A few well-placed landscape lighting fixtures can make a difference in your outdoor living spaces. It can highlight your home, bring in additional natural beauty, and even make it safer to enjoy your property after dark.
Try illuminating a gazebo or pergola with twinkly lights for a cozy retreat to spend time in after dark. Or, embedding light fixtures in a retaining wall or other masonry structures can dramatically showcase their textures.
Curb Appeal
Whether you’re ready to sell now or want your home to look its best, curb appeal can be enhanced with inexpensive tasks. A fresh coat of paint, trimming overgrown bushes, and spreading mulch are a few easy projects that can make a big difference.
Landscape lighting can also improve curb appeal. Add accent and path lights to highlight building and landscaping features and set a mood at night. Choose fixture types like spotlights, lanterns, and sconces to create layers and visual effects that complement your design style.
Showcase a favorite plant or tree by lighting it up or decorating it with fairy lights for a whimsical touch. Add a lighted wreath that matches the season (padding for spring, for example, or tulips and daffodils in summer; pinecones and ornaments for winter).
Mood Lighting
Mood lighting adds beauty and function to outdoor living spaces. It deters burglars, highlights attractive vistas, and makes it easier to navigate walkways and driveways. It’s a great way to highlight features that attract buyers, too.
Lighted rails on a deck, decorative lights in a window, or lighted planters on the front porch will surely please prospective buyers and make them feel at home. Mood lighting that points upward is perfect for accenting a tree or the eaves of a house, while downlights are ideal for illuminating pathways and preventing tripping over unseen obstacles.
Lighted water features such as fountains, fish ponds, or bubbling brooks look beautiful and are a focal point that will capture a buyer’s attention at night. Lanterns hanging from a trellis or mounted on a wall are charming and rustic, especially when lit with real or flameless candles. You can even create a party vibe with Bluetooth-enabled, customizable color lights that flash to the beat of music.
Safety
There are more uses for outdoor lighting than merely aesthetics and ambiance. It can also be a safety tool to help illuminate pathways, stairs, and deck surfaces. Lighted walkways are the way to go if you’re hosting an alfresco dinner party or a backyard barbeque. This creates an easier path to navigate and ensures guests can safely mix cocktails, engage with one another, and balance their plates.
Lanterns are the perfect option for lighting up patio spaces. They feature box-like frames and translucent panels that lend a rustic, timeless vibe. Add real candles for a warm and inviting ambiance, or choose flameless lanterns with realistic flickering LED patterns. The latter are safer and less susceptible to wind gusts and rain showers.
Use spotlights to highlight garden plants and water features for an elegant effect. You can also apply backlighting to trees, which creates shadows and silhouettes that look 3-D.
Security
Outdoor landscape lighting increases curb appeal, adds ambiance, and enhances your property’s security. Landscape lighting can help deter crime by highlighting areas where people may hide or blend in with their surroundings, making it easier for neighbors and passersby to see potential criminal activity.
Landscape lighting can also highlight stairs or uneven surfaces to reduce the risk of falls for guests, allowing you and your family to spend more time outside after dark. You can even use lighting to showcase your favorite flowers, plants, and trees after dark, which is great for entertaining and attracting the eye of guests.
Color-changing landscape lights allow you to switch up the mood and show off your style with the simple tap of a button. This feature is perfect for parties and events and can be controlled with a smart device or app. These fixtures can change colors with the seasons or for a holiday celebration!
