Portland designer shines light on outdoor spaces

Takes guess work out of lighting up the night

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 8/29/2012 2:20:41 PM

Award-winning landscape lighting designer Paul WeltyPORTLAND, Ore. - Paul Welty, an award-winning landscape lighting designer and owner of Innovative Nightscapes, recently released an article on the benefits of using a certified outdoor lighting designer.

"A trained and certified architectural and landscape lighting designer will know all of the right questions to ask when deciding how to light your space," Welty said.

For example, a consumer may have spent serious energy and resources to create the perfect outdoor living space she has always dreamed of. Her favorite sculpture has been placed in the ideal location where it can be viewed from many different angles and perspectives. Her yard has been transformed into a showpiece that can be observed from inside the home as well as outside, as it performs its spectacular transformations throughout the seasons. Or, perhaps a consumer now has the coolest outdoor kitchen and dining space in the
neighborhood, but has to decide how to add outdoor lighting to bring his favorite landscape elements to life after dark.

There are so many decisions to make when it comes to outdoor lighting, it can be difficult to know where to begin. A first step might be an Internet search, which may prove overwhelming with the large number of choices. What kind of lights work best? What's good, what's not good? Line voltage versus low voltage? What's that really mean? Who can the consumer get to install the lights?

Innovative Nightscapes completed this large residential project earlier this year."A professional can take the guess work out of your outdoor lighting project and ensure your investment will bring years of enjoyment, withstand the elements and provide years of continuous service," Welty said.

Certified outdoor lighting designers offer a broad range of expertise from the technical side of fixtures, accessories and installation to understanding how the eye reacts to light and dark. Just like a painter with his tools of brush and paint, they can expertly direct light and shadows to evoke wonder, awe, happiness and even inspiration.

Founded by Welty in 2007, Innovative Nightscapes has been designing and installing custom outdoor lighting scenes for residential, commercial and public spaces throughout the country ever since. Welty earned his Professional Lighting Design Certification through the Landscape Lighting Institute in Troy, N.Y., and has a Certified Outdoor Lighting Designer (COLD) certification through the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (AOLP), along with a CLVT (Certified Low Voltage Lighting Technician) certificate.

For more tips on the various elements of outdoor lighting design and how to find a qualified outdoor lighting designer, you can read Welty's article in its entirety in the News section of Innovative Nightscape's new website at www.innovativenightscapes.com.