Festive lighting: features, types, tips for self-design

Festive lighting - the art of creatingornaments from garlands, static or moving figures, decorative light sources and attributes of a certain festive event (flags, stars, snowflakes). This kind of lighting looks appropriate both inside the building and outside the building. However, it is not so easy to get an aesthetically attractive decoration, because you need to know exactly what kinds of decorative lighting can be used to decorate certain items, and which ones should be abandoned.

Light decoration: how it all began

The concept of architectural, artistic andfestive lighting was born a long time ago (about 100 years ago). Namely in 1925 one of the districts of New York was decorated with the first spinning light balls and bright illumination. Until 1960, such illumination was given a secondary importance, since it was believed that its main task - the creation of a festive atmosphere and no more.

Of course, modern lighting during the holidaysignificantly different from the one that adorned the streets of various cities about a century ago. Indeed, today more and more people began to realize the role of festive and architectural illumination.

Differences between street and interior illumination

What is the difference between garlands and figures intended for indoor and outdoor use? Let's look into this. Below are the differences:

• Price. Street decorations are much more expensive than analogues intended for indoor use.
• Diversitye. Garlands intended for outdoor use have a greater choice of colors, shapes and sizes.
• Characteristics. Street garlands are able to function both inside and outside the premises, unlike interior decorations.

In turn, high performance propertiesStreet garlands creating festive lighting and exterior decoration are explained by the presence on them of a special insulating material (this can be rubber, PVC or silicone).

Types of decorative illumination

It is impossible to imagine holiday lightinghouses without garlands duralight, because they tolerate all natural phenomena (snow, rain) and allow you to decorate various vertical or horizontal objects. Scope of garlands duralight:

• pillars, columns, trunks of trees and shrubs;
• door and window openings, attic windows, roofs;
• access roads;
• the creation of marking lights (for example, the allocation of a separate band for Santa's sleigh).

Also, to the indisputable advantages of this type of lighting, you can add the fact that the length of this garland is not limited, therefore, it is selected in accordance with a specific task.

The presence of the controller allows you to create not justbright, colorful illumination, but also a real color show. And the small weight of the garland eliminates the difficulties in fixing it (sometimes it's enough to just use scotch tape).

Light grids - a festive lightThe design is a net design of wires, in each node of which there is a light bulb. Sphere of use - any large objects: trees, bushes, garden figures.

LED rain - there is nothing like a thread-LEDs, connected together by a horizontally located cable. The main use of the roof and facades of buildings.

Fiber-optic lighting. In this case it is a thread made of a transparent material (often plastic), which transmits light from the source by means of internal reflection. A large number of such threads, connected together, allow creating different compositions, for example: "starry sky", "trees", "salute".

Unusual light decorations

Light figures on a metal frame are createdbased on a conventional or duralight garland. Most often with the help of similar figures, New Year's festive lighting is created: snowflakes, deer, Santa Claus sleigh. This method of decoration is used in shop windows, bridges, facades of buildings.

Acrylic figures perfectly imitate icecomposition. The scope of use of such light figures is simply enormous, since there are a large number of options where they can be used. In addition, such compositions may have various settings, for example, an on timer or a motion detection sensor.

Garlands that run on solar panels. The advantages of such an element of festive illumination include: security, lack of dependence on electricity, ease of installation.

Light Dynamics of festive lighting

All festive lighting is divided into four groups:

• chasing or flashing light bulbs;
• fixing or unblinking light bulbs;
• chameleon or the ever-changing color of light bulbs;
• flickering or selective flashing of certain light bulbs.

However, all options are eligible forexistence, because the scope of using illuminations during the holidays varies. Suppose you need to decorate trees on city streets. In this case, blinking garlands will look more advantageous.

And if, for example, it is necessary to formalize internalwalls in an apartment or a house, then it is advisable to use non-blinking lighting. It less irritates the human eye and does not distract from deeds. In turn, with the help of flickering illuminations, such effects as "rain" or "waterfall" are created.

How to create a festive illumination yourself?

Known fact: properly selected festive lighting can not only cause positive emotions in a person, but can also provoke him to a certain action. For example, yellow color helps to improve mood, but, as you know, a happy, happy person buys more. In turn, green lights have a calming effect, and blue lights attract attention.

It is worth noting that the festive illuminations are usually created by professionals in their field, however you can execute such design yourself, following simple rules:

• Do not create large-sized festive compositions without the relevant experience, because the result may not turn out very beautiful.
• Carefully study the technical characteristics of garlands, in order to understand under what conditions they can work as efficiently as possible.
• Strive for balance, because a very bright festive decoration can lead to discomfort of passers-by or living in a residential area.

So, a special attractive lighting of buildings andlandscape during the holidays has not only an aesthetic function. This type of illumination can attract attention to a particular advertisement or signboard, disguise night-time items that spoil the landscape, for example, construction cranes, and emphasize the historical significance of a city or a certain area.