If you are thinking about refreshing your landscaping this spring, don’t overlook the exceptional difference that well-planned lighting can bring to the appearance. Illuminating your Newton, MA, front yard and even backyard can bring a new level of beauty to your home. There are many ways you can use lighting to make your home stand out.
Highlight Special Features
If you have an older, majestic oak tree or a unique ornamental tree, incorporating some lights to bring focus to this landscape element at night can be just what you want to make your evening landscape pop. You might decide spotlights offer the right amount of lighting as the evening descends, or you could think about lights that shine up the trunk from the base to give that special tree a new look. You can add lighting to any tree, or you might decide to bring illumination to a row of trees, or all of the trees in a landscape bed.
Perhaps your front porch is your favorite part of the exterior of your home. Adding extra, specific lights to bring the eye to your porch can tell your visitors that this is the aspect of your home that you really love. Or choose a water feature such as a fountain to pay special attention with lighting.
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Illuminate the Backyard
When it starts to get dark, most of us head indoors, but what if you could stay outdoors longer because you increased the lighting for your patio and backyard? There is nothing more joyful than listening to your children laugh and play as the sun sets, knowing that they can continue to play as long as they like if their play area is well-lit and safe.
Additional exterior lighting for your patio means that you can visit longer with friends or share a late dinner together after the kids are in bed. And, if you are someone who loves to host parties, that extra lighting can blur the indoors with the outdoors, giving you extra party space as your guests mingle both indoors and out, undeterred by the darkness.
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Focus on Safety
Most homes have dark corners or areas that the lights don’t reach, but thoughtful landscape lighting can minimize those spots. We all want to feel safe when arriving home after dark, but sometimes there is not the level of visibility after dark that makes us feel comfortable. Fortunately, increasing the outdoor lighting to focus attention on the walkways, driveway, and entryways makes it easier for your friends and family to see clearly after dark as they arrive at your home. This increased illumination also serves to keep intruders away, as they’re less likely to choose homes that are well-lit.
One way to determine what you like in landscape lights is to drive through neighborhoods after dark and take note of the landscapes that catch your eye—chances are they have lights to highlight the features they like best. Well-placed and thoughtful landscape lighting can increase the ways you use your yard after dark. Strategically installed lighting can also increase your home’s nighttime curb appeal and value. A professional landscape contractor can help you take your landscaping vision from an idea in your head to reality.
