Beat The Heat in Luxury Style by Paige Farrey

It's summer in Miami which means time by the pool and evenings outside.

Now is the time to gear up for outside living. Over the past few months, the landscape has changed and it's time to beauty the outdoors. Along with making it beautiful, you'll also add security to your home and guests.

The proper outdoor lighting adds value to the architecture, design, security and functionality of your property. It is important to illuminate paths, walkways, driveways, around decks, patios and stairs to create and easy-to-navigate landscape while protecting against unwanted guests.

From the moment you pull into the driveway, illuminate the path for guests to arrive safely. Adding lights to columns or on posts at the entrance offers easy navigation to your home. Correctly placed path lights will lead your guests to the front door with wall mounted lanterns or contemporary lights. All of these pieces tie together to create the initial impression in design and also offer safety for you and your guests.

If there are stairs leading to the pool or patio area, be sure to include step lights. In a covered patio area don't forget ceiling fans work just as well outside as they do inside. They circulate the air and provide light. For a large area you may need more than one. Outdoor fans are now available in an array of designs, finishes and features. A new feature available from Casablanca is the Concert Breeze- a light fixture and sound system all in one. The technology utilizes a wireless system that's easily adapted to your television, stereo, MP3 player, or any other audio source for 360 degrees o hi-definition sound. Decorative lighting around the patio will also enhance the look and ambiance of the area. There are many new choices for decorative outdoor lighting.

You spend time and money creating the landscape design special to you and your home, accent lights will accentuate the trees, shrubs, statues, and other architectural elements in your design. The pool itself should be well lit and there are now many options with LED's to add colors to the rim of the pool. The colors can change based on the time, event or impulse for something different.

The addition of a shower by the pool is a luxurious detail. There are many styles that will work with the design of your home. They are available with or without a hand shower or foot wash functions.

Enjoy your summer!