Houzz, a platform for home remodeling and design, recently released its 2017 Landscape Trends Study. The study, which provides insight into the latest outdoor home renovation trends and homeowner lawn and garden purchasing decisions, includes 977 homeowners who have undergone, or will be undergoing, outdoor renovations.
The Houzz study found that more than three quarters of outdoor renovators made updates to outdoor systems, and nearly half (45 percent) of outdoor-renovating homeowners updated or installed outdoor lighting. Outdoor lighting systems include things like pathway lights that go along each side of your driveway, floodlights that light up your yard at night, or pool lights.
Homeowners have available to them a wide range of lighting options, ranging from the cheap lighting and lightbulbs you can buy at a dollar store, all the way up to smart lightbulbs that costs upward of $100. What are homeowners buying?
Today’s homeowners are opting for the more expensive, higher-quality outdoor lighting, according to the study. Of those surveyed, 73 percent of homeowners upgraded to LED lighting, and 46 percent upgraded to a low-voltage option. Solar outdoor lighting still appears to be popular with homeowners, with 41 percent of participants saying they upgraded to solar lighting.
Perhaps the most remarkable finding, however, involves smart lighting. Nearly one in five participants said they upgraded to smart outdoor lighting systems they can control with a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Around 40 percent of homeowners cited “helping the environment” as a reason for making certain outdoor renovations, such as removing or reducing their lawn. The environmental factor may also play a role in homeowners’ outdoor lighting decisions. LED lights use at least 75 percent less energy, and last a claimed 25 times longer, than incandescent lighting, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2027, if LEDs become the norm, this could save the amount of electricity produced by 44 large electric plants.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.