Do you love trends because they’re new and popular, or will you cross the street to avoid a trend when you see it coming? At Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Louisville, we don’t see trends as all good or all bad. We believe you have to pick and choose based on what makes sense for your lifestyle.
Today we’re looking at several Louisville landscape lighting trends. Join us and see what resonates with you! If you see something you like, call us so we can talk with you about it.
LED Technology
Those three letters are showing up everywhere, for good reason. LED outdoor lighting is not just a trend, it’s the future becoming the present. Earlier LED technology for outdoor lighting was not good, and many people who jumped on it quickly backed off. The previous generation of LED lights emitted a strange bluish-white color that was clearly not ideal for landscape lighting! Then LED technology turned a corner, and today it’s as beautiful as halogen but much more economical to use. LED lighting uses about 75% less energy than halogen lighting does. If you have halogen landscape lighting, call us about retrofitting your fixtures for LED bulbs.
Automation
Many of our clients use automation for their landscape lighting. Nobody likes realizing they forgot (again) to turn the lights on. We see a variety of technologies for this. A photocell will turn your lights on without your help when it senses darkness, but you can’t turn them off. A combination of photocell (to turn lights on) and a digital timer (to turn them off) is better. The best landscape lighting timer we’ve seen is the astronomical timer. Set to your GPS coordinates, the timer knows when sunset and sunrise occur at your location. Meanwhile, you can set it to turn lights off when you choose, even at different times on different nights. You can also set it to adjust automatically for daylight savings time. We like!
Water Features
Wait, you don’t have a water feature in your yard yet? People love them for the outdoor sanctuary they create, with the soothing sound of cascading water, but after dark it’s more about the visual appeal. Whether you have a pond with waterfalls or a simple fountain, lighting it effectively will take your landscape to a new dimension. Depending on your setting, we can shine a light up or down onto the water or even embed lighting to shine up through the water. We can get very creative with this! If you’re thinking of installing a water feature, call us to arrange lighting installation at the same time so we can coordinate. If you already have a water feature and want to add lighting, we can do that, too!
Beautiful Security Lighting
Who says lighting can’t be beautiful and practical at the same time? Because we are skilled, experienced professional Louisville landscape lighting designers, we know how to arrange beautiful landscape lighting that deters would-be intruders. Everyone knows a subtle wash of lighting around the exterior of your home says “Welcome” and increases curb appeal, but homeowners and lighting professional also know it’s a proven security feature. Trending now is the use of landscape lighting to remove dark areas where prowlers might try to gain entry to your home.
Keeping up with today’s outdoor lighting trends is our job and we love to share what we know. If you have any questions about landscape lighting, give us a call: (502) 237-5178 or email today.
