Setting the mood
While providing functional lighting for pools, spas, and the backyard is important for safety and other practical purposes, backyard environments are also ideal settings for fun, creative decorative lighting.
LED technology has dramatically expanded the availability of decorative lighting products designed to add mood and ambience to the pool or backyard. With LEDs, manufacturers can create lightweight, affordable accessories that provide brighter, longer-lasting light. These take many forms, and come in styles that set a wide variety of moods. For instance, sunglass-wearing illuminated ducks are fun and cute, ideal for entertaining children or the young at heart. Meanwhile, floating illuminated flowers are more elegant, well suited for an evening soiree.
Colour-changing lights can enliven an area for a party, or set a romantic mood for a quiet evening at home, both inside and around the pool. Some light fixtures, for example, can project colour-changing light patterns underwater onto the bottom and sides of a pool or aboveground on indoor walls or patio areas.
Some decorative lighting products also incorporate moving water. Pool owners can opt for fixtures that float on the pool surface and shoot colour-illuminated water into the air while projecting light and colour onto the bottom of the pool; certain fixtures even respond to the beat of music. These illuminated water features are typically installed in a planter or other deck-side location, projecting into the pool or spa water creating gentle splashing sounds that add to the overall experience.
Striking a balance
Outdoor lighting, when done well, includes several kinds of fixtures and highlights various parts of the backyard. Underwater or floating lights for the pool or spa, low-voltage or solar pathway lights for walkways or decks, and tree- or building-mounted spotlights that simulate moonlight are just some examples. This is not only an esthetic issue, it is also a safety concern. It is also important to advise customers to balance light in the pool with the lights in the backyard, as making a pool dramatically brighter than its surroundings can actually create a hazard. An overly bright glowing pool can make it difficult to see surrounding landscaped areas. By stocking some of the many landscape, pathway and patio lighting options available, retailers can help homeowners create a safe and pleasing backyard setting.
One of the most powerful things lighting can do is unify a poolscape with co-ordinated illumination. Lighting can extend the home’s decorative style to the patio and beyond— beginning with a post light illuminating the home’s address, continuing with path lighting that leads to whatever feature the home owner chooses to showcase, while accent lights on patio umbrellas and tables complete the look.
When all of these lighting elements, from the functional to the festive, are tied together with colour and style, the result can be magical.
| ILLUMINATE THE POSSIBILITIES |
|---|
| Showing the effects of lighting in a retail environment can be tricky. Unless an entire room can be dedicated to low-level lighting, it is not always possible to simulate nighttime conditions. However, retailers can overcome this obstacle using one or more of the following display techniques: ● Run a video or slideshow of various nighttime effects, including colour-changing underwater or landscape lights; ● Create a printed photo display of the same pool area illuminated different ways, with different colours underwater and various different accent lights in use; ● Use flashing accent lights to draw attention not only to the lighting products, but also to other accessories on display; ● Dress up other store displays (e.g. patio furniture) with product-specific and multipurpose lighting accessories; and ● Place small lighting accessories near the register or any other part of the store where customers may be waiting for service (e.g. water testing station). These eye-catching displays might entice an impulse purchase. |
Mitch Smith is the national sales manager for GAME, a swimming pool and spa accessories manufacturer in Scottsdale, Ariz. He has been in the pool and spa industry for almost 30 years, having worked with Muskin, Zodiac and Vogue prior to joining GAME. He can be reached via e-mail at mks@game-group.com.
Holly Shimanski is the sales account manager for GAME and has been with the company for more than five years. She can be reached via e-mail at hjs@game-group.com.
