Just because the summer has departed, it doesn't mean that your garden is off limits. The Australian climate is temperate enough that there will be plenty of warm nights for a while yet and, if your space is nicely sheltered, maybe even a little long.
TV presenter and partner at Asset Reports, Tom Williams has shared his top five tips for creating an outdoor oasis with lighting technology.
Bring your yard to life with colour
Tom says: "Coming into the cooler months, I’ve used red, orange, pink and yellow coloured lighting to keep the backyard a warm space for entertaining. Signify’s Philips Hue Outdoor ecosystem has 16 million colours allowing me to adapt the ambiance of my backyard to suit any occasion or season – and safe to say, my girls love changing the colour of our garden!"
Direct your light towards a focus point, such as a dining table.
Feature your favourite areas
Light up the parts of your outdoor space that you want to feature and will encourage the most use, for example the outdoor table, swing set, feature plants. By doing this you put the right emphasis on the right places.
"Even when it’s a touch cool, having the light focus on these areas of my backyard always encourages me to go outside and enjoy the outdoors."
Use light effects
Tom says: "This is a simple way to bring a new level of aesthetic design to your outdoors. You can easily achieve this by installing up and down lights. I’ve recently installed a Fuzo wall light from the Philips Hue Outdoor range, where light is dispersed diagonally across my outdoor walls for a unique design aesthetic. It’s an easy way to change the look and feel of your walls without structural change."
Automate it with timers
Tom's lights are controlled by an app on his phone which allows him to set on/off times.
"I need all the encouragement I can get for exercising in the cooler months so by setting the lights to come on in the morning, it gives me extra encouragement to get that little 20 minutes of workout done and dusted."
He adds that the times add a level of security to the home, making it look like the family is home when they may not be, and giving peace of mind knowing the home is safe.
Automated control means you can switch lights on and off from anywhere in the house.
Remember to save power
Tom says that everyone is trying to do their bit for the environment so it's crucial that lights go off when no one is around. Connecting your lights to a motion sensor means you don't have to worry if someone has switched them off before leaving, etc.
"To take it a step further, connecting the system to a smart home assistant will ensure you've got full control from any room in the house. Even when you've crashed into bed, sing out 'lights down' and you won't have to get up!"
