When positioned and installed properly, outdoor lighting can transform your Bethel, NY residence into a contemporary home with a sophisticated design. Lights have the power to emphasize your finest landscape elements, add ambience and alter the mood of a setting. Like good lighting, a fire feature can add ambience to your backyard. These two features share some similarities, but when combined, they can create the ultimate year-round outdoor living space. Here's why you should consider investing in both.

Fire features as a light source

Fire pits and fireplaces don’t only serve as the focal point of your gatherings, they also add an irreplaceable elegance and warmth to the entire outdoor space. On its own, a fire feature acts as a source of both decorative and ambient lighting, but as with all lighting plans, a number of layers serving different functions is necessary to truly get the most out of your evening setting. Because a fire feature offers only a single source of lighting, certain elements of your design may remain in shadow. This can counter the visual warmth created by the fire and produce a lopsided effect. A fire feature on its own is also not sufficient for serving as functional lighting, so additional, focused lighting for work surfaces will be necessary. Complement your fire feature with subtle lighting to take your landscape design to the next level.

The importance of lighting

Lighting can be a somewhat neglected aspect of landscape design. Homeowners who have experienced poor lighting installation understand the importance of the landscape’s visibility at night. For this reason, providing functional walkway lighting is essential. Steps and other areas that will be navigated at night will also require some form of lighting in order to prevent mishaps.

As well as ensuring maximum safety to your home, lighting also place a huge role in creating mood and ambience. Colored lighting can be used to introduce a unique feel to a space, while pinpoint sparkles can add a sense of magic. Can you have great lighting without a fire feature? Sure you can, but why would you want to miss out on the campfire thrill of a fire pit or the cozy, intimate warmth of an outdoor fireplace? Fire features also bring with them a whole host of flexible options that can enhance your outdoor spaces even during the daylight hours.

Related: 6 Fun Ideas for Decorative Outdoor Lighting

The flexibility

Perhaps the most common fire features added to outdoor spaces are fire pits and fireplaces, however there are also a host of other options, including fire tables and combination fire and water features. Fire features also provide the opportunity to showcase quality natural stone or concrete products and can unite a design with the addition of custom accents.

Fire pits and fireplaces not only attract people with their warmth, light, and vibrancy but are also easy to install and come in a huge variety of designs. They can be used to liven up a space, serve as a focal point or frame a stunning view. As with all the elements of a landscape, fire features and lighting complement and enhance one another, and come together to form a cohesive and attractive design.