On our blog, we talk a lot about the smart devices that can help make each room in your home more beautiful – hidden speakers, motorized shades, mirror TVs, and so on. But there’s no denying that improving the curb appeal of your Texas home is just as important as focusing on the interior design.

The good news is that smart technology can help with outdoor design too. In particular, we feel the best upgrade you can make to your outdoor areas is landscape lighting. 

There’s a very clear reason for this: 

Your other curb appeal enhancements don’t matter if you can’t see them.

As the sun starts to set, does your home stand out from the crowd or blend into the darkness? Regardless of whatever décor or landscaping you have on the exterior areas of your home, a few strategically placed lights can take your yard from drab to fab.

So what areas should have lighting? Here are some primary spots:

• Pathways and stairs: Pathway lights help to define your outdoor areas and draw the eye throughout the yard, but that’s not where their value stops. They’re also incredibly useful for nighttime safety – no more missing a step in the darkness or stumbling along the path leading to the front door.

• Fountains and pools: Water makes for beautiful reflections of your landscape lighting, dispersing the brightness. They’re also an excellent spot to add a splash of color.

• Walls: Wall sconces and flood lights can provide that defining touch to your landscaping, making your home more prominent in the darkness. These lights are particularly beautiful in areas with key architectural features, like balconies and archways.

• Topiaries and trees: If you have any particular greenery that stands out during the daytime, it makes sense to highlight it in the evening. A prominent oak tree or topiary in the yard would benefit from a spotlight illuminating it.

The “Smart” in “Smart Landscape Lighting”

You may be thinking “the headline says smart technology, but this article is talking about landscape lights. What gives?” 

While you can go for standard lighting, there are a lot of advantages to upgrading to smart lighting control. 

First, it makes the lighting management effortless. You don’t ever have to remember to turn on the lights at a certain time. The system to programmed to turn on and off automatically. Our landscape lighting installations use astronomical clocks as opposed to standard timers, so as the days get shorter and longer throughout the year, your lights will always turn on at the right moment.

Second, you can customize the lights for different occasions. Hosting a party? Just pull out your smartphone and choose the “Party” lighting setting, which could adjust the lighting color to a fun hue and make the pathway lights leading to the front door more prominent, for example. 

The lights can even integrate into your security and surveillance system to help protect your property from thieves. If unusual activity is detected at night, flood lights are triggered to illuminate the intruder.

SEE ALSO: CAN HOME LIGHTING CONTROL MAKE YOUR HOME SAFER?

In short, smart lighting can make your home look stunning, inside and out. If you’d like to learn more about the different options for your landscape, call us at (972) 488-5100, click on the live chat window at the bottom of the screen, or fill out this quick questionnaire!