When you come home from a long day of work or have spent a fun -- but exhausting -- day with the kids, you want an outdoor space that will allow you to kick back and relax. To create your perfectly lit atmosphere, you'll need these three types of landscape lights and to follow these outdoor lighting tips.

Out of surveyed homeowners, 69% say that they use their outdoor spaces for relaxing. Ambient lighting will give your outdoor area a comfortable level of brightness and is essential in creating a relaxing mood. It is the general lighting of an area that doesn't produce glare, but lets you walk around safely. Ambient lighting is usually created with outdoor wall lights and post lights. One of the most effective outdoor lighting tips is to choose wall lights that accentuate your home's architecture by matching its style. Even if you're installing new fixtures to an old home, you'll want to make it look like it all flows together.

As the name suggests, task lighting is essential to perform specific tasks when you're outdoors. These tasks are often as simple as walking. You can incorporate task lighting into your landscaping with pathway lights, deck lighting, and outdoor step lights. Be careful not to over-illuminate any areas with task lights, otherwise, your outdoor area can appear harsh and uninviting. Path lights should be spaced out and used mostly for lighting upcoming turns or steps. If you have a deck with different levels or stairs, use task lighting to illuminate any areas where someone could miss a step.

When you want to add drama to your outdoor space or highlight certain features, accent lighting is essential. This landscape lighting creates visual interest within your yard by accentuating trees, planting areas, and architectural details with spotlights or submerged lighting. Spotlights in your yard in front of your favorite tree or garden feature draws the viewer's attention to that spot. You can add submerged lighting to a water garden to show off your fish and plants after dark, or to a pool to create a nautical effect.

Adding outdoor lighting to your landscaping creates visual interest for the nighttime and, with the right fixtures, during the daytime as well. By following these outdoor lighting tipsand adding elements of all three lighting styles, you'll have the perfect blend of lighting that your family and friends can admire for many nights to come.