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Extend the Use of Your Patio With Any of These Outdoor Lighting Options in Naperville, IL12/21/2021  The outdoor living space is a special place where friends and family can relax outdoors and create wonderful memories. Everyone coming to your backyard should feel welcome and safe at all times. Outdoor lighting is absolutely crucial not only for a welcoming and safe feeling, but for beauty as well. When planning your landscape renovation, consider the lighting strategy as a way to enhance your outdoor living space. Now you can extend the use of your patio with any of these outdoor lighting options in Naperville, IL.
Related: Don't Let Your Landscaping Hide in the Dark: 6 Outdoor Lighting Trends to Contemplate in Hinsdale, IL Strategic Combination When designing the lighting scheme of your backyard, it’s important to use a strategic combination of techniques for the best effect. This series of techniques is going to create a layered visual texture that enhances the appearance of your landscape at night. The more focused and intentional your lighting design is, the more time you and your loved ones will want to spend on the patio. Also, less is more. A single low-wattage light fixture can offer enough light for your purposes so we recommend starting small, and gradually adding lights one at a time until you’ve achieved the desired level of illumination. Well-Illuminated Ground Surfaces The patio and walkways need to be illuminated to make sure they’re safe places to walk on, clear of contrasting shadows that could be obscuring obstacles. Single overhead lights won’t be sufficient as they will actually create dark shadows as well as a blinding light should you happen to look up. A better option is to use low-lying walkway lights around the perimeter of the patio and along walkways. These fixtures focus their energy on the ground surface, eliminating dangerous shadows and glare, making a pleasant place to walk around and mingle. Task Lighting When you’re preparing drinks or food in an outdoor kitchen, it’s imperative that there’s decent task lighting. This lighting technique can come in the form of overhead track lights or lights that are embedded into the backsplash if there’s no opportunity to install overhead lighting. Backsplashing Once you’ve made a space safer, it’s time to play around with ambient light to set the mood. This can be done with the technique called backsplashing, which involves shining a spotlight at a blank wall or other large feature and allowing the light to bounce back on the surrounding surfaces. Backsplashing can make use of an otherwise idle surface or feature. Fire Light Take advantage of a fire feature by planning your lighting scheme around the ambient light from the flame. This fire light creates a dramatic ambience that can reflect and enhance any gathering, both relaxing and exciting. Allow the natural light from the fire to wash over that area with the dynamic reflections of dancing flames. After the fire is out, lighting embedded into the fire feature will light the way and remain unobtrusive during the day. String Lighting One of the simplest, yet most exciting lighting schemes for any outdoor living space is string lighting. This lighting technique involves placing tasteful wire lights around the patio. Not only will they create substantial ambient and direct illumination, but they help to make the space feel more magical and lively. These lights can be used on your walkways during parties to help guide guests to where the fun is happening and build on their anticipation. We recommend professional installation if string lights will be hung high in trees or from the home. Related: Brighten Up Your Driveway With These 5 Landscape Design Trends in Wheaton, IL
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 Integrating outdoor lighting into your landscape is one of the key ways to make your outdoor living space and property safer and more beautiful. When a landscape isn’t given proper illumination at night, it can feel scary and unwelcoming. The best strategy of outdoor lighting is to use a mix of strategies, creating a rich visual tapestry that sets the mood and provides a feeling of security. Don’t let your landscaping hide in the dark: six outdoor lighting trends to contemplate in Hinsdale, IL.
