Bringing Your Property to Life With Outdoor Lighting

While homeowners often think of outdoor lighting in the context of the front yard and adding curb appeal, there is tremendous value in incorporating lighting into the backyard, too. 

In the backyard, lighting is all about adding an “enjoyment factor.” Whereas people often talk about “ROI” (return on investment), we think that “ROE” (return on enjoyment) is another critical consideration.

So often we get caught up in curb appeal and home value, which is largely focused on what other people get to see. But we also want to make sure we make improvements to our homes that help us enjoy more quality time in our outdoor spaces.

That was certainly one of the goals for this Memphis, TN home. 

The homeowners wanted to be able to enjoy their backyard more thoroughly. By adding outdoor lighting, they were able to truly maximize their enjoyment of their property as a whole

Creating Backyard Lighting Scenes

As with most homeowners, these homeowners had different purposes for using their yard. That’s one of the key benefits of setting up outdoor lighting with different “scenes.” These different scenes can be created for different uses.

We created two primary scenes for these homeowners: one for entertaining and one for everyday use.

For the entertainment scene, we incorporated these beautiful tiki torch lights that also doubled as path lights around the property. We also lit up a water feature in the pool that really added to the aesthetic appeal of the yard. 

The everyday lighting scene (which we’ll talk more about next) had more to do with functional lighting that allowed the homeowners (and their dog) to navigate their property.

Anytime that you’re adding lighting to a space, it’s important to think about how that space is used. And as demonstrated in this case, properties often do have many purposes. 

Having the right lighting scene to match specific wants and needs can increase the overall enjoyment factor.

The Critical Importance of Everyday Lighting Needs

The overall functionality of a property is always important, too. Most people have more “everyday” needs for their outdoor lighting than they do “entertainment needs.” Whether it’s getting from the front yard to the backyard safely or even walking from your driveway to your door, these are everyday lighting needs that require the right solutions.

In this case, one of the lighting problems was the fact that the homeowners could not see their dog in the yard at night. Their property was almost pitch black without any lighting turned on. 

This was an easy problem to solve with the right lighting. Now the homeowners can clearly see (and watch) the dog from inside the home…and the dog can see where it’s going in the yard.

Of course, in solving this problem, we didn’t want to add lighting that was too bright or too harsh which would take away from the nighttime ambiance. We added just the right amount of soft lighting that achieved the goals without detracting from the aesthetics.

This is an area where a lot of lighting companies get it wrong. They go with lights that are too bright or they add too many. While that might make the backyard more visible, it can detract from the ambiance. 

Adding Front Yard Lighting, Too

In addition to the backyard lighting, we also added front yard lights that did help contribute to the curb appeal of this home. 

That includes lighting up the facade of the house and some of the surrounding trees.

There’s always value involved in adding lighting to the front of your home as it makes the property more attractive. There are also safety and security benefits that can’t be overlooked. 

With the right lighting, a front yard can be safer to navigate. And when a home is well-lit, it also looks occupied…even when you’re not home. These are valuable benefits on top of increased curb appeal.

Bringing the Property to Life

While every project is unique and some end up being more challenging than others, this particular project was quite smooth from start to finish. There were no significant challenges that we faced and everything came together nicely.

In the end, we felt the lighting was dialed in just right to really appreciate the benefits. Everything from the design to the installation was a streamlined process.

When the project was finished, the property was truly brought to life and the homeowners say they now enjoy it so much more. Their property was incredibly dark without lights so when they’re switched on, it’s like a whole new world. Nothing is too harsh or overdone…it’s just right.

Are You Looking to Make Your Memphis Property More Enjoyable?

It’s always our goal to walk away from these finished projects with happy clients and that was the case here. The homeowners are now enjoying more time outside thanks to having beautiful and functional outdoor lighting. 

Just like this project, you might have a property that could benefit from outdoor lighting. We love working with homeowners who can see the value in adding outdoor lighting to improve not only their curb appeal but also their overall use of their property.

With the right lighting, you can soon be enjoying your property more than ever.

Are you ready to create a secure, functional, and beautiful property at any hour of the day? If so, let’s meet and discuss some bright ideas.