Is your Home Ready for a Summertime Party?

Planning to do an outdoor party in your terrace or courtyard?

Well, here are patio lighting decor ideas to make your parties look totally rocking. It is absolutely amazing to host a patio party at night during the spring or warm summer. The cool breeze and a full moon above will create a mesmerizing environment for the party.

Lighting is the key for any party. Properly placed lighting can define an outdoor patio while adding stylish charm, creating a comfortable outdoor space that allows you and your guests to enjoy the beauty of nature well into the evening.

A well-lighted front entrance enables you to accent your home’s design and greet visitors. Wall lanterns on each side of the door will give your home a warm, welcoming look, while assuring the safety of those who enter.

To conserve energy, consider post and wall lanterns that use LED or CFL light sources.

Dimmer controls aren't just for chandeliers and other interior lighting. Fitting your outdoor fixtures with dimmer controls will give you the flexibility to design a lighting plan with multiple uses and decorative effects.

                                                                               

Landscape lighting works with your other outdoor lighting to showcase your home and the surrounding grounds with a warm glow after the sun goes down.

For safety and the guarantee of a well cooked meal, don’t forget to add more light over the barbecue area. To accomplish this, install a series of recessed fixtures to provide enough light.

We have good news for anyone that doesn’t like mosquitoes. LED lights DO NOT attract mosquitoes. YAY!!!! Mosquitoes are attracted to fluorescent lights and other ultraviolet light sources; and LED lights do not produce ultraviolet light. 


Also, LED lights do not emit carbon dioxide, another reason these little guys are not attracted to LED lighting. This is great, huh?

In addition, pools can be illuminated with underwater LED lighting providing beauty and safety for evening entertaining.

Add a touch of your style to your outdoor living space with an outdoor fan.

Ceiling fans work just as well outside as they do in interior spaces. Particularly in a covered deck or patio spaces, fans offer a great way to circulate air and provide light. Whether traditional or modern, an outdoor ceiling fan will turn your outdoor area into a breezy oasis.

Is your patio ready for a summertime party? Hurry up and start making some changes, it’s time dust off that BBQ and get ready for great days of sunshine.

Increase Your Home's Drive-up Appeal

Photo Courtesy of Kichler Lighting

The American Lighting Association has shared with us few easy tips that will help make your home warm and inviting this holiday season.

Creating an elegant and welcoming first impression for your guests during this holiday season should not be hard to achieve. By adding a few, easy-to-install landscape uplights to highlight trees and shrubs, or path lighting to illuminate a sidewalk or driveway, your home will emit a sense of understated warmth and sophistication.

During the holidays, prudent use of red or green bulbs in landscape lights is an effortless way to add a festive touch. Don't be intimidated by the idea or installing outside lighting. Low-voltage landscape lights are very simple to install.

If you need more ideas, come and talk to any of our experts, you will see how your home can nicely be transformed.

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!