A country house should set the mood for rest and relaxation. Its competent design allows you to create an indescribable atmosphere on the site. It will be a comfortable place for both owners of country real estate and their guests to relax. To do this, you should pay special attention to the design of the exterior of the cottage and the landscape design of the site.
Lighting a country house can decorate the structure. However, in this matter you should listen to the advice of experienced designers. They will help to properly illuminate the facade and area. At the same time, all objects on the site will harmoniously fit into the overall exterior.
general characteristics
Decorative lighting for a country house (photo below) is a popular technique for decorating a personal plot. Depending on the chosen techniques, you can give the area any mood. It is important to think through all the details. They will help hide shortcomings and highlight the advantages of the building itself and the surrounding area.
Arrangement of lighting on the site is quite a responsible task. It requires from the owners of the house not only technical knowledge, but also design taste. Otherwise, the house may look ridiculous, resembling a New Year tree.
In the process of creating decorative lighting, you need to divide the area into certain zones. Each of them should merge into the overall picture of the cottage’s exterior. Advice from experienced designers will help you do this job correctly. Imagination and creativity will help owners of country real estate decorate their site.
General recommendations: what to pay attention to when thinking through the design of a country house
We will not give general advice, like “choose the best and combine correctly.” It’s better to go through the step-by-step process of creating the design of your dream home and outline a plan for its implementation. Let's start with color and lighting, and then step by step we'll figure out how to create a beautiful interior.
Color solutions inside the house
Color affects our sensations, this has long been discovered by psychologists. Our task is to determine which colors should be present in the home, in which rooms and in what quantities. Color preferences will help you decide on the style of each room and the entire home.
Everything is based on three or four colors or their shades, and of them, only one, the solo one, will be predominant.
The easiest way is to take a neutral tone as a basis, and then dilute it with bright accents
Lovers of bright rich colors should not rush to implement them in the walls of the cottage: they will probably acquire a more noble sound, embodied in some suitable style.
You can, of course, play with color, decorating each room fundamentally differently.
The color scheme will be perceived differently when expressed in different textures and surfaces. White in textiles and white in furniture are often two different colors.
Before planning a style, you should decide on a color scheme.
Lighting as an important part of the interior
They always return to the issue of lighting at the stage of choosing a style, but even before that they think through all the general points.
In places where natural light from windows significantly brightens a room during the daytime in any season, fewer artificial light sources are required. You don’t even have to choose a chandelier, leaving only sconces or spotlights for the evening.
As for the rest of the rooms, the appearance of the lamps will dictate the style of the room
Recommendations for choosing lighting fixtures
When creating lighting for a country house inside and outside, you must first of all follow the rules of electrical safety. All elements of the system must not only be aesthetically pleasing and harmoniously complement the overall design, but also be safe. Otherwise, there is a high probability of injury, burns, and loss of property.
The highest demands are placed on street lighting. Wiring that is installed outside the building must have a certain protection class. It must be at least IP44. In some cases, devices with a higher protection class will be required.
It is necessary to purchase equipment in specialized stores. For such products, the seller must provide the necessary quality certificates. It is better to consult a professional electrician. All external lighting materials must be resistant to moisture, temperature changes and other adverse effects.
Photo examples
Modern, aesthetic and well-designed landscape lighting projects maximally transform the building and the entire garden area (at night), which you don’t want to leave:
Where to begin
When creating decorative lighting for a country house, you should start by dividing the territory into certain zones. For each category of objects, a specific type of lighting should be created.
So for your home you can choose spot or contour lighting. In this case, you can choose any color to illuminate the facade. If necessary, you can highlight the texture of the finish. This can be done using hidden lighting elements.
Design solutions are also being developed separately for the area adjacent to the site. It is important to create lighting for paths, gazebos and other objects. You can decorate flower beds, artificial ponds, gardens or lawns using lamps, LED strips. Creative imagination has no limits here.
Expanding the room visually
In a small space with modern decoration it can look completely uncomfortable. In the process of carrying out renovation work in small rooms, in addition to organizing a suitable interior, it is necessary to consider the proper placement of lighting.
Techniques such as the use of huge window openings, the use of mirrors, furniture in parallel with properly equipped lighting, either manually or through specialists, will visually expand the room.
Home lighting
Decorative lighting of a country house inside and outside requires the use of different approaches. The façade can be distinguished in several ways. To do this, you can use LED strips or hidden lamps.
If the finish has irregularities, they can be emphasized. This will give a special decorative effect to the structure. The luminous flux can be directed in this case across the plane. The play of light and shadow will decorate the building. This technique looks especially good on brick, stone, stepped finishing, etc.
You can flood the surface of the facade with continuous light. For this, more powerful lamps are used. They are installed away from the building. When choosing this technique, it is recommended to give preference to soft yellow light. LED lamps with a warm glow temperature are best suited for these purposes. Don't choose flashy tones. In this case, the facade will look unnatural.
