How to make your outdoor space ready for the spring and summer months ahead

March 16th, 2022

With Spring around the corner and the days beginning to become warmer, longer and sunnier, many households will begin to bring their garden or outdoor space back to life after the cold and dreary winter.

Bringing your garden back to life for the spring and summer months isn’t always an easy task. its that time of the year when the garden is where the family meets after a long day of work over a cup of tea, or you may want to put your legs up and catch up on that book. For this the garden needs to provide an ambience that is warm, cosy and inviting, in some cases you may be looking for a classy yet contemporary feel. Luckily, Philips Hue can help you add a touch of personality (and style!) to even the dreariest corners of your garden. Put aside the gardening gloves and wheelbarrow and learn the best way to make your garden shine again: choosing the best outdoor LED smart lighting — and its most effective location — for your space.

First things first - focus on lighting up the parts of your garden you like the most — the koi pond, your favourite tree or that back flowerbed you worked so hard on. After all, you should look outside and see home, not just a garden. Also keep in mind that light can serve multiple purposes, such as showcasing a gorgeous part of your garden while simultaneously lighting your way to help you avoid stumbling over a rock or forgotten toy. Whether you have a large garden or a smaller outdoor space, outdoor LED lighting can help create the garden of your dreams.

2.       Keep safety in mind

If your garden has stairs, water or other potentially dangerous obstacles, lighting them can help minimise the risk of injury while walking. Place path lighting along your most-used routes to guide you from your porch to the shed, or a seating area to the back door. Path lights are meant to be on display, so choose lights that bring a touch of your home’s inside decor outside.

Tip: Smart outdoor pathway lights, such as the Philips Hue Calla Outdoor Bollard, allow you to light up your most-used routes — and give your garden some serious personality, too. Choose from 16 million colours in the Hue app to paint your outside space with light.

Strategically placing smart lighting in a smaller garden helps open up the space, separate certain areas from others and gives you the feeling of a more expansive area. Use these lighting tips for your smaller garden:

1.       Create depth

Using light to create depth in a small garden is key to giving the illusion of a bigger space. If you have a tree, use spotlights, like the Philips Hue Outdoor Lily Spot Light, to create an effect called moonlighting: place the spots high up in the branches and point them toward the ground. This washes the tree — and the ground below it — in light to pull the eye up and create the feeling of a larger area.

2.       Use light in unexpected places

Having a small outdoor space doesn’t have to mean that you stick to minimal lighting. A strip light is an easy, subtle way to add light in otherwise untouched areas. Place a Philips Hue Outdoor Lightstrip along the edge of a flowerbed to create a fun, surprising burst of colour — one of 16 million, to be exact — and help your small space feel bigger.

Tip: Use the Hue app to set outdoor scenes for different situations. Set fun, bright scenes, such as Soho, to complement a festive outdoor get-together or bring the lights down to the soft, warm glow of Savanna Sunset to enjoy a relaxing after-work cocktail with your spouse.

Your back garden lights are often placed for function over form, giving all the aesthetics to the front of your home. With LED outdoor lights, you create the perfect ambiance without a whole lot of effort. Smart colour lights for the outdoors allow you to paint your garden with light, adding splashes of colour to your dining area, outdoor grill, play area, and more.

Colour smart LED lights also add an extra ‘oomph’ to events, no matter how casual. Your Friday night get-together becomes more special thanks to the simple addition of colour, while swanky soirees get an added touch of elegance with a subtle warm glow. Explore the entire Philips Hue outdoor range here.