Reclaiming the Outdoors at Night

For many homeowners, exterior lighting consists simply of a pair of lanterns flanking the front door, with a pole lamp at the end of the driveway - unimaginative at best, for the art and science of lighting for exterior spaces has been greatly refined in the past decade or two. Over the last fifteen years, lighting manufacturers have worked with lighting designers and landscape architects to create small, well-shielded luminaires -- low-glare, low-wattage multipurpose fixtures that virtually disappear into the overall landscape, gently lighting without overpowering other elements in the outdoor design.