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Oct 01, 2026

A common misconception when it comes to outdoor lighting in Atlanta, GA is that it simply brightens a property after dark. While illumination is the primary purpose, when thoughtfully planned, it can make your yard easier to navigate, highlight architectural details, improve curb appeal, and create a comfortable atmosphere for outdoor living. Conversely, a poorly planned landscape lighting installation can have the opposite effect.

At Abulous Lighting, we understand how poor planning can result in harsh glare, uneven brightness, and shadowy corners that make outdoor spaces feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Let’s delve into the four common outdoor lighting mistakes and how a custom lighting design can address them.

Using Too Much Light in One Area

One of the most common mistakes is assuming that brighter outdoor lighting automatically means better. As a homeowner, you may opt for powerful floodlights near an entrance or patio, only to overwhelm the surrounding areas with the intense beam. Excess brightness can create glare, make nearby spaces appear darker by comparison, and make it unpleasant for people looking toward the fixture.

That’s why outdoor lighting technicians recommend custom solutions to ensure a more balanced approach. Instead of concentrating light in one location, experts can strategically distribute several fixtures throughout your property. Lower-output fixtures can provide gentle ambient illumination while brighter fixtures are reserved for areas that need additional visibility. The outcome is a space that feels naturally lit rather than flooded with artificial brightness.

Leaving Dark Spots Between Fixtures

Another problem occurs when beams overlap following a DIY landscape lighting installation project. The last thing you want is a pathway that appears noticeably dark between each fixture. This issue usually appears around driveways, steps, garden beds, and transitions between different outdoor areas.

A custom outdoor lighting design considers the entire lighting pattern rather than individual fixtures. Technicians can evaluate beam angles, fixture spacing, mounting heights, and the property’s layout to create more consistent coverage. Instead of producing isolated pools of light surrounded by darkness, the system can guide the eye and illuminate important areas smoothly.

Placing Fixtures Where They Create Glare

Did you know that even attractive outdoor lighting can become a nuisance when fixtures are installed at the wrong angle? If you aim a light directly toward a window, driveway, or walkway, it can shine into people’s eyes. Glare may not raise concerns at first, but it is especially frustrating because it can make it harder to see the features that you intended to illuminate.

Custom outdoor lighting helps solve this problem through careful fixture placement and aiming. Recessed options, shielded fixtures, directional lights, and appropriately positioned landscape lighting can keep the source of illumination out of direct sight while delivering useful light. This means that instead of seeing a glaring bulb, you experience the effect of the light on architectural features, a tree, or paths.

Treating Every Part of the Property the Same

A flower bed, driveway, patio, and architectural façade serve different purposes. By using the same fixture type, brightness, and placement throughout your property, you can create a flat and uninspiring appearance. Furthermore, it may provide too much light in some areas and not enough in others.

Custom landscape lighting installation allows illumination to respond to the character and function of each space. This means that path lights can guide movement, accent lighting can emphasize landscaping, wall washing can bring out architectural textures, and softer fixtures can create a relaxed patio atmosphere. By layering these techniques, you can give your property depth and visual interest while making the lighting more practical.

Create a More Balanced Outdoor Space: Call Today

Good outdoor lighting is rarely about adding as many fixtures or as much brightness as possible. At Abulous Lighting, we believe it is about understanding how light, shadow, architecture, landscaping, and human movement interact after sunset. Contact us today to create a custom design that improves visibility, comfort, and nighttime appeal.

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Happy Customers Saying

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Kimberly Buckland

Absolute Lighting installed my outdoor flood lights 2 years ago and they are beautiful! They did such a great job that I used them to setup and take down the Christmas lights for the past 2 years. I would highly recommend them. Frank always responds to questions and automatically puts me on the schedule for set up and take down of the Christmas Lights.

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Graham Antin

We love Abulous lighting and have been using them for years  They are very responsive and professional and  will come back no questions asked for any follow up work  Good pricing and highly trustworthy  Frank, the owner, is a true  stand up guy.  I recommend without reservation

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Allan Conlan

Frank and the team at Abulous were great to work with. They came out and retro-upgraded some previous lighting that we had done a few years back and made it look as seamless and continuous as possible. They also worked with us on the best (& most economical) way to light up a hard to reach area of our yard. They also followed up with us after we had another group of workers "disturb" some of the lighting wires and came back out and fixed everything back up again. Very friendly, dependable local resource who do great work. Highly recommend.

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Mike Thomas

After reviewing multiple companies we contracted with Abilous Lighting to create outside accent lighting for our home, backyard patio, walkways, & fire pit.  Their ideas and design were the best!   It was a pleasure working with Frank Hasty, who did  the design, and his crew of Brandon & Rusty who performed the work.  All were excellent to work with.   We are very happy with Abulous Lighting.