More homeowners continue to look to their own backyards for relaxation, recreation and entertainment.
And, during summer, as children’s bedtimes are delayed longer and longer and families linger in outdoor patios, barbecuing and chatting with their neighbors, there’s one element that amplifies nighttime landscape enjoyment: outdoor lighting.
In fact, 95% of landscape architects said landscape lighting is in high demand this year, according to a recent American Society of Landscape Architects survey.
When most people think of lighting their landscapes, they typically just consider it for safety or security. While that’s an important benefit, lighting can also add to the overall beauty of your landscape at night. From bits of light illuminating steps and pathways to spotlights accentuating a home’s façade to the brightening of trees and bringing major landscape elements out of the shadows, lighting can transform your property into an entirely new place at twilight. This extra illumination can help extend those backyard barbecues and summer soirées into the evening hours.
Here are the top five reasons you should consider adding lighting to your landscape.
Get Comfortable
Whether you’re eating dinner, sharing dessert, putting your feet up after a long day or just enjoying the moon and stars on a warm night, landscape lighting adds a tremendous amount of comfort to an outdoor room. Not only does it enable you to use decks or patios after dark by illuminating seating areas, but lighting’s ambiance can be very pleasant and inviting, welcoming you and your visitors to your space without a word.
Get Artistic
With creative and correctly designed and installed landscape lighting, you can showcase specific landscape areas, pulling eyes to them like artistic displays. Pleasant splashes of light can create accents and moods in your space. By mimicking the moonlight, the resulting highlights and shadows can create dimension and drama
Get Organized
Landscape lighting can lead you from one area to the next in a subtle and safe way. Path lights illuminating footsteps and brighter spots near entryways speak to visitors, saying “Welcome.”
Create Value
A well-lit home presents a maintained and loved impression to the neighborhood, as well as potential buyers. A house that’s warm and inviting draws people in, providing a refuge for not only the current owners, but potential next owners who can imagine themselves living in the space. Realtors estimate that an investment in outdoor lighting can yield a 50 percent return.
Stay Safe
While safety isn’t the only reason to install outdoor lighting, it’s a definite benefit that can’t be ignored. Not only do lit walkways ensure people can move safely through your space, but illuminated outdoor areas create a feeling of involvement and care by the owners, discouraging burglars or trespassers.
Whether you’ve always wanted to illuminate your favorite large tree or create a cozy outdoor living space that can be enjoyed into the wee hours of the night, landscape lighting can boost your home’s aesthetics and your enjoyable space (and time spent in it). Contact our Outback Landscape design professionals at (208) 656-3220 for a free consultation to help you create a dreamy summer nightscape.
