Whether inside or outside your home, there are two elements that transform any space: paint and lighting. Indoors, paint is the least expensive way to redecorate. Even just one accent wall gives a room depth and drama. You can further define that newly tinted wall with a collection of artwork or photos, giving it intentional focus. Whether you elevate the paintings by adding display lighting above or get creative with recessed fixtures or a collection of lamps, you can give your favorite room a serious facelift!
Outdoors, you are coloring with different tools but can create the same kind of renovation magic. You don’t have to make big changes to make a big difference. Just like painting that one wall in your family room, there are plenty of ways to shake up your outdoor entertainment space easily and affordably.
We say lighting is one of your biggest design allies. From a string of twinkle lights in a tree to embedded LED illumination in deck stair trends, you’ll make a bold and beautiful statement.
But first, here are a couple ideas that may get you thinking about some mini makeovers for your yard and pool:
Textiles
Swapping out furniture cushions and throw pillows in favor of a completely different color palette will make a big splash! Don’t be afraid to mix patterns either. As long as you have at least one common color that runs throughout, mingle those refined plaids and floral prints. Put your unique spin on the space!
Pool flotations
This industry has really stepped up its game with an insane variety of shapes and sizes. Everything from vivid emoji-themed floats to more elaborate relaxation structures with shade and seating features can be placed to gently bob in your pool and dress it in style.
Landscaping
Always consider the maintenance aspect of whatever you plant. If you have a gardener, you’re good. If you love to garden, you’re good. If neither is true, consult carefully with your local nursery/home improvement store for easy-to-upkeep vegetation. We like the idea of using planters. Fill them with seasonal blooms and easily swap them out at will. What’s also great about planters is that they can be relocated. If you decide to install a gazebo or trellis for example, you won’t have to discount space where plants may be permanently entrenched. Either way, vivid blooms will naturally enhance whatever area they occupy.
Vegetable gardens
Even if a small herb patch, decorate it with interesting fencing and garden décor like enameled plates that identify the plants. Add dimension with wind spinners and decorative stakes topped with colorful glass. With a little creativity a functional space will come to life and be integrated it into your yard’s aesthetic.
Lighting
Here’s where your yard will literally and figuratively shine. While colors make a declaration, lighting draws us in. Just like with textiles, elements and areas can be defined by light. They can be given an intensity or a subtlety. Like the lighting design of a Broadway production, set your own stage to create a unique ambiance.
Uplighting
This is a striking technique that makes trees look even more majestic. You can always add a colored light to shine up and illuminate the buds and branches, but a simple white light buried at the base of the trunk is just the right touch to showcase the natural beauty of your yard.
Twinkle Lights
Those little, glittering strings can also adorn trees and bushes to make them look just a bit more enchanted and so they can be appreciated in the evening as well. There are also oversized “ornaments” that can bejewel branches to give the modern Christmas tree kind of look year-round.
Solar Stakes
This affordable solution can be used everywhere. An alternative to the more expensive hard-wired landscape lighting, this installation consists of just sticking small stakes in the ground. Since they operate on sensors, all you need to do is watch for them to come on to light up the night. These are so versatile they can: outline pathways in both your front and back yards, edge flowerbeds, encircle gazebos, or anywhere you need a guiding light!
Wash Lights and Bullet Lights
The pros at This Old House recommend a one-two punch of this type of lighting to be used in the front or the back of your home.
Wash lights throw out a “soft, diffuse light ideal for brightening flat facades, privacy fences, and garden walls.” While as their name implies, bullet lights are “versatile, compact fixtures often fitted with bulbs that project a narrow beam—good for precisely lighting house features, tree trunks, and garden structures.”
This combination elevates your lighting design to draw attention to areas of architectural interest by providing a depth of technique.
Types of Fixtures for Your Deck
Besides your pool, your deck is likely the most prominent feature of your outdoor space. It therefore deserves the royal treatment. It also likely requires the hire of a professional electrician. Although we recommend solar lighting in some areas, it may not always supply adequate illumination.
This is why the people at The Spruce serve up their 15 Smart and Stylish Ways to Light Your Deck. They offer the “most popular types of deck lighting and areas to illuminate:
- Steps: The best fixtures include surface mounts, flush mounts, path lights and weatherproof LED strip lights.
- Well, Spot or Up lights: These can be used to illuminate paths, create drama by highlighting plant forms, etc.
- Downlights: Designed to be anchored to walls, eaves, patio roofs or trees.
- Balusters: Illuminated balusters for railings (balustrades) that are designed to replace existing balusters or be installed during new deck construction.
- Post caps and rail lights: Decorative lighting fixtures that can be attached to posts or rails.”
We also like what they have to say about your lighting style. “When it comes to lighting, resist the urge to go for an eclectic look, unless it reflects the character of your home’s interior and exterior.” Since there exists such a selection of specialty fixtures, purchase ones that integrate into your home’s actual style for the most cohesive look.
When you combine the elements of vivid textiles, jaunty pool floats, landscaping, and lighting, you create an experience that makes this space SO much more than a yard! It becomes a destination. A place that welcomes friends and soothes the soul.
Providing pool and home improvement loan solutions since 1979, Lyon Financial loves backyard pools… and all the shining possibilities simple design solutions provide. We also love the difference we can make for your family by providing something that puts years of memories within reach. Call 877-754-5966 for more information about creating your outdoor haven!