Related: Adding a New Fire Pit in Hinsdale IL? Consider These Other Outdoor Lighting Ideas Too Hard-wired Walkway Lights The most important lighting strategy in your landscape is one that focuses on safety. Walkways, pool decks, patios, and driveways need consistent illumination on the ground surface in order to make your outdoor living space safe. Instead of using a flood light to illuminate your ground surfaces, opt for walkway lights. The energy will be focused where it’s needed, providing the best visibility of a walking surface. While some areas of the country can easily use solar-powered walkway lights to reduce electricity bills, here in the Midwest we recommend hard-wired pathway lights that will shine no matter if we’ve had weeks of cloud cover (solar lights only operate at about 50-60% capacity under heavy cloud cover). Updating to LEDs Now is a great time to update your landscape lighting to use light-emitting diode (LEDs) bulbs; or replace older fixtures with modern LED styles. Traditional light bulbs produce a substantial amount of heat, which is essentially wasted energy in a landscape and must be replaced typically once a year, producing a large amount of glass waste. LEDs are incredibly energy efficient and bulbs typically last around 10 years. Some LEDs can even be programmed to change color and be set to automatic timers accessible from apps on your smartphone. Underwater Lighting If you have a pool, you’re familiar with the ethereal blue glow and shimmering waves that wash over the landscape. You can achieve this same effect in smaller water features as well. Fountains, waterfalls, reflecting pools, and more water features will have similar effects. Your landscape will have a more dramatic feel that amplifies the most exciting parties or the most soothing evenings. And, because of the refractive properties of water, the water feature will act as a source of ambient light. Moonlighting Part of creating a dazzling visual experience in your backyard as well as increasing safety is placing lights in the background. Trees make excellent places for effective lighting. Moonlighting is a strategy that places a light high in a tree canopy and aims it downwards. As the light passes through the leaves, it will scatter and create a rich visual texture that dances in the slightest breeze. Use white light to simulate the soft glow of the moon. Embracing Fire Besides being admired in your nighttime outdoor living space, outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, and fire tables also provide a substantial amount of lighting. The ambient light that comes from a warming fire feature is a primitive experience that attracts everyone. Instead of battling your fire features with light, allow them to light their own space. You can also incorporate landscape lighting into many fire features. Choose dimmable fixtures so you can increase the brightness once the fire is out. Finishing Touches for a Layered Effect Identify any overly dark spaces that might create an unwelcoming feeling at night. Place a few (less is more) individual lights in these areas, such as under shrubs, or spotlight a tree, to give dimension to the space without destroying the charm of the night. Related: Brighten Up Your Driveway With These 5 Landscape Design Trends in Wheaton, IL  A sloped property can feature amazing views, but challenges such as erosion and flooding - as well as limited outdoor living space. A retaining wall can solve many problems on your property. Here are 6 ways you can include a retaining wall in your landscape design in Naperville, IL.
Related: Choosing the Right Look for a Retaining Wall That Will Be Part of Your Brick Patio Design in Hinsdale, IL 1. Create Gorgeous Outdoor Living Spaces Outdoor living space is sometimes hard to come by on sloped properties. Excavating part of the hillside and using a retaining wall to hold back soil is a way to significantly add to your usable space. Once the space is carved out, here are some great design ideas. Incorporating built-in seating into the retaining wall can create a cozy spot for a fire pit with a view. A masonry retaining wall will reflect the heat from the fire pit, keeping the space cozier than an exposed fire pit, which will be much appreciated in colder weather. Built-in seating creates a park-like atmosphere; and when you’re hosting a larger gathering, everyone will have a place to sit without the clutter of additional patio chairs. Incorporate other features into the retaining wall to save space and integrate the wall into the living area. An integrated outdoor fireplace and pizza oven will quickly become the hub of outdoor living. An integrated water feature will help create a soothing atmosphere for relaxing and entertaining. A retaining wall also makes the ideal “back wall” of an outdoor kitchen. Landscape light fixtures can also be incorporated into a retaining wall. This will accentuate the texture of the wall, and create a clutter-free approach to landscape lighting. You could even add a few illuminated niches to the wall to display interesting objects. 2. Extra Space for Gardening If you’re a fan of gardening, retaining walls can make the experience even nicer. Terraced gardens are found everywhere in the Mediterranean, making the best use of incredibly steep slopes. A terraced garden can be used to grow edible and ornamental plants on land that would otherwise be extremely difficult to cultivate. And, it puts your garden at a comfortable and easily accessible level. 3. Prevent Erosion and Flooding The main function of a retaining wall is to prevent erosion and flooding. A shorter gravity wall can be used for gentle slopes; steep slopes will need a taller wall that’s engineered and reinforced to withstand the incredible forces of waterlogged soil. Drains installed behind a retaining wall can also divert water to where you want it to go, which will also help prevent soil movement that results from the freeze-thaw cycle. 4. Safety Retaining walls can be used to add a finished look to your landscape. A wall alongside a walkway or driveway makes an elegant statement and presents an opportunity to integrate landscape lighting in a beautifully unobtrusive way. As well, if the wall is upslope of the walkway or driveway, it will help prevent debris from washing onto the surface. 5. Defining Spaces A retaining wall positioned between your front entry walkway and the landscaping creates a welcoming “embrace” to your visitors and makes it clear which way you want people to go. 6. An Artistic Statement Create a bold statement with a retaining wall by embracing the use of different materials on the retaining wall and other patio elements - and turn this otherwise utilitarian feature into a stunning focal point. Related: The 5 Benefits of Having a Retaining Wall Near Your Driveway in Naperville, IL  As you revitalize your outdoor living spaces, you’ll be paying special attention to your patio and its surroundings. The patio is the cornerstone of any outdoor living space and that’s where you want the bulk of your budget and efforts to go. A well-designed patio will help you and your loved ones enjoy the outdoors more and more and lead to some amazing memories. Are you looking to revamp your Hinsdale, IL patio? Consider these landscape design trends.
