Spring is almost here. What better time to start planning updates to your home for summer enjoyment? Wherever you feel your home needs attention, here are three ways to give your house a lift, both indoors and outdoors.
Outdoor Lighting
Lighting is a great way to draw attention to the things you love about your home. Landscape lighting can be used to highlight special plants, hardscaping features, and paths through gardens. Advanced outdoor LED lighting systems can combine exterior lighting with landscape lighting by allowing users to link lights, change colors, and decide which areas of the house or garden to light up at a given time, all with the press of a button. These lighting systems can add a special flare to outdoor parties, and they can also be a wonderful alternative to stringing Christmas lights. Once installed, outdoor LED lighting can be adjusted to fit the season or holiday without ever needing to pull a ladder out of storage.
Weather Resistant Sound System
Music is a great way to accentuate any party. If you rely on small radios to provide the soundtrack for your pool parties or patio dinners, it might be time for an upgrade. An outdoor sound system can provide gentle ambient music or blast summer tunes without distorting the audio with too-small speakers. If your home is already equipped with a sound system, adding a few outdoor speakers to a channel is a simple process. Choosing the actual speakers can be a fun adventure in style and backyard design as well. You can hide speakers in faux rocks, in the eaves of your porch, and even hide them among border plants. A sound system can be a great launch point for even more fun backyard activities, too. If you have a large enough backyard, a sheet, a small portable projector, and an impressive sound system can create a drive-in movie theater experience at home.
Give Your Spaces a Facelift
You don’t have to spend a ton of money to brighten up your home. A few small touches can have a big impact on your home’s appearance, both inside and out. A new door – or even just a new paint job on an old door – can be an eye-catching improvement to your home. Updating hardware, such as new address numbers, doorknobs, and cabinet handles, can completely change your home’s style without investing in a huge renovation. A few well-placed throw pillows can create an inviting space to sit, and house plants add life and color to otherwise plain rooms. A common piece of advice when it comes to styling a room is to shop your own home for inspiration. It’s a great way to give a forgotten piece of wall art or furniture a new purpose without spending money.
For outdoor spaces, power washing can refresh siding, trim, and outdoor furniture. Be sure to be mindful of the materials you’re powerwashing and the strength of your stream, however. What works for cleaning plastics can cut into wood and ruin a weather-resistant seal job. Adjust accordingly to avoid having a bigger project on your hands. With an afternoon or so of light work, a power washer can have your home looking as good as new.
Adding a little bit of spark to your home will not only garner compliments from friends and neighbors, but it can also help you fall in love with your space all over again. Give your home a few touch ups inside and out and enjoy those long summer days in a space tailored to your comfort and style.