Have you ever parked in front of a house, motivated to buy it, and became very disappointed with what you saw or couldn’t see? Or perhaps you were annoyed at tripping up the stairs to your own house and not being able to find the keyhole because it was so dark?
As the Fall Market is upon us, you are more likely to see houses in the evening or dusk, when it’s harder to get a good look at the exterior of the house. As a Home Stager, I believe the exterior of houses can look beautiful AND functional at night as well as during the day. Don’t let your beautifully landscaped yard be a no-show at night.
Here are a few things to consider before enhancing your home with outdoor lighting:
- Determine how your outdoor space will be used before beginning your design.
- What’s the purpose of the lighting? Enhancing your home or providing extra security?
- How will people view what’s being lit?
- Cover the basic areas: patios, pathways, landscape, architectial details, etc.
- Determine if you want down-lighting, up-lighting or cross-lighting for a gentle, dramatic or a bold feel.
- Use a combination of accent lighting for visual interest and flood lighting for safety.
- Set your landscape lighting to timers.
- Use LED landscape lighting for extreme long life and energy efficiency. LED lights are also dimable for those intimate late night gatherings on your porch.
- Are solar lights your only source of lighting? Solar lights are beautiful as accent lighting, but not functional as your main source.
- Position your landscape lighting at night.
- Avoid outdoor light pollution, it can disturb your neighbors.
- Select lighting wattage that accents vs. overwhelms your space.
- Look for inspiration around you.
When you are ready to spruce up your curb appeal, we have a viraty of vendors for your convenience. If you are not sure what to do or where to begin, simply let us know and we can help.
Ina Herrera
ASP® Stager & Manager of Creative ServicesMynor & Associates