Related: Choosing the Right Look for a Retaining Wall That Will Be Part of Your Brick Patio Design in Hinsdale, IL Upgrade to Patio Pavers Every great outdoor living space starts with a practical and beautiful ground surface. Some homeowners go for the cheaper option and put poured concrete for their patio. No matter what kind of amenities you have on top of poured concrete, it still won’t bring a patio to its full potential. Instead, upgrade to patio pavers to give your outdoor lifestyle an aesthetic, durable, and practical foundation for your outdoor lifestyle. Pavers let you express your personality, enjoy a low-maintenance surface that lasts, and create an elegant space to relax with friends and family. Pavers can mimic the look of natural stone; they are a durable alternative to clay brick (and available in many more colors); and some are purely modern and embrace the stark industrial look of concrete. Whatever your style, there’s a paver that will work. Consider using permeable paver technology on your patio to keep the space drier after heavy rains or after it snows. Permeable pavers allow water to seep between the pavers instead of collecting on the surface. This also helps to prevent patio damage from freeze and thaw cycles, as well as eliminating standing water or water flooding onto the landscape. Permeable pavers also help replenish groundwater in your landscape. Define Space Usage and Create Activity Zones In renovating your patio, be sure to identify your top intentions for your patio to help define spaces and optimize the design. Start with the basics, like an outdoor kitchen and fire feature; and then depending on your needs, add perks like a hot tub, water feature, or pergola. Give each of these features their own space and define the spaces to create activity zones. Why? Because there’s nothing worse than a constant flow of people through an area meant for relaxation. The best approach is often to centrally locate an outdoor kitchen for convenience, and then place lower-activity areas on the perimeter. Give Your Patio Some Green Life Applying plants to your patio will always have great benefits to the feeling of the outdoor space. A verdant space simply makes people happy. Fill in any empty spaces around your patio with gorgeous plantings instead of transitioning directly to the lawn. Consider building raised masonry planters around your patio not only to raise your garden up to a convenient level, but to provide overflow seating for bigger gatherings. Light It Up The right landscape lighting will make your patio feel welcoming after dark without ruining the magical feel of the night. Take the same zoned approach with lighting as with your activity zones. Embed landscape lighting into masonry features to minimize clutter. Be sure to gently illuminate the landscape as well, to prevent an overly stark contrast between the well-lit patio and the landscape beyond. A soft layered effect - achievable by illuminating just a few features “out there” - will yield amazing results. Related: Renovating Your Patio? Here are 6 Reasons to Include a Fire Pit in Naperville, IL  As summer winds down and the first chill of fall makes you reach for your favorite sweater, you may be wondering which landscaping projects you can still squeeze in before the ground freezes. Luckily, there are many plants available at your local plant nursery and garden center that will give your landscape a dazzling array of color through the fall season. Here’s a guide to adding beauty to your landscaping: plantings that will add the finishing touch to your landscape design in Naperville, IL.
