Create A Stunning Outdoor Space With These Residential Landscape Lighting Tips

Published on: 01 November 2017 Last Updated on: 22 February 2020

When you think about landscaping, you probably think about visiting a nursery to pick out plants or planting flowers to create a beautiful accent garden. Flowers, plants, and trees are only one part of the equation, however. You also need to think about how your landscape will look after the sun goes down. Residential landscape lighting can enhance the look of your home after dark, drawing attention to key architectural details of your house and highlighting the beautiful plants that surround it. Use these tips to boost your home’s curb appeal today.

Understand that landscape lighting goes beyond solar path lights

Lighting up your landscape involves far more than just sticking a few solar lights along the edge of your sidewalk and calling it good. Instead, it is about creating a specific feeling in your yard after the sun goes down. When done correctly, landscape lighting can transform your outdoor space, turning it into a beautiful accent for your home. This type of lighting is not only meant to be functional but also to enhance the look and feel of your home.

Decide what you hope to achieve

Before you start picking out lights and deciding where to place them, come up with an overall plan for what you hope to achieve. Are you trying to make your yard safer by lighting up your sidewalk or patio area? Do you want to create a well-lit area where you can entertain? Do you want to draw attention to certain areas of your home, highlighting its unique architecture? Are you trying to improve the security of your property? By identifying your objectives before you begin, you can do a much better job of designing a lighting setup that will help you achieve your goals.

Take care of an essential lighting first

There are certain parts of your yard that should definitely be lit. Here are some of the key components that you should include in your overall design:

- Pathway lights. Any sidewalks, pathways, or entrances should be well lit to make it easy for people to see.
- Driveway lighting. You should incorporate plenty of light in your driveway area so that you can get to and from your car with ease.
- Stairs. If you have stairs leading up to your home, make sure that they are well illuminated so that people don’t trip and fall.
- Patios or decks. Any outdoor gathering area should incorporate lighting so that it can be used after dark.
- Trees. If you have any trees that you want to highlight, you can easily do it with lighting.
- Key architectural features. You can use lighting to enhance the architecture of your home. If you have any water features on your property, you should also consider lighting them.

Choose LED lights

Rather than going with halogen bulbs, opt for LED lighting. Not only do these bulbs last a long time but they are extremely energy-efficient.

A single bulb can last as long as 100,000 hours. That means that you won’t have to replace them often – an important consideration since outdoor lighting fixtures are not always easily accessible.

LED lights can also stand up to the elements, making them perfect for use outdoors. No matter how bad the weather gets, you shouldn’t have to worry about your lighting.

Another advantage of LED lights is that they are extremely versatile. You can change everything from the color of the light to its intensity. This can allow you to create a completely customized look for your outdoor space.

Incorporate multiple types of lighting to create an interesting design

Your residential landscape lighting design should include ambient lighting, which is lighting that shines over the entire space. It should also incorporate task lighting, which is used to provide illumination for tasks like cooking. Finally, it should also include accent lighting, which is used to draw attention to certain features of your yard. For instance, you could put a spotlight on a tree to draw attention to it. Incorporating all three types of lighting will help create a balanced, professional look that will set your yard apart from others in your neighborhood.

