Lighting is a fascinating phenomenon in our everyday lives.
We go outside to take a selfie to enjoy the natural warmth of the sun instead of fluorescent lighting washing us out. We look into landscape lighting professionals to bring out the best in our backyard’s exterior design. Nice lighting can even affect us psychologically and improve our productivity at work. Lighting permeates so many areas of our lives it can be easy to take for granted, much less use in a way that’s meaningful. The benefits of outdoor lighting and indoor lighting can be yours with just a little boost in your knowledge.
It’s time to look into psychology, art and modern trends to see how you can get the most out of your lighting in 2018.
Whether you want to create beautiful holiday lighting to usher in the season or study the benefits of outdoor lighting resources for boosting your ROI, you’ll be glad you took the time to study up. There’s a whole world of potential out there just waiting to be taken advantage of. A recent report was published by the Transparency Market Research firm, predicting the worldwide outdoor lighting market will reach a value of $55 billion once 2020 arrives. This includes interior lighting, exterior lighting, business lighting and much, much more.
Let’s start off with landscape lighting benefits for your home. You can make your house look more appealing at a glance, improve your ROI and even boost your mood. Sound like fantasy? Take a look at NAHB’s annual “What Home Buyers Really Want” survey, where over 40% of respondents considered exterior lighting to be a must-have feature. Then you have 2017’s U.S. Houzz Landscaping Trends Study finding 15% of homeowners considering the benefits of outdoor lighting to be the most important front yard feature for improving curb appeal.
Where does psychology come into play? Surely upgrading your pond lights or creating prettier outdoor patio lighting doesn’t have that big of an effect? A recent study on homeowner habits saw nearly 70% of respondents stating they use their outdoor spaces for relaxing, entertaining guests or enjoying their hobbies. Another similar study concluded 80% of Americans believing having a well-maintained yard is very important. When your surroundings are neglected or shabby it leaves a dent in your self-esteem that’s very hard to buff out.
Even your productivity can see a boost. Good lighting is essential for our brains to do their thing and retain information and keep us feeling our best. Likewise, drab and dimly lit surroundings can leave us tired, cranky and completely unfit for duty. Extending this to your outdoor spaces is a recipe for success, particularly if you go the extra mile and choose smart energy models. LEDs use just 15% of the energy of a standard halogen light while providing up to 85% of light output.
Not sure where to get started with the benefits of outdoor lighting? There’s no shame in hiring an outdoor lighting installer. Over 70% of homeowners hired a professional for an outdoor project back in 2016, whether it was for consultation or a full-blown redesign from top-to-bottom. If you need some ideas, just double back around and look at a few more studies. The same 2017 U.S. Houzz Landscaping Trends Study saw 60% of homeowners upgrading their outdoor lighting by adding path, post or bollard lights. Another 40% preferred deck or step additions.
Lighting is a beautiful addition that should be taken just as seriously as a new coat of paint. Which outdoor lighting ideas will transform your home this year?