a bit costly though.
Pool Lighting Idea #2: Tree lighting
This lighting is energy-efficient and a lot less costly. Here, the lights are all installed in the surrounding trees or even on roof corners. The lighting looks natural and resembles moonlight to a great extent. For those who want to get the feel of living in the lap of nature, this is the ideal lighting solution. The lights are dim and romantic as well for some well-deserved couple time.
This lighting can be opted for even without trees. The lights are installed on the soffits and gables of the house in that case.
Pool Lighting #3: Torch lighting
Thinking about installing a couple of tiki torches around your pool? Then you can opt for the high-quality tiki torches. These are brass or copper made and fixed into your property.
To get an authentic feel and to save energy, you could easily fill the torches with oil and light the wicks. In case you do not want the hassle, LED bulbs do the trick.
Pool Lighting #4: Waterfall lighting
In case you have water features such as a waterfall beside your pool, then you can strategise your lighting based on the water feature. The waterfall can be well-lit from underneath so that the light creates patterns as it dances off the ripples.
Wash lights can also be installed on the surrounding trees to fall onto the pool and the waterfall nearby, catching the movements of the bubbles and lighting up the ripples in the water.
Pool Lighting #5: Stair lights
Lighting up the stairs that lead to the pool is not just for show, but also for safety. The steps in the pool region which lead up to the deck or the patio need to be lighted in a dim yet effective manner. The best way to light up these stairs is by installing lights into the vertical riser of the steps. The lights that are used are called tread lights and they allow the light to fall onto the stair immediately below it.
What is so great about this lighting idea? In the light of day, the stair lighting fixture is barely noticeable. Even at night, the steps are lit up, not the installations. This can be a great way to improve fun events around your pool.
What is glare?
You do not want extreme light in your pool region. At night, you want dim lights that highlight the pool. The lights should be such that they do not fall on your face and blind you. LED bulbs that give off a warm white light are preferable in this case. The bulbs should be eco-friendly, and the wattage should be optimum, not more than is ideally required.
The fixtures used provide direct light where it is utmost required, and not in all directions. Glare shields and mechanical eyelids (solid helmets fitted above bulbs) are an added incentive. They help to put all the light where it is needed and such that there is no intense glare.
Do not think that less light is a problem. In fact, less light can often be a lot. The perfect angle to hang fixtures and making sure they are placed in the correct places are important when it comes to pool lighting. The colour and temperature of the light bulbs used also have a lot to do when it comes to pool lighting.
Conclusion
Building a pool and planning to create a cozy space around the water body in the backyard is a fantastic idea. But you will need to think about the decoration and the lighting as well. Instead of the basic submerged lights used earlier, illumination strategies have become more developed now.
The following are some of the tips and tricks that you can use to ensure great poolside lighting:
- Light up the pool deck and patio
- Give up lighting and down lighting a fighting chance
- Extra illuminating structures
- Light up vertically
- Tree lighting
- Pool as a mirror
- Decorative torches, lanterns or other instruments
- Light up the steps and the walkway
Usually, not too many lights are required around pools. This is because if there is too much illumination, then the stars are not clearly visible. Poolside lighting is as much for safety as it is for the ambience that it creates. Staring at harsh lights during a relaxing night by the pool is not optimum.
