Exterior fixtures shine light on outdoor fun

A warm glow spills from ankle-high path lights along a walkway, bulbs angled upward illuminate the rough texture of a tree trunk or a cluster of vibrantly colored flowers against the black backdrop of the night sky. Finely crafted exterior lighting is the perfect blend of form and function.

"Outdoor lighting is definitely growing with each year," said Jeff Dross, senior product manager for Kichler Lighting, which offers a wide selection of both interior and exterior light fixtures. "Most people are trying to expand their living space and so people look at their outdoors and think of it as a room setting in the exterior."

Traditional styles, like early American or colonial, are the most popular fixtures amongst area homeowners, said Annette Leming, showroom manager at Light Options, 987 S. Randall Road, Geneva.

Those interested in outfitting their homes with landscape lighting are asked to visit Light Options with a diagram of their property in addition to ideas as to where they want to place the lights.

Leming recommends spacing one every 18 inches to 2 feet. The fixtures, which run on 12 volts, are wired to a transformer, a $200 to $250 investment, that may be kept in the basement or garage. The store can provide customers with both the transformer and cable, which can run no more than a couple hundred feet from the house.

"The wires should be buried 6 to 8 inches below the surface," Leming said. "Landscapers are often the ones to install the fixtures, but a homeowner could do it. It's not highly technical, though connecting the wire to go to the transformer does take some electrical knowledge."

Exterior lighting can withstand rain and snowstorms, though mother nature can be, as Dross puts it, persuasive.

"As a consumer, you want to look for the underwriter's laboratory test for wetness, which ensures the products are safe," he said.