Below you'll find a list of all posts from 2016
Outdoor lighting design follows some design “rules” and patterns, but each home has its own unique needs. We love making your home look its best by addressing its particular needs, not by taking a prearranged kit and forcing it on your house. Recently, Southern Lights did a project for a home that required lighting on the long set of stairs leading to the …
Adding outdoor lighting to your home is an investment. It is not a minor expense that you can shrug off or toss in the trash if it doesn’t work out the way you’d like. Landscape lighting is an investment in your safety, security and the aesthetic appeal of your home. If it doesn’t do its job, someone may get hurt. Or your home …
There’s an old proverb, “When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. When is the second best time? Now.” In other words, it’s never too late. And with landscape lighting, it’s almost never too early. In the best of all possible scenarios for new construction, a landscape lighting designer is retained during the planning and designing stage of the house, before …
Beautify with Bollards There are aspects of lighting design and installation that are fairly consistent from job to job. But we just love it when we get to go outside the norm and show off our creativity! One of the ways we can do that is with bollards. With what? Bollards! Historically, “bollard” is a nautical term, describing the post to which …
Old-school halogen and incandescent bulbs use filaments. When the filament breaks or burns out, the bulb no longer works. Remember shaking them to hear if the filament had broken? If it was broken, then you replaced the bulb. Easy-peasy. And it happens often, so you learn to keep some on hand. LED lights are very different. Take them apart and they look very much like …
Getting away from the bright lights of the city doesn’t mean you want to pull up to a pitch black home to start your vacation! Aside from the un-welcoming nature of a dark house, it’s also a safety hazard. Lighting For Security It is normal to worry about your vacation home being unoccupied. So how do you protect it from potential intruders? An …
“Do it right, or do it twice.” – My Mama We have been in the outdoor lighting industry for a good number of years. And along the road, we have acquired knowledge through training and experience. We’ve seen the standard change from halogen to LEDs, and with good reason—money saved, energy saved, possibly lives or property saved through added safety and security brought …
Most homeowners are of the thinking that landscape lighting can either make your home safe OR beautiful, but not both. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth! Both beauty and security simply require the proper balance of quality products, great design and proper execution. Dimmable Lighting This is one of the safety features provided by a well-engineered landscape lighting system to homeowners. With …
This is one of the most important things to consider when illuminating your landscape. When does your lighting go from being appropriate to being excessive? It has been stated that under-lighting is as good as non-existent and excessive lighting poses a lot more harm than good. I’ve said it before, but we’ve all been blinded by the ubiquitous garage corner floodlight, and that can …