Chalet style
The traditional chalet style or Alpine interior design originated in cottages in south-eastern France and has since expanded to infuse modern country estates. The warm and welcoming style of the interiors contrasts perfectly with the cool and icy landscape of the street.
Chalet style interiors celebrate the beauty of nature and the simplicity of traditional craftsmanship and design. The ideal room design in a chalet design will have a stylish balance of natural or painted wood, veneered stone or brick for an interior that is rich in color and cosy.
Predominant colors
Natural color palettes play a key role in creating a luxurious and cozy alpine interior space. Muted earth tones such as gold, beige and coffee create a warm yet vibrant touch in small spaces, while clean white can be used for a sleeker, more modern Scandinavian feel. The color can be diluted with dusky cool shades of purple and blue or rich reds, burgundy and greens, creating a classic autumn palette.
The fireplace is the heart of the chalet style in a country house
No chalet style home would be complete without a stunning and functional fireplace to add luxury and relaxation to the living space away from the cold of the outdoors. Classic chalet fireplaces should be carved from traditional wood such as oak or birch and placed inside a rustic stone wall for a durable yet stylish finish. Open fires will give your interior a beautiful and mesmerizing look, but modern bio-fireplaces with their variety are also suitable.
Home textiles characteristic of the chalet style
Soft suedes, hides and furs look stunning on beds, sofas or window sills, while light natural wools and alpine or Scottish prints look stunning on curtains or cushions. Choose from grey, white, cream or red, or mix and match for added detail and coziness.
Alpine chalet interior furnishings
When it comes to Alpine interior furnishings, wood reigns supreme! Rich golden oak will look great against the warm backdrop of your interior space and can be paired with exposed beams, wall or stone cladding for a versatile tone and style.
If you prefer a more modern interior, then choose pale woods such as maple, alder and ash to highlight the furniture, which will add a Scandinavian touch to your chalet style interior. Choose large and attractive items:
- coffee table;
- dresser;
- dinner table;
- buffet.
Gazebo lighting
Creating lighting for the area of a country house should begin with a gazebo. It's a nice place to spend time with friends or family. Therefore, the lighting here should be pleasant and relaxing. In addition to the gazebo, you can also decorate the veranda or open terrace.
In this case, it is recommended to use several discreet lamps made in the same style. The gazebo framed with LED strip looks beautiful. You can create additional accents for the supports and the lower edge of the roof slopes. The lighting also looks original using spotlights that are installed at a distance.
When choosing a shade and type of electrical appliances, it is important to take into account the design style of the gazebo, terrace, and the entire garden plot. Much when choosing lighting in this case depends on the taste preferences of the owners. The lighting should not be too bright. If the space of the gazebo or terrace is large, you can use several different types of electrical appliances. This will allow you to divide the building into separate zones.
Standard separation
Another division of light source types is made according to the direction of the beam:
- general plan - when the direction is uniform across space;
- directional plan - when the direction is set artificially to illuminate the selected area, the rays are distributed evenly;
- indirect (reflected) plan - when the direction goes to the wall and ceiling, and the uniformity of distribution is obtained due to the reflection that occurs;
- diffuse plan - when the direction passes through a lampshade made of material of a translucent shade;
- mixed plan - when several of the above types are implemented simultaneously.
Path lighting
Street lighting for a country house necessarily involves the use of special lighting devices for paths and roadways. This is more of a necessity than just decoration. Walking along the path at night without tripping is possible only if there is high-quality lighting.
Lamps located at ground level look beautiful. They have a steel flask. Such devices are characterized by increased durability. They scatter the rays well, directing them onto the path.
A popular option for creating path lighting are bollard structures. They are only about 30-40 cm high. In this case, the light source is charged during the day from the energy of the sun. In the evening it runs on stored electricity. Such a device can be installed anywhere on the site. Along the path, the devices presented look aesthetically pleasing.
What is important to know?
Since lighting design is a rather complicated matter, it is necessary to order its design and installation from companies that have proven themselves in the market for these types of services. Such a company must have a license for such services. Naturally, the selection of lighting equipment is made by the customer himself, based on the expected results.
Therefore, in order to avoid breakdowns and additional expenses for their elimination, you should contact a company with high-quality and certified products, whose specialists are obliged to advise you on all issues and select the safest and most profitable options in accordance with your wishes.
Thus, you will save not only your nerves and time, but also money, and a lot of it. Remember that street lighting equipment must also meet energy saving goals. Please note:
Spotlights for artistic illumination of facades must have a modern design and small overall dimensions. All luminaires for external lighting must have a degree of moisture and dust resistance of at least IP65. The optimal material for housings of outdoor lamps is aluminum, since it is a lightweight metal and is not affected by precipitation; the manufacturing method is also important - cast housings are more reliable.