Related: Brighten Up Your Landscaping With These 5 Landscape Design Ideas in Wheaton, IL Coral Bells Gorgeous coral bells are wonderful perennial additions to an Illinois landscape. Their wide leaves not only show beautiful color but a vivacious visual texture for any garden. Coral bells come in a variety of different colors: purple, green, and orange to name a few. Despite the look of the plants, they won’t lose their leaves in the winter and will continue to offer gorgeous visuals throughout the cold season when others go dormant. Hostas For the shadiest part of your garden, hostas make a great choice. The leaves are lined with a white border while the centers typically show a dark green. The interesting visual texture of Hosta leaves will ensure a varied garden in combination with other great Illinois perennials. Since this plant is so adapted to shady areas, let it fill in the spaces between larger shrubs and trees. Hibiscus Though the hibiscus doesn’t show itself much during the winter, the plant grows quickly throughout the spring and incredible pink flowers bloom in the early summer. While it’s not a native plant, the incredible color will add a great quality to your sunny garden. In the late summer, trim the flower bulbs off the stem and let them dry in the sun. The resulting dried leaves make an incredible tea that can last for years in its dried form. Dwarf Lythrum Another great plant that produces a fantastic visual texture is the Dwarf Lythrum, which grows in tall stalks covered with small pink flowers. Be careful, since a species in this plant family is invasive in Illinois. Make sure to buy the variety of this plant that doesn’t seed from a plant nursery and garden center. Meanwhile, this is a fantastic plant to attract pollinators such as bees and hummingbirds. Daylilies For a stunning flowering plant, daylilies allow for the type of versatility in your garden that you’re looking for. The flowers grow large and colorful, ranging from red to pink to orange to yellow. The size of the blooms will demand attention in your garden. Luckily, these plants are perfect for growing in a variety of topographies owing to their roots, which naturally grow quite deep and hold them in place. Aster Many plants will bloom throughout the spring and summer, but the Aster naturally blooms in the fall. The plant produces a high amount of flowers that end up creating a canopy of beautiful magentas and fuchsias. Aster grows about two feet tall and grows outward. The blooming time of this plant will make it the focus of the fall while others lie dormant. Russian Sage For a bit less striking color and a more subtle beauty, look for Russian Sage. This plant also grows in tall stalks and flowers in a gentle lavender color. The scent of the many flowers will attract pollinators and also make a gorgeous display for your garden. Related: Take a Fresh Look at Your Patio Options With These 4 Landscaping Ideas in Wheaton, IL Enjoy the Fall Season: 4 Landscaping Trends for Loving the Outdoors in Wheaton and Hinsdale, IL9/13/2021  Just because summer is winding down doesn’t mean that outdoor fun has to stop. If you want more outdoor fun and natural serenity in your life, here are our tips on how to enjoy the fall season: 4 landscaping trends for loving the outdoors in Wheaton and Hinsdale, IL.
Related: Why a Fire Pit Becomes the Prime Destination of the Backyard Patio in Hinsdale, IL A Patio With Character It’s hard to get excited about hanging out with friends on a boring concrete slab. But on a gorgeous custom paver patio complete with a pergola… seat walls… an outdoor fireplace or fire pit… and an outdoor kitchen with bar seating? Now we’re talking! The most appealing and functional patios feature a zoned approach where high-traffic areas such as the outdoor kitchen don’t interfere with quieter activities such as a lounge area. Think about your favorite patio activities, and plan a patio so that each of these main activities have their own zone. One way to achieve this is by setting these different zones at different elevations. For example, your outdoor kitchen could be on the main level - convenient to the home - and your lounge area a step higher for a commanding view of the surroundings, and a fire pit one step below the main patio to add a sense of coziness and intimacy. If you don’t relish the thought of shoveling your patio once the snow begins to fall, consider a driveway heating system that’s placed under the pavers. Your patio will be safer and much more appealing in cold weather. An Outdoor Kitchen With the Amenities You Need Cooking delicious meals for family and friends is one of the joys of outdoor living. The key is to have a cooking space that meets your needs as a cook. Do you love grilling? Then a masonry grill station with an adjacent bar could be just the ticket for backyard BBQs. Do you love to wow your guests with gourmet meals? Then spring for a full outdoor kitchen that features a wine cooler, Kamado grill, 2- or 4-burner cooktop, or even a wood-fired pizza oven. Shelter Nothing puts a damper on outdoor fun than a cold November drizzle. But from the shelter of a pavilion, you won’t give it a second thought! A pavilion is an open-sided structure with a solid roof that offers protection from the elements. You still get the outdoors feeling, but without the hassle of running indoors when the skies open up. Since a pavilion can be any size, it could cover your outdoor kitchen/bar area, and even include a seating area. Make it even cozier by adding an outdoor fireplace along one side - or a gas-fueled fire table in the center, for an amazing outdoor dining experience. Updated Lighting As the days get shorter, you’ll want landscape lighting that will keep your outdoor spaces safe and inviting. Today’s landscape lighting designs use light-emitting diode (LED) technology because these bulbs last an incredibly long time, use very little energy, and their small sizes mean you can get creative with placement. A layered approach will give you the most pleasing results. This strategy involves the appropriate amount of lighting within each activity zone (a combination of task lighting, ambient light, and accent lighting). As well, you want to prevent the unpleasant contrast between a dark landscape and a brightly lit patio and walkway. Placing a few subtle lights throughout the landscape will give dimension to these formerly dark spaces, without disrupting the appeal of a nighttime experience. Related: Options for Outdoor Lighting to Improve Safety and Beauty Along Your Wheaton, IL, Driveway  Your patio is the focus of your outdoor living area and so it should include features which keep you outside longer. One of these features is the fire pit, which has been bringing everyone together for thousands of years. Are you renovating your patio? Here are six reasons to include a fire pit in Naperville, IL.
