Deck the Halls
Advent Wreaths
Christmas Tree
Outdoor Lighting

Choosing Your Colour Combinations

Here are a few lighting tips from the NCC's landscape architects responsible for the design of the spectacular Christmas lights display in Canada's Capital Region.

• Let your imagination run wild! The most effective and vivid colours are green, red and copper.



• Most effective combinations: blue-green (pleasant and subdued) and red-green (symbolizes Christmas).



• Other interesting combinations: blue-red, mauve-blue, copper-mauve, copper-red.



• Deciduous trees: use no more than three colours.



• Coniferous trees: use no more than five colours.



• When using different colours of lights on one tree, install the colours in consistent combinations; for example, when using green-mauve-blue, every third socket should be the same colour.



• Whenever possible, avoid using white in a colour combination. The eye tends to see only the white, and accompanying colours are diluted and may lose their richness. If you are going to use white, it is best to use it on its own.



• Try to match colours with architectural surroundings and other sources of light.

Elegant Look

An elegant look can be achieved with all white lights. The photograph on the previous page is a perfect example. What the owners did is outline the roofline and all windows with strings of white lights. Due to its location, this house can be seen from afar.

Trees and bushes also get a very elegant look by keeping all the lights in one color.

If you like to have some color keep each part of the decoration in one color. Helga's front door is a perfect example of a very tasteful version of Christmas lighting. The banister is covered with a swag of mixed greens and soft orange lights wrapped around it to hold it all in place. The mini Japanese Maple is decorated with red lights only.

Helga and Emil's house

Casual Look

The colored lights lend themselves well for a more casual look. It always reminds me of a "Hänsel and Gretel" look.

[ Back to index]

Email the link to this page to a friend.