We are very fortunate here in the greater Austin area to have magnificent homes made of interesting local stone and other beautiful natural materials. This is especially true in the central Texas hill country where these materials are so readily available, and complement the native landscape. I travel a lot and can’t help but notice how many different home building materials there are in other parts of the country. Because central Texas is blessed with so much indigenous rock, we don’t see too much hardy plank or stucco.
When you drive down the road at night, no matter where you are, take a look at the homes. Most of them – even some of the really outstanding homes — just vanish into the darkness. You may see a shining light near the entry or on the garage, but very often that’s about all the visible lighting on the exterior. When you do come across a home with landscape or architectural lighting accents, you really take notice, don’t you?
Many of the homes in established Austin neighborhoods like Tarrytown and Old Enfield have installed professional outdoor lighting, but we’re seeing more in the Clarksville, Pemberton Heights and Belmont areas; and even East Austin is catching on to the outdoor lighting trend. There is already a lot of great lighting in the more contemporary areas of West Austin like Westlake Hills, Bee Cave and Lakeway as well. Then, of course, there are the “burbs” (but don’t tell them that): Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park and Leander are seeing the value of outdoor lighting for their property. Neighbors are inspiring their neighbors in sub divisions like Rob Roy, Seven Oaks, Spanish Oaks and Cimarron Hills where homes are adding nighttime “light décor” to their estates. We have found in our work that there is great diversity in the homes we highlight, in age, style, and atmosphere. Our designs are custom to accommodate the tastes of all our homeowners. These are all great upscale areas of Austin with very nice homes, and the property owners want to accent their architecture and landscape so it doesn’t just disappear when the sun sets.
Professional outdoor lighting can create drama on a property that just can’t be seen during the day. A well-designed lighting system can really bring a home to life in a whole new way at night, even when it looks like all the rest of the houses on the block during the day. Grazing the unique stone with light shows the texture with shadows, while down lighting from a large mature oak tree will create a stunning moonlight effect. These are opposite lighting techniques that create some fantastic curb appeal for a home.
The next time you have the opportunity to stroll or drive through any of these incredible neighborhoods around Austin at night, take a look at the properties. I’ll bet the ones with lighting will especially stand out to you as homes with personality and character. Maybe you would even like your home to have some night time curb appeal. If so, contact us here and we’ll see how we can help you.
