The Bright Ideas Blog

Wash lighting is one of the secret ingredients to creating beautiful outdoor lighting design. However, understanding how to incorporate wash lighting can be tricky. In this post, we discuss tips for how and where wash lighting can be used to light your home or property.

The only thing better than sitting out on the patio under the pergola has to be enjoying the night air with cafe bistro lights. 

Working in the landscape lighting industry, we’ve seen how different outdoor lighting design trends have come and gone over the years. While some design fundamentals hold strong and true for years, even decades, other design elements are...

It’s no secret that crime is a scary and very real problem in Salt Lake City. Crime can happen to anyone, anywhere. It’s truly alarming how often crime happens. I’m not just spouting some sort of fear mongering: I know from personal experience. The neighbor just north of me had three packages stolen off his front porch last week while he was at work, the neighbor just south of me had her garage broken into at night while she was out of town, and another neighbor had their car (parked under a noticeable security camera) broken into while they were sleeping. We all know someone in our neighborhood who has fallen victim.

It goes without saying that home security has never been more important. The unfortunate risk that comes with home ownership is the possibility of crime. And if the news tells us anything, crime can happen anywhere. Outdoor security lighting is a great way to illuminate your home and create a serious deterrent for trespassers at night.

In an industry flooded by companies offering landscape lighting, there has been a letdown, a real decline, in the way landscape lighting is being experienced by end users. The worst part is the end users don’t realize they’re missing out until it is too late.

It's time to do some home improvement & you;re looking to hire a contractor. The only trouble is figuring out who to hire. Hiring a contractor isn't like choosing between two brands of potato chips in the grocery store. Quality of materials, workmanship, dedication, to the satisfaction of their clientele, pricing, etc., is going to range all over the board. Make sure you've chosen the professional for your needs with these different variables in mind. 

You’ve looked at beautiful images of landscape lighting and are ready to move forward: You want to have a lighting system of your own installed.

Whoa!!! Pump the breaks! The idea of a maintenance free outdoor / landscape lighting system is a beautiful sentiment. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as maintenance free landscape lighting. All 12V lighting systems require some level of maintenance & upkeep. 

Before you even get in contact with your lighting designer, you've already looked at beautiful images of lighting design. You've figured out what you like and don't like. You've envisioned something in your own home and are excited to see it all come to fruition. Before you begin showing your designer where you want each fixture placed, let's slow down and consider what allowing your designer to have a bit more ownership, more creative contribution in the design, can do to help enhance your home.