Related: Take a Fresh Look at Your Patio Options With These 4 Landscaping Ideas in Wheaton, IL The Pride of a Gorgeous Masonry Feature Having a masonry feature standing proud in your backyard will make you feel like your landscape is more complete. Luckily, a fire pit is a permanent feature on your patio (or anywhere in your landscape) that quickly becomes an anchor point. For the most cohesive look, pair the blocks used in the construction of your fire pit with the surrounding patio as well as any masonry and color schemes present in your home and landscape. A Place to Warm Up Fire pits offer that nostalgic campfire feeling without the trouble of digging and building a pit in the wilderness. While they’re fairly rudimentary, fire pits have remained one of the most attractive places for people to get together and warm up. No matter if it’s a night in the heat of the summer after a barbecue with loved ones or a frigid night around the holidays where a small group of bundled-up close friends share mugs of hot cocoa surrounded by crunchy snow, the fire pit is where everyone will go to warm up. A Place to Cook While it might take some professional skill to cook some gourmet food around a fire pit, it’s still a great place to roast sausages or marshmallows to make some delicious s’mores. Some of the finest summer memories are made with skewers around the campfire, so it’s the natural next step to reinforce those memories in the comfort of your backyard. We recommend a wood-fired fire pit for cooking; and be sure to use fruitwoods that impart a delicious flavor to your food. A Place to Gather Even though it’s fun to stand around a fire pit and chat while enjoying the warmth and flickering light, it’s much cozier when you’ve got a comfortable place to sit. Once you’ve gotten the fire started and a few logs start to glow with embers, friends and family will start taking their seats around the pit. Since you’ve already gotten a permanent masonry feature installed on your patio, you could surround your fire pit with some high-backed seat walls which can help retain the heat in the area and shelter everyone from cold winds. High-backed seat walls can provide the opportunity for sturdy and comfortable relaxation around a fire pit and help make the fire area a prominent focal point. A Potential Return on Your Investment As fire pits are one of the most attractive features in any home landscape, it will quickly become one of the selling points should you ever choose to sell your home, especially if the fire pit is fueled by natural gas or propane. Potential buyers will appreciate the ambience that only a fire pit can add. But what about you? A fire pit could be the one feature that gets you to use your outdoor living space much later into the year - even in the heart of winter. And since you are already paying for the space, it’s nice to be able to use it comfortably! A fire pit is one of the best investments you can make in your landscape. Related: Warm Up Your Wheaton IL Brick Patio With a Traditional Fire Pit We’re honored to be featured in this blog post by 15 Acre Homestead on How to Have a Yard You Love. Given how much many of us spend on acquiring a property, we should have high standards relating to the quality of the property. And this means all areas of the home. You’ll probably be spending a lot of time and effort in ensuring that the inside of your home is on point, but what about the exterior area? If you get this area right, then you’ll have a space where you can unwind, relax, and create memories with your loved ones. And the good news is that getting a yard you love isn’t as difficult as many people think. In this blog, we’ll look at a few ways that you can make sure your yard is one of your favorite places at your property. Read more.   If you have a new brick patio or you’re planning to install one, you may be wondering how to showcase it using your landscaping. Here are 4 landscape design tips for drawing attention to your brick patio in Naperville, IL.