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Small Kitchen Storage Ideas

If you have a small kitchen, you could find it challenging to organize it and keep your space clutter-free. When you continue to struggle with small kitchen storage, then it’s time to assess how you organize everything. This will help you maximize every inch of kitchen space and ensure that no valuable space is wasted. Top-rated house cleaning in Tucson goes over step by step how to accomplish this task. How To Organize Small Kitchen If you are struggling with storage space, here are a few affordable small kitchen storage ideas to make life a little easier. 1. Tension rod No doubt, a small kitchen could mean having a tough time arranging essentials. But a tension rod can come in handy, especially to keep cleaning supplies safely. Hang your kitchen cleaning supplies from a short tension rod where they are easy to access. What’s more, you can hang rubber cleaning gloves on the tension rod. Your dish-drying towels too can be hidden from plain sight on a tension rod installed in the cabinet. 2. Use up the wall space Another small kitchen storage idea is to leverage the wall space to store kitchen accessories. Free up the drawer space and use the walls instead of clutter-free storage. You may stash knives on a magnetic rack to make access easy when food preparation is underway. 3. Stack on the rack One interesting small kitchen storage solution is to locate a bookshelf near the kitchen to store mist essential cooking supplies. You may leverage the space to stack spices, dishware, and even cookbooks. 4. Hang baskets When it comes to organizing a small kitchen, baskets can come in handy to stack kitchen utensils and cleaning supplies. Better still, you may hang a couple of baskets above a sink to leverage the vacant space. It’s one of the best ideas to stack wet dishes and sponges for quick drying. Another stylish kitchen storage solution is to hang a wire basket from the ceiling. It could be single or multi-tiered, depending on your storage needs. You can store potatoes, onions, garlic, and any other stuff that also adds visual interest to your kitchen. 5. Floating shelves Another kitchen storage idea is to add a pair of floating shelves for that extra storage space. This comes in handy if your kitchen lacks room for cabinetry. Easy to install, floating shelves can be hung just about anywhere – even under the bottom shelf. You can hang hand towels, utensils, or coffee mugs. 6. Corner drawer A small kitchen has little space. But with some creative ideas, you can create smart kitchen storage solutions. The corner drawer is one such space-saving storage idea in a small kitchen, especially for awkward corners. These drawers connect the corners diagonally. As a result, they can pack a lot of stuff that horizontal cabinets cannot. 7. Utensil drawer When your small kitchen lacks space for crockery and silverware, opt for a built-in utensil drawer. One similar DIY solution, which is affordable as well, is to place stainless steel pots in a deep drawer that has little space. Use these pots for holding small kitchen accessories. 8. Adopt a pantry Another way to make a small kitchen look bigger is to de-clutter the space by adding a pantry. It is a good storage solution that provides easy access while freeing up the burden on over-stuffed cabinets. 9. On-the-go space A portable kitchen trolley is a handy addition to a small kitchen. Take it anywhere while it safely stores bulky items. It works like an excellent solution to wheel food to the dining table. 10. Wall-mounted cabinets Get a little creative with the kitchen décor when you are looking for tips to organize a small kitchen. You may choose a mix of open shelves to show off your favorite cutlery and wall-mounted cabinets to keep stuff out of sight. Leave some gap between the two to create the impression of extra storage. Picture ledges and hooks can free up the work surface and spruce up the décor. 11. Velcro strips Velcro strips can come to your rescue in a small kitchen, where you are short on storage space. Attach these strips in two spots to hang towels and other similar stuff to save space. 12. File folders as racks While a file folder sits empty in your garage, why not put it to the right use in the kitchen? You may be surprised to see that it can be used smartly to organize your kitchen. They come in especially handy to store your kitchen cleaning supplies. Just place all the supplies into the file folders and you do not have to worry about a shortage of space. Read Also: The New Trend: Drawer Boxes 7 Expert Hacks for Downsizing to a Smaller Apartment Design your Kitchen According to Your Budget and Work in Organized Manner Top Secrets That Slash Your Kitchen Remodeling Bill in Half 10 Unique Kitchen Hacks to Save your Time in Kitchen and Cooking 7 Unique Kitchen Design Ideas That Your Family Will Enjoy

