Style Guide for Landscape Lighting

Here is a rundown of some of the different styles of outdoor lighting you will be deciding on. You'll find that many of the same terms are used in design and architecture in general, but here we're focusing on the terms most commonly used in outdoor lighting.

Arroyo - This style of lighting often marries copper or bronze housing and opaque glass elements. It is an honest, uncluttered approach to lighting that is at once hip, modern, and vaguely rural.

Arts and Crafts - This style is similar to the Mission style. Around the turn of the century, designers chose to gravitate toward simpler shapes in response to the Victorian Era's reliance on ornamentation. Apart from wood, materials include metals and stained glass.

Contemporary - This generic term fuses together many styles that were developed in the last 50 years. Soft lines, rounded edges, and neutral elements are just a few of the characteristics that were reactions to the polished, asymmetrical features of Modern design.

Mission - This style is reminiscent of the American arts-and-crafts movement from the turn of the century. Examples boasting this descriptor should feature heavy, dark-stained oak colors and lots of right angles.

Modern - Marked by a clean, streamlined look dating from about the 1930s, modern design applies to Scandinavian work and specifically the Bauhaus School of Design. The pieces will appear polished, with smooth, slightly asymmetrical geometric shapes. Glass is used often for its smoothness and clean look.

Rococo - This is an ornate style of European design that can be traced back to France in the early 1700s. It is notable for its rich scrollwork and curvatures. Though not terribly popular these days, Rococo work can be employed with style in outdoor lighting.

Tiffany - Products marked by this name should feature smooth, organic curves typically found in nature and specifically the human form. Considered a subset of Art Nouveau, Tiffany products should feature impressive colors and subtle ornamentation.