Light up those ‘outdoor rooms’

Light up those ‘outdoor rooms’
A trend toward creating “outdoor rooms” has dramatically increased lighting options for homeowners who want to extend their time outside.
Most indoor lighting fixtures – chandeliers, pendant lights, table lamps – now have a counterpart designed for patios or decks.
“We have seen outdoor lights absolutely replicating indoor designs,” said Anne Robert of  a website that focuses on home trends.
“Outdoor lighting is a mood setter. It can make or break a design just like it can indoors.”
The abundance of products lets you make outdoor spaces more functional, said Rich Young of Outdoor Living Brands in Richmond, Va.
“It allows families to extend the square footage of their home,” he said. “With the right light, you can extend the evening for dining or reading or other activities outdoors.”
When choosing fixtures for outdoor entertaining areas, consider how much light is necessary, said Alene Workman, a spokeswoman for the American Society of Interior Designers. A table needs to have sufficient light so diners can eat, whereas a conversation area may need only soft mood lighting.
Be creative with table lighting, recommends Krissa Rossbund, a senior style editor at Traditional Home Magazine. “Gone are the days when people hang a chandelier over a table and call it lit,” she said.
She suggests hanging two small chandeliers instead of one large one, or buying a chandelier at a flea market and painting it a bright color.
Outdoor chandeliers come in a variety of styles, from mission to modern. Manufacturers also offer many candle chandeliers for outdoor areas that don’t have electricity.
For seating areas, choose a weighted outdoor floor lamp, said Workman, who owns an interior design firm in Hollywood, Fla. “There are wonderful new outdoor lights that are almost art pieces themselves,” she said.
Colored lights, illuminated furniture and subtle fixtures designed to blend with nature will be popular this year, according to design professionals.
Workman expects to see the use of color increase, and “I don’t mean Christmas lights,” she said. Landscapers are starting to use subtle red, blue and pink lights into their work, she said.
Color is particularly appropriate for a party, Rossbund added. It’s “a fun way to change things up,” she said.
Some homeowners are adding a bright pop of color with light-up patio furniture, Robert said. The battery-powered chairs and tables are available in a variety of colors.
International designers like Modoluce and Neoz have created lines of plastic tables and chairs that are lit from within. Avanzini has a line of wood furniture made with glowing light strips. It helps create a lounge look that Robert thinks will be popular this summer.
“With the rise of staycations, we will see a lot of designs adopting a real bar-type lounge attitude, with perhaps more extravagant and festive pieces,” she said.