How Effective are Bug Zapping Light Bulbs

When the summer approaches, we can enjoy the summer’s sunsetting sitting on our armchair. This is a really enjoyable and exciting experience of our life. But what if there are full of insects both harmful and harmless that can cause great harm to your health. The Zapping Light Bulbs can help you to get the maximum light in a short span of time. In this case, you may adopt some ways to repel and sometimes kill them. In this article, I will discuss some ways to get rid of irritating insects. There are a lot of ways to keep harmful insects including bugs, mosquitoes and many other things away from you. Some of them are fast and at the same time pollutes our environment as well while others may be environment-friendly ways too. The main concept of removing bugs by bug zapper light bulb is not so difficult. As they emit ultraviolet and infra rays, insects get attracted by the ultraviolet rays and enter into the trap and at last, they are being caught in the trap. This is as simple as water. Types of zapping light bulb But there are of two types of zapping light bulbs out there. One of them entices insects inside the zapper to kill them. On the other hand, yellow zapper light does not kill them but repel them. So, if you are searching for a solution to repel bugs from your living area, you can select the second one which does not kill them. As a result, useful insects for your environment go away from your area without killing. And the first one works not only as a device to repel them but kill them and at the same time pollutes our environment as well. Nowadays, there are other types of bug zappers which produce carbon dioxide as well to attract mosquitoes as well. Bug zapper lights that can emit only ultraviolet and infra rays to lure insects except for mosquitoes. That’s why new devices have been invented that produce both ultraviolet rays and carbon dioxide too. Now it is easier to repel and kill any insect into the zapper. Which zapping light bulb should be good for? According to me, a bug zapper light bulb is more effective and environmentally friendly than a bug zapper. A zapper can kill a larger number of harmless and useful insects entirely. Besides, if you do not keep it away from your living or dining space, it will pollute the area and as a result, your health may fall in danger. While killing the insects inside a zapper attracting by the ultraviolet rays, there produces a ‘mist’ which may pollute your living as well as your dining space. But if you can replace your thought of removing bugs from your living place and do not want to kill them, only the bug zapper light should be your best choice. It does not pollute your environment. Let’s talk about the effectiveness of the device: Are the bug zapping light bulbs are effective anyway? Well. Yes, they are more effective to repel annoying bugs from your surroundings. The main concept of repelling bugs using yellow lights are not new at all. Yellow lights attract bugs form a long distance and they come forward and cannot see further. As a result, they stuck there without being killed which is very effective not only for the environment but also for the useful insects as well. The intensity of the lights may be lower or higher. And they can attract bugs from a long distance depending on the intensity of the lights. Also, they can cover a larger part of your area. It may not repel mosquitoes: Carbon dioxide attracts mosquitoes and they find us following the carbon dioxide trails. When we breathe, we leave carbon dioxide. Besides, they also find us when we sweat. Anyways, zapper does not attract mosquitoes most. If you place a zapper near you and you sit beside the zapper, you will see that mosquitoes are not going towards the zapper leaving you. But there are zappers now in the market available that can produce both carbon dioxide and ultraviolet rays at the same time to kill the harmful and annoying mosquitoes too. The zapping light bulbs can make things happen in your favor. Conclusion: We use a lot of devices in our daily life to make our ways of living comfortable and enjoyable. But at the same time, we have also to think about our planet. We should always go for the green that will make our planet-friendlier. So, before using any device, think at least one time whether we should go for it or not. Zapper light bulb is without any doubt effective and as they do not kill the helpful and useful insects that can make our environment more efficient for us. Otherwise, we should think about our future of the present world to make it greener making any harm to the lovely planet. Read Also: A Rundown Of The Basic Led Lighting The Right Light Set-Up For Your Band Las Vegas Electricians Share Fun Lighting Ideas For Your Home

Can We Grow Carrots All Year Around?

