01 Jun

Summer Storm Season: Safety and Surreal Beauty in Illumination

As the temperature rises and the days grow longer, summer storms bring a unique beauty and energy to our lives. However, with the arrival of storm season today, it’s crucial to ensure that our outdoor spaces are both safe and enchanting. In this post, we’ll explore the significance of landscape lighting during the summer storm season and how Decorating Elves can help by implementing appropriate lighting solutions. We can work with you to transform your outdoor spaces into captivating havens, no matter the weather.

storm cloud over homes on water

1. Safety First, Lighting as a Protective Measure

When it comes to summer storms, safety should always be a top priority. Adequate lighting can help prevent accidents and ensure that your outdoor areas remain safe during inclement weather. Consider installing pathway lights to illuminate walkways, stairs, and potential hazards. Low-voltage LED lights (one of our specialities) are a cost-effective and energy-efficient choice, offering bright illumination while consuming less power. Additionally, motion-activated floodlights can provide added security by deterring unwanted intruders during the stormy nights.

2. Enhancing the Beauty of Your Landscape

Despite the occasional stormy weather, summer is a time when outdoor gatherings, barbecues, and relaxing evenings with loved ones become more frequent. Well-planned landscape lighting can enhance the beauty of your outdoor spaces and create a magical atmosphere even during stormy evenings.

a. Accentuating Key Features: Use uplights or spotlights to highlight unique elements of your landscape, such as tall trees, sculptures, or architectural details. This not only adds a touch of elegance but also draws attention away from potential storm-related imperfections.

b. Festive String Lights: String lights can transform any outdoor area into a whimsical wonderland. Hang them across patios, pergolas, or even in trees to create a warm and inviting ambiance. Opt for weatherproof and durable string lights to ensure they withstand the elements.

c. Silhouettes in the Rain: Rainy weather can create stunning visual effects when paired with proper lighting. Experiment with backlighting or silhouette effects by placing lights strategically behind rain-soaked objects or plant life. This creates a surreal and captivating atmosphere, bringing out the unique charm of summer storms.

3. Resilient Lighting Solutions

When selecting lighting fixtures for your outdoor spaces, we understand what is crucial to withstand the elements. Here are a few resilient lighting solutions ideal for the summer storm season:

a. Weatherproof Fixtures: We only invest in fixtures designed explicitly for outdoor use and those with high IP (Ingress Protection) ratings, indicating their resistance to water and dust. These fixtures will keep your landscape lighting functioning flawlessly even in heavy downpours.

b. Underground Lighting: Pathway lights or recessed fixtures that are installed below ground level are not only visually appealing but also less susceptible to damage from storms. They remain protected while providing illumination to guide you and your guests safely through your outdoor spaces.

c. Timer Controls and Smart Lighting: Consider installing timer controls or smart lighting systems that allow you to program your landscape lighting to turn on and off automatically. This feature ensures your lights operate efficiently, even if you’re away or caught off guard by an unexpected summer storm.

Summer storms bring a unique charm to our lives, especially here in Florida. With the right landscape lighting, you can fully embrace the enchanting atmosphere they create. By prioritizing safety, enhancing the beauty of your outdoor spaces, and selecting resilient lighting solutions, you can ensure that your landscape lighting stands strong during the storm season. Let your outdoor areas shine bright, rain or shine, and make the most of this captivating time of year. The design team at Decorating Elves is happy to meet with you to address any concerns you may have or improvements you’d like to make. We look forward to connecting with you.

15 Apr

Landscape Lighting Planning for Beauty and Security

If you are looking to enhance the beauty and security of your home’s outdoor spaces, adding landscape lighting can be a great way to achieve your goals. However, once you start looking into all the options out there, you may quickly become overwhelmed. Don’t let frustration with landscape lighting discourage you from having the property of your dreams! In this post, we’ll give you some tips to help you plan your outdoor lighting project.  Read More

26 Aug

8 Fall Landscape Lighting Ideas

With fall approaching comes the promise of (slightly) lower temperatures and plenty of outdoor entertainment opportunities, making it a perfect time to change up your landscape lighting design. In this post, we’ll go over our top 8 ideas for a fall landscape lighting makeover and touch on routine maintenance needs in the fall.

