As a homeowner, you spend a lot of time beautifying and modernizing the interior of your home – upgrading the appliances, redesigning the bathroom and adding more storage space to the closets. Making your interior living space as comfortable and attractive as possible is important, but improving the look and feel of your outdoor landscape can be just as critical.
The quality of the exterior landscape is obviously a big part of curb appeal, but making your property look its best is important even if you are not preparing for a future sale. From planting trees to pruning bushes to fertilizing your lawn, there are plenty of things you can do to make your landscape a thing of beauty – and make your neighbors jealous.
You already know the important role that plants play in your landscape, but what about the lighting? Landscape lighting is a vital part of enhancing your home’s curb appeal, and as 2017 dawns, there are some important trends to keep in mind.
Combining Safety and Beauty
Landscape lighting does far more than give your home added curb appeal. Unlike many other home improvements, adding lighting to your landscape can also keep your property, and your family, safer.
There has been a growing trend toward combining safety, practicality and beauty in landscape lighting, and that progression is likely to continue into 2017. From motion-activated spotlights at the doors and windows to dusk-to-dawn lights to deter burglars and nighttime prowlers, combining safety and beauty is a big part of lighting landscape design.
Hidden Lighting Adds Beauty and Drama
Another interesting landscape lighting trend is the shift toward hidden lighting. This trend places outdoor lighting in unusual places, spots that have heretofore been neglected.
From subtle lighting on stairs and walkways to uplighting in flower beds and around flagpoles, these unusual lighting options can add elegance and drama to any home. The subtle beauty these landscape lights provide is truly wonderful, and more and more homeowners are embracing the trend.
Money-Saving LED Lights
Lighting up the landscape can be expensive, as any homeowner can attest. In the past, homeowners often had to weigh the extra safety of a powerful spotlight against the pain of a higher electric bill, but thanks to energy-saving LED lights that is no longer the case.
The shift from power-hungry lighting options to more energy-efficient LED landscape lights is likely to continue as 2017 dawns, saving homeowners lots of money and giving them additional freedom and flexibility. Saving energy is just one reason for the shift to LED landscape lights – LED lights last far longer, so homeowners can put away their ladders and enjoy many years of quality outdoor lighting.
Lighting up the landscape has never been more important, and following the current trends can help you make your home the envy of the neighborhood. From dramatic uplighting around your flower beds to a burglar-deterring spotlight above your front door, there are plenty of ways to incorporate modern lighting into your home’s landscape.
