5 Ways to Highlight Your Pool After Dark Highlight your pool and its surrounding areas to maximize safety as well as accentuate gorgeous features. A beautifully lit pool can be mesmerizing at night, but safety is equally important so that you and your guests avoid obstacles and hazards that can be hidden in darkness.Creating a comfortable, memorable outdoor experience is what homeowners aspire for. As the weather warms up there’s nothing more satisfying than a leisurely swim in your very own pool. For an ultimate summertime experience, enjoy the tranquil feeling of swimming under a starry sky. With the perfect outdoor lighting, night swimming provides the full spectrum of physical and mental benefits that swimming has to offer. Follow these lighting tips and you’ll be on your way to enjoying your pool after sunset. Water Features If your pool has special water features such as waterfalls or fountains, consider backlighting from underneath the cascade to showcase the water’s dramatic movement and presence. For a more calming effect, use a wash light at the pool’s edge to spill across your pool’s focal point. Moonlighting Moonlighting is a popular landscape lighting technique, and its effects are as charming as it sounds. Night swimming in serene water evoked by the illusion of moonlight is a reality easy to accomplish. Achieve this effect by illuminating your pool deck from above with lights mounted in trees, on roof gables, or soffits. Moonlighting creates interesting shadows through branches and leaves onto the pool area. Directional Lights Focus on your pool’s surroundings with the use of expert uplighting. This technique is great for showing off your unique architectural features as well as flower beds, treescapes, shrubbery, cabanas, and pergolas. Choose fixtures that have bulb shields or glare guards to soften and concentrate the light where you want it. Position your directional lights to increase aesthetics and create an after dark resort experience. Deck Lighting Summertime parties, celebrations, or hanging out with the kids means you need to have appropriate deck lighting to maximize safety and define your pool’s surroundings. Highlight your pool to create a safe environment when the sun starts to go down. Slipping and falling around your pool’s deck is an important safety concern. Installing spotlights, creating a lit pathway to your pool house, and illuminating stairs and railings, are good choices to brighten this high traffic area. Outdoor Pool Torches Outdoor pool torches or tiki torches light the perimeter of your yard while adding character to your pool area. Consider lining them along the entrance to your pool or near your lounging and dining area. Easy to install, tiki torches create a rousing ambiance that promotes conversation and fun. There are solar, battery operated, and electric torches for those who don’t want an open flame. For instance, place solar tiki torches in a sunny spot and they will automatically turn on when the sun sets, flickering and glowing just like real flames. A Few Extras… Set the mood by using dimmers, especially for your hot tub or poolside dining. Controlling the lights in these intimate areas can create a romantic mood or brighten functional areas like outdoor kitchens. Dimming control creates a custom poolside atmosphereAvoid the glare by hiding your light source. An annoying glare could spoil the mood while you’re relaxing by the pool. Conceal your light fixtures in surrounding plant life, rock beds, and other discrete areas.Less is more when you highlight your pool. Water acts as a reflector so a little light goes a long way. The key is to provide subtle illumination in the right areas, while knowing where to concentrate the brighter lights.How is the view from your home? Just like the interior of your home, you want to highlight your exquisite outdoor living space. Consider how your pool, deck, and pathway look from a distance. You should love what you see! Want to see these landscape lighting techniques? Check us out on instagram! Have Any Questions? To learn more about how Mobile Illumination can help you add beautiful landscape lighting to your home , click here to contact us or give us a call below. 800.840.1777