Author Archives: Decorating Elves

15 Jul

Ways Outdoor Lighting Can Bring Your Neighbors Together

Feeling isolated? Missing the neighborhood summer block parties? Are the kids getting restless keeping to themselves? Social distancing is taking a toll on everyone, but there are some ways that you can get your neighbors together while still being responsible.

Patio Lighting

Patio lighting can make your patio look like daytime. This is a great place to sit and relax with neighbors after a long day of working from home. Get some nice furniture to spruce up your patio and have outdoor lighting installed so that you are always ready to entertain. 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 May

Work All Day? Come Home to a Well-Lit House

If you are still working in this crisis, you are probably under a lot of stress. You worry about your family and bringing the virus home to them. You may also be working harder and longer hours due to decreased staffing. Everyone is having some emotional or mental health issues during this time.

While you are probably glad to be leaving work, it is often difficult to leave the day behind when you go home. It can be difficult to let go of work and stress and relax with your family. When the transition between work and home is not obvious, such as when your house is dark, it can be even harder to focus your attention on your family. 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 →

20 Mar

Why You Should Have Outdoor Lighting This Spring

Have you considered adding outdoor lighting to your home? Spring is a great time to have outdoor lighting installed. Not only will you enjoy the outdoor lighting in the spring, but you will be prepared for a summertime of entertaining. Here are some reasons to have outdoor lighting this spring.

Dispel Wintertime Blues

Springtime is beautiful, with new life showing all around outdoors. After a long gray winter, it is really refreshing to be able to go outside and smell all of those spring smells and see all of those spring colors. Spending time outdoors in the springtime is the best way to combat wintertime blues or seasonal mood swings. When you spend more time outdoors, studies show that you will be literally and measurably happier. Outdoor lighting helps you spend more time outside during these months. Read More →

10 Mar

Lighting for Your Dock

Do you have your own dock on a beachside property? It can be very advantageous to have your own dock rather than docking your boat in a marina. However, when you forgo the marina, you forgo many amenities. One of the features that marinas have is that they are very well lit. Now you can get lighting for your dock that is just as functional and convenient, but on your own terms.

Lighting for your dock is very important for a number of reasons. If you don’t have good lighting for your dock, you may have difficulties docking the boat at dusk or at night. Most people do not take boats out in the dark; but if you want to visit your boat for any reason, it will be helpful to have good lighting.  Read More →

20 Feb

Four Considerations When Planning Your Holiday Lighting

There are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind as you plan your holiday lighting, particularly if you will be installing permanent holiday lighting. You need this lighting plan to be adequate for not just this coming holiday season, but for several years to come. Here are a few things that you should consider while planning your holiday lighting.

Homeowners’ Association

If you have a homeowners’ association, it is a good idea to present your holiday lighting plan to a member of the committee so that you can gauge whether or not it would be objectionable. Keep in mind that the homeowners’ association rules, leadership, or both could change before you are ready to change or remove your holiday lights. Read More →

10 Feb

Planning Ahead: Designing Your Holiday Lighting Scheme

It may seem as though the holidays are just barely behind us, but now is the perfect time to start thinking about next year’s holiday lighting. After all, now is the time that you are going through the hassle of taking down this last holiday’s lighting, finding storage for the lights and fixtures, and looking forward to doing it all again next year.

You may have considered hiring a contractor to install and remove your holiday lights in the past, but decided for whatever reason that you would simply handle the matter yourself. You may be saving money, but at what other cost? Read More →

15 Jan

What are IP Ratings for Light Fixtures, and What Is Their Importance?

Every light fixture, whether in your home or in your outdoor lighting, has an IP rating. The IP rating is difficult to determine if you are not familiar with the numbers or rating system. The IP rating is especially important for outdoor lighting. Learn more about what this rating system is and why it is important.

What Is the IP Rating System?

The IP rating system is a way to determine how resilient your lighting fixture is. This is a two-digit number that is actually made up of two single rating numbers. The first number of the IP rating is how resistant the light fixture is to allow solids to enter the fixture. The second number is how resistant the light fixture is to liquids. Both ratings tell you how well your outdoor lighting will hold up to the weather and outdoor influences. Read More →

15 Dec

Year-Round Lighting Holiday Style Becoming More Popular

You may have noticed that there are a lot more holiday lights around your local neighborhoods this year, and it may seem as though the lights came on overnight. This happens because more and more people are turning toward year-round holiday lighting. There are a lot of advantages to having permanent holiday lights.

Popularity Increasing

More people are getting permanent holiday lighting because it takes away some of the stress of the holiday season. Instead of worrying about putting up and taking down all of your holiday lights, you can simply have them installed and leave them up all year. Permanent holiday lighting options may differ from your traditional holiday lights, so even if you have already put up lights for this season, you might need permanent lighting installed for next season. Read More →