Related: Choosing the Right Look for a Retaining Wall That Will Be Part of Your Brick Patio Design in Hinsdale, IL Brick is a timeless building material that comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Mostly, when we think of brick, we picture the traditional bricks we see on walls and sidewalks; but brick pavers can also be square, large, and they do not have to be reddish. Brick is a versatile material that will bring visual interest to your outdoor living space whether you use traditional clay bricks (which are more limited in choices) or concrete bricks, which are available in many more styles and colors since they are not tied to the colors of the clay used in the making of clay bricks. 1. Colors The first decision to make is whether you want your landscaping to contrast or complement your patio. Whether you want it to be a dramatic focal point or whether you prefer that it blends in, you can draw attention to the patio with color. A light-colored patio will stand out more in any landscape, but especially so in a wooded landscape or in a setting that doesn’t receive much sunlight. In bright, sunny areas, a light-colored patio will instantly grab your attention. A mid-toned patio won’t stand out as much as a light-colored patio, so here you could use interesting laying patterns and textures to make an interesting space. A dark-colored patio (such as granite- or limestone-inspired pavers) will blend in even more with the surroundings, but will also give your outdoor space an elegant look very much worthy of a second glance. 2. Textures Nature is filled with textures so to make your patio stand out, you could create a contrast. That doesn’t mean the pavers have to be smooth, or that you should avoid texture altogether. Here are a couple of ideas. You could use smooth patio pavers to provide a contrast to a more textured seat wall that softens the transition between the smoothness of the pavers and the varied textures of the natural surroundings. Or, your patio could feature moderately textured brick pavers in a lighter color that will help it stand out. Or, you could embrace the natural visual texture of traditional brick pavers (which is due to their small size and the many joints between them) but use laying patterns to keep the eye engaged in the patio. 3. Vertical Elements The eye is less interested in flat planes than dynamic spaces filled with a variety of horizontal and vertical elements. You could bring attention to your brick patio by surrounding your patio partially with a seat wall; adding a fire pit or outdoor fireplace; by cladding the walls of your outdoor kitchen in brick pavers; or by using brick pillars at the base of the wooden supports of a pergola. 4. Laying Patterns You can create a stand-out patio with more structured patterns. If you’re using traditional bricks, then either herringbone, running bond, or basket weave patterns provide a sense of order. If you’re using larger square brick pavers, laying them end-to-end also provides an eye-catching contrast to the softer elements in the landscape, even in a formal landscape where plants are precisely located in symmetrical patterns. Related: 5 Landscape Design Ideas for a Modern Permeable Driveway in Wheaton, IL Options for Outdoor Lighting to Improve Safety and Beauty Along Your Wheaton, IL, Driveway8/13/2021  Keeping your landscape illuminated is one of the many ways of keeping your home safe. Driveway lighting is one of the best ways to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere. However, this doesn’t mean that you need glaring floodlights. Your driveway can also be illuminated at night to showcase the beauty of the home, the front yard, as well as the driveway itself. Here are some options for outdoor lighting to improve safety and beauty along your Wheaton, IL driveway.
Related: Why Adequate Outdoor Lighting for Your Naperville IL Driveway and Front Yard Is So Important Abandon the Floodlight One of the most common styles of landscape lighting actually does more harm than good. Floodlighting using a single bright light source will do a poor job of covering an area while using a high amount of energy to do it. It will produce a harsh glare - the last thing you want to be looking at when navigating an unfamiliar driveway. Flood lights also produce contrasting shadows that can obscure obstacles in the driveway. Here are some great alternatives. Solar-Powered LED Path Lights Placing solar-powered LED path lights along the driveway provides safety as well as a clear delineation of the driveway. Low-lying lights won’t produce glare since their light is aimed at the ground. The downside to path lights is that very low lights could be obscured by snow; so knee-high lights will be more practical in all but the deepest snows. When choosing the right path lights, you can go off the grid. Choose light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as your main light source in standalone light fixtures that are powered by the sun during the day, and activate as night falls. This will eliminate energy costs for keeping your driveway illuminated while also adding an elegant touch. Masonry-embedded Lights If you have any existing structures such as a retaining wall along the driveway edge, this will provide a wonderful housing for your solar-powered LED light fixtures. You can place a series of lights just under the lip of the cap stone on an existing wall - or if you’re thinking about a new wall, you could build them anywhere into the wall itself during construction. Another option is to install lights embedded into masonry pillars that run the length of the driveway; the pillars could also serve as posts for a decorative fence. Spotlighting Landscape Features Part of creating a sense of depth perception for safe driving up and down your driveway at night is by illuminating various landscape features. You can achieve this with the technique of spotlighting, which uses bright lights near the ground that are angled upwards to show something in its full glory. This may be a gorgeous tree that dominates your front yard, a series of shrubs, a beautiful rock outcropping, or maybe even a statue or a retaining wall. Giving these features proper illumination at night will help create a much safer and interesting experience for visitors. Leading With String Lights String lights are typically used to create a festive atmosphere for backyard gatherings, but they may find another excellent use for your driveway. String lights can be placed above the driveway along the edge, both giving excellent, soft ambient light for the surrounding features as well as helping a driver or pedestrians find their way. It’s an excellent welcoming tactic that’s simple to install though you’ll want professionals to install string lights from your home or in tree canopies. Best of all, there is a wide variety of string light designs and styles to use in your landscape that conform with all parts of your aesthetic. Once your guests arrive at night, they’ll already be in awe by the time they reach your doorstep. Related: Outdoor Lighting Trends to Consider for a Naperville, IL, Brick Patio |
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