Carrots are root vegetables. They vary from purple to red in color but most commonly found are bright orange ones. The orange color of carrot is due to its high content of beta-carotene. This helps suffice our body with necessary levels of vitamin A, which is required for proper functioning of our immune system. Yes, we can grow carrots all year round! Also, you may grow it anywhere, even in our small kitchen garden or as a potted plant. You must know how to grow and harvest carrot before you start the procedure of producing carrots yourself. I conducted various kinds of research including reading online resources and talking to farmers in my town before going ahead with carrots plantation. This is so because carrots are a low-acid plant and can catch contamination easily, which may make it inappropriate for human consumption. When can we Grow Carrots? Carrots are biennial plants that are they grow twice in a season. However, the seeds and flowers grow only in cold season. They take ten to twelve weeks to reach their full growth. They can be sowed in spring just before two weeks of the last frost date. In cold climate, we can continue to plant them every three weeks till mid-summer. Then again they can be sowed in summer for winter products that are due in next ten to twelve weeks. Preparing the soil First, you need to judge the solid where you want to plant your carrots. If the soil is sandy or clay soil, then it is not appropriate for growing carrots. Sandy soil and clay soil cannot retain nutrients and lacks good soil structure, which makes them inappropriate for growing carrots. Salty and loam soil is the best kind of soil for growing any vegetables. There is another variety of soil that is chalky soil. This is also not appropriate for growing carrots due to its alkaline nature. Read also: Does Organic Gardening Improve Soil Quality? Sowing Carrots Before sowing carrots, you need to dig in the soil well to about twelve to fifteen inches. Once done, you can introduce some earthworms and crawling critters who make the soil appropriate for growing carrots. Earthworms consume the organics from the soil and then scatter it throughout the soil to make the soil more fertile. Similarly, crawling critters would keep the bugs and insects away from the soil from harming the crop. You should be cautious about using chemicals to kill insects as they also take away the good part of the soil. Always organic gardening is recommended for the growth of any crop as organic gardening improves soil, its overall structure and gets it ready for next cycle as well. You can sow your carrot seeds into the sowing beds created three inches apart. The carrot seeds are very small so to distribute them evenly; you can mix them up with the sand and then sprinkle them into the sowing Cover the field with some warm blanket or a shield to avoid the tiny creatures from ruining your crop. This should be kept covered for at least three weeks to let the healthy growth of the crop. Carrot Sprouts While you decide to plant carrots, you should also be aware of how a carrot sprout looks like to differentiate it from other sprouts or just weed. The sprout is breaking out of the soil may be of cabbage or potato or some grass. Well, then how does carrot sprouts look like? You can very easily identify them. From the perspective of their appearance, they look like ferns or palm leaves. Well if that’s not all for you, then you can take the leave in your palm and crush it with your nails. Now smell the crush, and it will be like one of carrot. That’s how you can very easily identify the carrot sprouts from other growing vegetables and weeds in your kitchen garden. Harvesting Carrots You can judge the growth of the carrots by looking at their roots. The size of the roots is a good indicator of the growth of your carrots. You can pull them out in three weeks to enjoy baby carrots of wait for next ten to twelve weeks for fully grown carrots. Storing Carrots Now is the question of how to store carrots for prolonged use. You can seal the carrots in a polythene bag and store them in the coolest part of your refrigerator. One should never wash carrots until they need to be used as added moisture ruins carrot structure earlier. You can also store carrot in a box and cover it with a layer of sand. This will also help you preserve carrots for long. You can very well enjoy your garden-fresh carrots all year round once you know how to sow and harvest them. You can use them in a variety of ways in your kitchen like caramelize then with sugar syrup or bake a carrot cheesecake or eat them raw as part your daily salads. We have a lot of questions making rounds by our readers; therefore, in case, you have any further questions on how to grow carrots, or anything related to sowing or harvesting or storing them, then please comment below. Read also: Lawn Care Maintenance Services And Tips Smart Fun Gardening: How To Take Care Of A Money Tree

Create A Stunning Outdoor Space With These Residential Landscape Lighting Tips

Understand that landscape lighting goes beyond solar path lights

Decide what you hope to achieve

Take care of an essential lighting first

Incorporate multiple types of lighting to create an interesting design

Tips for Selecting a Window Frame Color

Home Hacks: Stuff You Can Clean in One Hour or Less

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

Leave a Reply

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Related

Small Kitchen Storage Ideas

How Effective are Bug Zapping Light Bulbs

Can We Grow Carrots All Year Around?

Create A Stunning Outdoor Space With These Residential Landscape Lighting Tips

Understand that landscape lighting goes beyond solar path lights

Decide what you hope to achieve

Take care of an essential lighting first

Incorporate multiple types of lighting to create an interesting design

Share this Article

Tips for Selecting a Window Frame Color

Home Hacks: Stuff You Can Clean in One Hour or Less

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

Leave a Reply

Popular

Follow Us

Recent

Related