What to look for when purchasing outdoor lights:
- Safety certificates must be included with the product.
- The degree of protection of lighting devices indicated in the documents must be at least IP44 - make sure that this designation is present in the certificate.
- Find out what warranty the manufacturer provides for their product.
- Pay attention to the material from which the lamp body is made. Remember that the lamp will be actively affected by moisture and sun. If the vertical leg of the lamps is made of steel pipe, you need to check whether it is painted from the inside - then the lamps will not rust. Lamps made of stainless steel (painted), aluminum alloy and cast iron have proven themselves well.
Good to know
The lighting network is routed externally using rubber-insulated cable KR, which is placed in a flexible metal sleeve. Metal sleeves are laid in such a way that moisture cannot accumulate in them. The design of distribution boards for use outside the building must provide a sufficient level of moisture and dust protection.
Plant lighting
Lighting a country house may also require decorating flower beds, lawns and other plant objects. If there is a flower arch on the site, its beauty can be emphasized with the help of strip diodes. Spotlights are installed on lawns. They can have different shapes. Figures of animals, insects, and fairy-tale characters are popular.
Trees can also become the object of illumination. Garlands are used for this. The direction of the rays from bottom to top is justified only for trees that are large. If the direction of light is from top to bottom, you can give preference to white lamps. This will create the effect of rays from the moon.
To illuminate trees, it is recommended to purchase lamps with frosted glass. This will reduce the number of shadows. It should be taken into account that plants can develop quite quickly and change in size. Also, wind and bad weather can sway them greatly. All elements of the electrical system must be durable.
What types of lamps are there?
In the garden area, decorative lighting illuminates paths, trees and ponds. For this purpose, the following types of lamps are used:
- floor lamps - for illuminating paths;
- mushroom-shaped - for illuminating trees and landscape elements;
- ground - for illuminating trees and landscape elements;
- floating - for illuminating small artificial reservoirs.
Photo gallery: types of lamps for decorating a site
Simple in design and free to be fixed in the right place, floor lamps are perfect for unobtrusive lighting of any area on your site.
Mushroom-shaped country lanterns allow you to create a fairy-tale light due to the property of reflecting rays from the inner mirror surface of the device cap
To outline the path, you can use ground lamps, which are placed along the edges or directly into the road surface.
Glowing balls made of plastic or glass softly illuminate the texture of night water
Other ideas
Lighting a country house can be done using improvised means and various purchased light sources. The garlands look original on the site. You can purchase them in a store or create them yourself. Regular glass jars and diode lamps are suitable for this.
You can place several homemade lamps in the gazebo. An electric diode candle is installed inside the glass jar. Such a device does not heat up, which eliminates the risk of fire. You can decorate street lamps with various natural materials. For example, these could be branches, leaves, etc.
Today, the electrical appliance market offers a large number of products with a high protection class. They can even be installed in an artificial pond, fountain, etc. Such lamps look original. If there are steps on the site, they can also be illuminated with diode strip with a high protection class.
Light decorations
Decorative lighting will never be superfluous on the site. By installing lamps in an alpine hill and flower beds, illuminating ponds and fountains, you can create stunning color effects.
It is important to consider the brightness of garden lights and the color of the light emitted. In a quiet recreation area it is better to place lamps with soft, dim light
Where company gathers, brighter lighting will be required.
Energy-efficient fluorescent and halogen lamps are used for decorative lighting. True, they work well at temperatures not lower than 10 degrees below zero.
And LED lamps are not afraid of any frost. They work great in any weather, creating soft light, ideal for illuminating plants, ponds, and small architectural forms.
Flowing soft light not so much dispels the darkness as it puts you in a romantic mood.
And candles and small lamps with colored glass create an atmosphere of intimate trust, so they are ideal for lighting a veranda, terrace or recreation area.
Recommendations from experts
Experienced designers recommend creating a site lighting plan during the construction stage. This will allow you to lay the electrical cable in the required areas. At the same time, you should entrust such work to professionals. Outdoor lighting can be very dangerous if installed incorrectly.
Instead of wired lamps, you can use their wireless varieties. If necessary, they can be assembled and installed in another location.
Having considered the features of creating lighting for a country house, everyone will be able to decorate their personal plot competently and originally.
Main nuances
Experts recommend sticking to two options. The first is to place a spotlight on the site, and a powerful stream of light will flood the building around the perimeter. This will highlight the architectural elements of your home.
But you should understand one factor - not every lighting is suitable for a country house. For example, flooding the entire building with light will not work, because... it is not suitable for low-rise buildings.
Using halogen lamps, you will control unusual effects by changing the direction and radius of the rays. LED light will consume a minimal amount of electricity, and the lighting will be uniform and powerful.
To illuminate the porch and other blind areas, choose distributed light - then you will evenly flood this or that important area.
