One of the most effective ways to bring both indoor and outdoor spaces to life is smart lighting. Here are a few techniques that really work:

• Spot lighting
  Highlight a statue, fountain, trees or even unique plants. Usually, you will only want to spotlight one or two items, as this creates a very strong focal point in a room or landspace.
• Grazing
  Shining a sharply angled light across a surface to highlight the texture. This can be a very effective backdrop technique when used on stone, stucco or plastered walls.
• Silhouetting
  A concealed light source reflects off a vertical surface behind a chosen object, creating an outline haloed in light.
• Uplighting
  The light source is in the ground or angled upward at the foot of an object. A very dramatic effect for accenting a tree or statuary.
• Cross lighting
  Two or more light sources from below are angled to shine on an object from different sides.
• Downlighting
  A fixture has the bulb angled or the shade designed to shine light down towards the ground. This is a subtle effect that imitates natural moonlight.
• Shadowing
  Placing a light source in front of object to cast a shadow on a vertical surface behind.