Looking to give your home and yard a boost? Here are some ways you can improve your space with exterior lighting.
Don’t be a One-Lighting Type of House
With exterior lighting, the goal is to illuminate the best features of your home and the surrounding landscaping while also keeping it safe and secure. Not all lighting features work or look the same, so you want to make sure you mix and match your lighting elements.
We recommend using task lighting to illuminate pathways, deck perimeters, outdoor steps, and entrances. Task lights are also great for outdoor kitchens and areas you entertain. Ambient lighting is perfect to cover large areas, and outdoor post lights are ideal for placing along driveways, backyard pools, or fence lines. And motion censored lights close to any doors can provide some security enhancement. With the mix of lighting features, you can improve your home’s safety and add value to your home.
Know Where Your Focal Point Is
If you really want to make your landscaping pop, you can create visual intrigue with strategic lighting. By choosing a few focal points, you can make your landscaping stand out. With well-placed spotlights, you can enhance your pool, pond, or fountain. You can also create a similar effect with ground lights under statues or trees to highlight them.
Illuminate Surrounding Trees and Shrubbery
Speaking of highlighting trees, one of the simplest ways to make an impact on your home and yard is to strategically place lighting around any large or stand-out trees and shrubbery in your yard.
Trees are a great focal point and help to create an outline of your property. This usually goes for the daytime but works just as well when they’re illuminated at night. When lit up at night, people can still get a feel for the size of your yard without actually seeing it. As we mentioned above, take advantage of large trees in your yard and place ground lights to light your tree up from the bottom. But you don’t just have to highlight your trees – you can have fun with lighting on them too! You can hang string lights from one tree to another or wrap lights around them during the holidays (or year-round, if you want!).
Highlight Your Home’s Unique Features
Whether your home is modern with clean, simple lines or your home’s architecture has intricate details, you should highlight its unique features with lighting. Every home has features that are worth highlighting! You just have to find them and use the right lighting to do these features justice. The best type of lighting for this job is probably downlights or ground lights that illuminate from the bottom, up.
Be Strategic with Porch Lighting
Your porch area is one of the best places to play with light. It creates a wonderful center focal point at night and is also a great way to light up the exterior of your home if you don’t have much front yard, hedge, or curb space to work with.
Your porch is the transition space between the curb or yard and your home interior. It’s the perfect opportunity to create an inviting atmosphere that makes your home feel more welcoming. The lighting you choose should highlight the aesthetics as well as the functionality of the area. You want it to set the tone but also provide enough light so people can see what they’re doing. Torch lights and faux gas lanterns are perfect next to the front door. If your porch has a balcony around it, adding string lights can be fun as well as functional. And if your porch has an overhang, consider installing porch lights within it spaced a few feet apart.
Make Use of Pathway Lighting
Even if your entranceway is sufficiently lit, your pathways should also have lighting leading up to your front door. This is so you and anybody visiting your home will be kept safe from tripping hazards. Not to mention it will keep people from stepping on your plants!
While this type of lighting is largely functional, it’s also a great opportunity to highlight certain features of your front yard while creating a warm and cozy atmosphere. When deciding what type of lighting you want for your pathways, we recommend avoiding uplighting. Uplights can shine light directly into your guests’ eyes. Directional stake lights or solar-powered lights are better options to go with.
Transform the Exterior Lighting of Your Home
If you’re ready to improve the way your home and yard look, it’s time to think about installing exterior lighting. But if you want to ensure it’s done correctly, safely, and with the utmost care, hire Speck Family Electric to handle the job for you. We promise to complete the job with your safety and the safety of your home in mind. After all, our experienced team takes pride in performing reliable services and getting each job done safely and efficiently. We service those in Sparta, Spencer, Smithville, Pikeville, McMinnville, Lebanon, Crossville, Cookeville, and Baxter.
