Create a bold showcase for your favorite feature of your home or yard with landscape lighting. Highlighting a fountain, pond, flower gardens, patios or trees adds dimension to your space and can make your home look unique from the street at night.
A well-designed landscape lighting plan focuses on aesthetics and safety/security. Learn the basics to get started! Contact Orlando Lighting now!
Curb Appeal
The right landscape lighting can elevate a home’s curb appeal after the sun goes down. It highlights trees, driveways, walkways and other outdoor elements. It can also add an element of drama to a front door entry or highlight the intricate detail on a statue. And with new solar options, it’s an affordable way to extend your landscape into the night.
Curb appeal is a critical component of home ownership, especially when you’re trying to sell. It’s the combination of a variety of factors, including your home’s landscaping, paint color and front door design. A well-lit home has more visual impact and stands out in a neighborhood, making it easier for potential buyers to visualize themselves living there.
While you can do some landscape lighting projects yourself, the best way to get your property looking its best is to hire a professional. They can offer expert advice on the best types of lighting and accessories, ensure compliance with local regulations, and guarantee a safe and successful installation. They will also provide routine maintenance, keeping lenses clean, replacing bulbs, and ensuring that fixtures are in good working condition.
Uplighting is a great way to enhance your home’s architectural features, such as pillars, rock work and dormers. By positioning these lights so they illuminate your features at just the right angle, you can make them really pop and create a visually impressive effect at night.
Other popular uses of landscape lighting are to highlight a water feature or a statue. These are often features that are overlooked when it comes to curb appeal, but landscape lighting can bring them into the spotlight and help you really showcase your unique style.
Landscape lighting is endlessly customizable, and you can use it to achieve almost any look or ambiance. From illuminating small areas with path lights to accenting entire properties with dramatic uplighting, the possibilities are limitless. You can also use smart technology to control your lights remotely, allowing you to set timers and automatically switch your landscape lighting on and off at preset times. This offers an extra level of security by deterring intruders and improving visibility, and it can also make your property more welcoming to guests by creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Safety
Not only is landscape lighting visually appealing, it also improves safety on your property. Whether your home is a private residence or a commercial property, well-lit walkways and steps are a must. In addition to deterring intruders, this type of lighting makes it easier for family members and visitors to navigate the property after dark. This prevents the type of accidents that can occur when a person trips over a root or otherwise stumbles in the dark.
Landscape lighting is also used to highlight landscaping features such as trees, fountains, or statues. This creates a beautiful nighttime display that adds a touch of magic to your outdoor space. The ambiance can be adjusted with smart technology, and the brightness and warmth can be controlled to suit your personal preference.
Adding lighting around your house, front entrance, and driveway makes it safer for those who are coming to or leaving after dark. It also keeps people from having to juggle keys and bags while navigating the driveway, which can lead to frustration and unnecessary injury. Adding lights to the front and back yard allows you to enjoy your patio or pool without the need for a flashlight. This can be a great way to have fun with the kids and allow them to explore your outdoor spaces safely after dark.
Commercial properties that cater to customers or guests after dark need to have adequate lighting as well. Parking lots and sidewalks need to be illuminated to prevent slips and falls, especially on ice or snow. Utility areas like dumpsters should be clearly lit as well to ensure that employees working after hours can easily locate them and avoid tripping or falling over unseen objects.
Landscape lighting not only enhances the beauty of your home and yard, but it can also increase the value of your property. It’s a feature that potential buyers will appreciate, and it can make the selling process go more smoothly when the time comes to sell your home. If you’re interested in improving your home with the addition of landscape lighting, contact a professional who can discuss the different options and create a custom plan that will add both curb appeal and practicality to your home.
Security
Many homeowners invest in security systems and cameras to prevent burglaries, but landscape lighting can also help. This is because illuminating dark corners eliminates hiding spots for prowlers. It also allows you to see where your doors, windows, and driveways are located so you can protect your home from intruders trying to break in through unlit areas.
When a burglar wants to enter your home, they’re most likely to go through your front door. That’s why it is a good idea to place lights near your entryway. However, you don’t want floodlights that are so bright they glare into neighbors’ windows. Instead, work with a professional to create a design that blends security and beauty.
For example, strategically placing uplights on the underside of tall trees or around the base of a structure can create dramatic effects that help deter burglars. Likewise, putting in path lights can make it easier to walk through your yard after dark and reduce the risk of accidents.
Other ways landscape lighting can improve your security include:
Illuminating driveways and walkways makes it safer to come and go from your home at night. It can also help you avoid tripping over objects that might otherwise be hidden in the shadows.
Additionally, if you have shrubs or trees that could be used as ladders for burglars to climb onto your roof, it’s a good idea to highlight those areas with landscape lighting. This will deter burglars from using these trees as vantage points to break into your house.
Finally, integrating your landscape lighting with other security features such as alarms and surveillance cameras can make your property even more secure. This works because the outdoor lighting can be set to turn on when an intruder is detected, ensuring that you’re aware of any activity on your property.
A well-designed and maintained landscape lighting system can add a lot to the overall value of your home. It can also provide a safe and welcoming atmosphere for guests. To ensure your landscape lighting is doing its job, routine maintenance is essential. This includes cleaning fixtures to prevent dirt and debris from building up, keeping all electrical connections in good condition, and replacing any burned out or dim bulbs.
Entertainment
Whether you have a large entertainment space, a small patio or a porch seating area, well-designed landscape lighting can bring out the best of these spaces after dark. By properly highlighting trees, shrubs, gardens, water features, sculptures and other unique architectural features your yard will become the focal point of your home after dark. You will gain instant curb appeal and become the envy of your neighborhood.
Besides serving many practical purposes, landscape lighting also creates fun and exciting decorating opportunities. It adds an element of design to your outdoor space that isn’t always possible when working with a limited space. It can also make your home look larger so that you can entertain guests without having to worry about overcrowding the house.
With today’s expanded homes, it isn’t uncommon to have outdoor lounge and dining areas. These areas become a focal point for entertaining and can be a great place to relax. However, they are often fumbling around in the dark and can’t be used to their full potential without landscape lighting. A few simple lights can be the difference between a great place to hang out after dark and a forgotten space that never gets utilized.
There are several different types of landscape lighting that can be used to highlight key architectural features, like a uniquely textured wall or beautiful columns. A popular technique is to use shadowing, which uses a light to illuminate a feature against a backdrop. The effect creates a darker outline of the object, which showcases its details and gives it more visual depth.
Another way to highlight a feature is with spot or flood lighting. These are similar to spotlights on a stage, showcasing a particular item. The type of light used for this purpose is also important. For example, spot lights work great for highlighting trees while flood lights are ideal for water features and other low-lying areas.
If you have garden art or statues, they can be highlighted with landscape lighting to add a beautiful gallery-like atmosphere to your backyard. It can also be a wonderful way to showcase a special plant or a tree that you love. A reputable professional can help you optimize your landscape lighting to create an incredible ambiance for your entertainment space.