Prepare your pool area to be able to entertain at night
There’s nothing quite like a backyard poolscape beautifully lit at night. It can be dramatic, exotic and quite seductive. Once the lights are perfectly positioned and switched on, all of a sudden you got a brilliant entertaining space that everyone is going to thoroughly enjoy. If you are planning on building a swimming pool in Melbourne, there are key lighting points to consider.
Getting the lighting right from the outset is the key. The best way to start is with your pathway to the pool. Instead of illuminating every step of the way, provide subtle areas of light, illuminating it in pockets. If you want to make the pathway lighting seem more natural, paths should be softly illuminated from above. The lighting should be placed where the viewer can see the effect of lighting, but not the source. Small low-voltage spotlights, hanging fixtures, or directional baffles can direct the light exactly where it is required.
If your poolscape is multi level, steps are another consideration. Before you install the lighting, it’s important to get it right. Wide steps will not benefit from niche lighting or path lights along the side. The best way to illuminate stairs is once again, from above. For instance, low voltage light roping can be recessed into the underside of hand rails or the overhang of a stair tread. A soft, subtle glow across the staircase provides a warm welcome for guests, instead of a glaring spotlight in their eyes.
Now with the pool, the type of lighting used inside is mostly affected by the colour of the interior finish material. A lighter pool interior will reflect light, while a darker pool interior will absorb it. So how do we go about sorting out what works best? To create a scene with even illumination, multiple lighting fixtures must be employed within a pool. To avoid a truck headlamp effect, the lighting should be directed away from the primary vantage point.
One way to create an amazing trick effect is to keep the pool completely dark at night. This creates a reflective surface, which will mirror the surroundings on the surface of the water. You then have key elements of the landscape properly lit near the pool. Their reflection will be cast upon the pool’s surface. It’s a great effect and can be done with buildings, trees, statues and art sculptures.
Now let’s talk practicalities. Being outdoors at night you need lighting for entertaining and cooking. For instance, you can light up the whole backyard with sodium floodlight for lawn games or huge parties. When the action is happening around the barbecue as it often does, a narrow spotlight ensures that what’s on the hot plate is cooked to perfection and not to a crisp.
Getting the right lighting in the right position around the pool area is paramount in making sure your entertaining area works a treat. If you want to know how to make it all happen, talk to us at Albatross Pools. Our team has plenty of imaginative ideas that will really light up your pool and bring your whole entertainment area to life.