1. Get Thematic

Fall offers several occasions to jazz up your lawn. Halloween and Thanksgiving are the two most notable holidays, but Veterans Day and even Oktoberfest also give some unique chances to decorate and show off your holiday flair. Read More

10 Jul

Update Your Home’s Curb Appeal with Color-Changing Landscape Lighting

Whether you’re renovating, getting ready to sell, or just looking for an easy way to improve your outdoor spaces, now is the time to add color-changing LED landscape lighting to your home. Landscape lighting has always added elegance to a home’s exterior, but with color-changing LED landscape lighting, we can turn your outdoor spaces into an experience.

Updated landscape lighting, masterfully done in Tampa Bay by the team at Decorating Elves, impacts four key elements on your property: Read More

10 Feb

How Shadowing Can Create Dramatic Landscape Lighting Effects

Outdoor lighting is an art form, and any artist will tell you that good art incorporates both bright and dark. That’s why the experts here at Decorating Elves in Clearwater will design your landscape lighting with special attention to the effects of shadows. There are many outdoor lighting techniques that create dynamic shadow effects, but none are quite as dramatic as the technique known as shadowing.

What is Shadowing?

Shadowing involves casting the shadow of a prominent feature in your yard onto a background. The background can be large or small, but we always recommend shadowing on a larger background for maximum effect.  Read More

15 Feb

How Lighting Can Impact Your Landscaping

Achieving the perfect outdoor lighting for your home requires a true blend of art and science. When lighting design is carefully paired with landscape design, something magical happens. As you work with a professional lighting company like Decorating Elves to paint your nighttime landscape with the beautiful accents of light, take these tips and ideas into consideration.  Read More

15 Nov

Using Customizable Outdoor Landscape Lighting for Photographic Moments

Is there a stately tree in your yard that is perfect for family photos? Or maybe you have a wide porch that accommodates your large family for holiday pictures. In any case, landscape lighting can help make such moments possible, not just once, but whenever you need them.

You don’t have to have a grand manse to make customizable outdoor lighting worth the investment. Whether it’s six lights or three dozen, we can install the perfect lighting in cooperation with your landscape design. We have many affordable options, but the more customizable features included, the higher the price. Read More

15 Jun

Using Permanent Lighting to Shine in Dark Times

Do you wish you could brighten up the mood of your neighborhood? In these dark times of a global pandemic, many people are isolating themselves and keeping their contact with others to a minimum. As summer goes on, people are missing their neighborhood barbecues and block parties. Everyone is feeling isolated, depressed, and scared.

Sometimes it can help boost everyone’s mood if they just know that they are not alone. You can help them feel as though you are there celebrating summer with them with a well-planned, permanent lighting scheme for your home that the entire neighborhood can enjoy. Read More

15 Apr

Why Lighting Makes You Awesome

Outdoor lighting might be an afterthought for some, but truly awesome people instinctively know that the right outdoor lighting is essential. Installing permanent lighting outside your home isn’t just about making it safer or increasing a home’s value. There are so many awesome things you can do when you have the right outdoor lighting scheme.

Cookouts

Everyone knows the guy hosting the cookout is the most awesome of the group. With outdoor lighting, you can host cookouts any time of the day or night. You could host a cookout that starts with lunch, segues into a sports game, then goes through dinner. You could also cook out no matter what time of year it was, even if it was dark at 5 P.M. Read More

15 Apr

The Best Outdoor Lighting for Handicap Accessibility

With a little specialized knowledge, you can create an outdoor lighting design that is both beautiful and handicap accessible. There are just a few key aspects of your outdoor lighting design you need to keep in mind to create that accessibility. It is important to pay attention to the glare of your lighting, how well-lit your pathways are, and how easily switches can be accessed.

Reducing Glare From Lighting

Glare causes visibility issues for those who use wheelchairs. The reason for this is that many people who install lights hanging from cabinets, coming from the ground, or hanging downwards are thinking of the visual effect for people of an average height who are standing. Many lights can, accidentally, be placed in a way that shines light directly into the eyes of someone traveling through your outdoor space in a wheelchair.

To reduce the glare coming from your outdoor lighting design, keep the various eyeline levels of people in mind when placing lights. You can position some lights at a lower level so they won’t shine in anyone’s eyes. Frost-tinted bulbs are another way to reduce glare and make your space more handicap accessible. Read More