Get More Use of Your Outdoor Kitchen With an Outdoor Lighting Plan in the Millburn, NJ, Area

When you want to enhance the use of your outdoor kitchen in the Millburn, NJ, area, an outdoor lighting plan can really set the stage for wonderful meals and good times. Outdoor lighting plans can elevate your use of this landscape feature and others, highlight your favorite parts of your landscape, and maybe turn your outdoor kitchen into the most popular spot in your backyard.

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Leading the Way to the Outdoor Kitchen

Besides creating a particular ambiance, outdoor lighting can create a safe way for you and your guests to get to and from your outdoor kitchen. Pathway lighting can help guide visitors to your outdoor kitchen and avoid any tripping hazards along the way. Similarly, step lights are a great safety feature for an uneven landscape. More than just a safety measure, step lights can create a whimsical atmosphere around your outdoor kitchen. By highlighting your route and surrounding landscaping, you can turn the journey into a beautiful nature walk that highlights the other features of your backyard. When planning for pathway lighting and step lighting, consider how much area the lights need to cover and the type of lights that would fit seamlessly into your landscape design.

Task Lighting for Culinary Delights

One of the best parts of an outdoor kitchen is the opportunity to use it on those summer days when catching up with loved ones makes you lose track of time. As the day eases into night, the best outdoor lighting plan can keep your outdoor kitchen functional and fun, so it’s important to consider what usable spaces need to be illuminated in particular. Countertop and cooking area lighting could be considered critical for allowing food to be safely prepared and served. Additionally, you can include under-counter lighting to create an even brighter space for kitchen prep work.

Efficient Lighting Ideas

A good lighting plan should also take into consideration the type of lighting that would be best around your landscape. LED lights are known for emitting less heat than other bulbs and give off different visible light spectrum colors than most insects are attracted to, resulting in fewer unwanted guests at your outdoor gatherings.

When selecting LED lights, they should ideally be rated for outdoor use and have a wet/damp rating if the bulbs will be exposed to the elements. In addition to the type of lighting used, the correct temperature of light can enhance the ambiance of your outdoor kitchen area. A cool light temperature may better illuminate the kitchen work and enhance the cooking experience, while a warm color temperature can help guests cozy in without harsh lighting.

Lighting Beyond the Outdoor Kitchen

Not only is it vital for your cooking area and pathways to be illuminated, but lighting the area around your outdoor kitchen is just as important. If your outdoor kitchen is covered by a pavilion or pergola, the covering is an excellent place to install additional lighting. Wall sconces, pendant lights, and string lights are all options to bring more light into such a shade structure. Mounting lights from rafters and posts can provide floor-to-ceiling light in a variety of styles that will add to your design.

This is not to say that an outdoor kitchen must have a roof overhead. Other features can also serve as sources of light: A nearby wall could be a great spot to mount additional lighting, for instance. With no spot to mount lights, ground light at an appropriate angle can illuminate the area in a unique way.

About the Author

GreenNature Landscape Design offers viable solutions to our clients. We provide residential landscaping services that are innovative yet competitively priced. Why choose us? We treat each client like our only client. We have the experience and knowledge to turn your most ambitious ideas into reality. You are the driving factor in our designs. Our designs are focused on meeting your unique preferences. Let us create beautiful landscapes you can be proud of, and outdoor living spaces you can’t wait to spend time in.