According to new data from Houzz, a leading home improvement website, outdoor lighting is one of the most popular exterior technologies among homeowners today. Of the 1,000 U.S. homeowners who participated in the survey, nearly 57 percent plan to upgrade their exterior lighting. The 2016 U.S. Houzz Landscaping Trends Survey also found that 10 percent of homeowners report they are adding outdoor media.

Among the outdoor features that homeowners plan to illuminate are:

With an almost limitless number of options to transform your backyard, patio, deck or balcony, knowing where to start is often the most difficult part. As the popularity of outdoor living has grown so too has the focus on outdoor lighting. The right color temperature and quality of light are no longer design elements of only your interior spaces. Lighting is now being used to create inviting outdoor spaces that add more enjoyment to your property.

SEE ALSO: Seven Ways to Save Energy with Home Lighting Control

Our friends at Coastal Source offer a wide variety of outdoor lighting fixtures and are among the finest available. Designed to withstand the elements and outlast any other product, Coastal Source provides excellent value. Whether you want to showcase your home's landscape, illuminate stairs and pathways, or highlight your dock with waterfront lighting, Coastal Source's LED fixtures are the right solution. According to the same Houzz survey, while outdoor lighting may serve many purposes, it is first and foremost about the design and comfort of the outdoor space. Some of the top reasons for updating outdoor lighting include the following:

When homeowners consider what smart technology to add to their homes, they often contemplate automated HVAC and lighting control or media rooms with high-performance speakers and stunning visuals.  Yet one of the most overlooked pieces of home technology, designed for your windows, are motorized shades.  This elegant addition to any sun drenched room adds comfort, convenience, and beauty.  Let’s explore further how motorized window treatments can augment various rooms in your home.

Living room
Sun exposure throughout the day can damage room interiors.  Faded floors, sun bleached upholstery, and cracked wood finishes are just some of the results of too much sun.  With automated shades, homeowners can easily protect furniture, fine art, rugs, and wood surfaces from the sun’s harmful UV rays.  And the best part, you don’t need to be home to open or close the blinds.  Motorized window treatments can be programmed to respond to temperature fluctuations inside the room, scheduled for time of day or season, and compensate for sunrise and sunset changes throughout the year with their astronomic clock.  

SEE ALSO:  3 Ways Shade Integration Improves Your Outlook

Dining room
Motorized shades and draperies not only add style and elegance to your dining room, but can easily transition the space to create the right amount of light for a dinner party or add privacy for a late-night family snack.  Perfectly aligning the shades within a bank of windows is nearly impossible.  But with motorized window treatments, every shade can move in perfect synchronization, and without those unsightly pull cords.  A motorized shading system can also incorporate lighting controls for ultimate ambiance control.

Media room
Enjoy more movies and television without harsh glare or a washed-out picture due to sunlight streaming through the windows.  Press the play button on your remote and watch as the shades respond appropriately by lowering to block out sunlight.  Want to see just how simple, yet elegant this kind of control can be?  Take control of a media room including the lights, music, shades, and the television using our interactive demo.

A home theater system is one of the most exciting entertainment options that provides you and your family years of continued enjoyment. The thought of selecting components for a home theater might seem a daunting task, so we've put together this guide on essential home theater elements to assure an excellent private theater experience in your New York home.

Essential Element #1 Distraction-free, high quality acoustical environment
A home theater starts with a space that incorporates acoustic qualities and treatments that enhance the user’s listening experience, while also isolating the space to minimize residual sound that “leaks" into other areas of the home.  Proper acoustical treatment in a theater is a science that involves the proper use of acoustic element and materials, as well as construction techniques that will: diffuse, reflect and absorb different frequencies of the audio program to enhance sound quality. Getting your home theater acoustics right greatly improves the emotional effect and overall enjoyment of the theater space - and your entire home.

SEE ALSO: Why do Acoustics Matter in a Home Theater?

Essential Element #2: Video Display Device
Within a home theater, the visual experience is certainly an important one to consider. After all, isn't the idea to bring the movie theater experience home? The size and layout of the room will determine the size of the screen that the space can accommodate. Whether you want to hide the projection screen in the ceiling or have it rise from the floor, ACS will make the design process easy so you get the best view from every seat in the room.  

Video projectors have come down in price dramatically in recent years, allowing homeowners to achieve excellent results for far less then it cost even five years ago.  Among the features to look for in a video projector are:

Savant Systems, a leader in luxury home integration, will change the way you enjoy your home. Control the lights, climate, entertainment, and security with ease.  Whether you’re new to the world of smart homes, an old pro, or somewhere in between, ACS can design and install a system that fits your lifestyle, personal taste, and your pocketbook.  Read on to learn more about experiencing your New York home in a completely different way.

Direct Your Home from Your Favorite Seat
Savant recently announced the launch of its newest product, the Savant Remote that promises a smart home setup in minutes. The slick home integration system is not only wonderfully simple, but it’s significantly less costly. It’s a hub, a high-resolution touchscreen remote, and a control device for a lamp, all of which communicate over WiFi. The remote works via Bluetooth so there’s no need to point it in any particular direction. Its capabilities are somewhat limited, focusing on entertainment and lighting. However, there are some standout features that make the system shine. They include the ability to work the remote using voice control, a mobile app that gives you all the same features as the remote, and the ability to create scenes so you can easily turn on the TV to a specific channel and dim the lights at the press of a button. The system works with Sonos, Roku, and most modern televisions. Savant plans to add more devices like shades, locks, and connected light bulbs.

SEE ALSO: Crestron, the Leader in Luxury Home Integration, Enhances their Pyng Platform

Arrange Everything in Your Home Just the Way You Like It
If you desire a whole-home system customized for the way you live, Savant Pro offers a more expansive array of features, functions, and solutions to meet your every need. A single app offers unparalleled convenience to control lights, climate, entertainment, and security from an intuitive interface. Schedule outdoor lights to turn on just before you arrive home from work or save energy by setting the system to turn off lights in empty rooms. Use your Apple Watch to adjust the thermostat remotely so you'll be comfortable when you get home; schedule shades to close in the middle of the day to increase energy efficiency, plus keep an eye on your vacation home with alerts about extreme cold or humidity.

Entertain with ease and gain peace of mind
Whether you’re dining with friends or spending time with family, Savant is one touch away. Steam HD video from Netflix, Apple TV, or Hulu and watch up to nine things at once on the big screen using the TrueControl App. Rest easy with Savant home security solutions, whether you are home or away. Easily create different settings for a “lived-in” look to keep your home safe when you are gone. Tap the “Away” scene to effortlessly close the shades, lock the doors, and arm the alarm. Savant Pro also delivers solutions for even the most unique homes, with controls for amenities such as pools and home theaters.

For now, gone are the days spent outside enjoying the late summer sun.  But the arrival of fall signals the beginning of the long-awaited football season.  Whether you’re a “J-E-T-S!” fan, cheer for Big Blue, or spend your Saturdays watching college football, ACS can design a media room the whole family will enjoy.  Read on to learn more about how smart technology can enhance your home entertainment.

Enjoy more entertainment in more spaces

As families start to spend more time indoors, sharing the remote and agreeing on which movie or sporting event to watch becomes a challenge.  At ACS, we can expand your entertainment options and design a system that lets you enjoy movies and games in any room of your home.  In the living room relive past Super Bowls with NFL Game Pass, let the kids watch their favorite Pixar movie in the family room, while your spouse streams episodes of his or her favorite cooking show in the kitchen.  

SEE ALSO: Let Us Create the Perfect Sounding and Perfect Looking Solution

Regardless of how many televisions are located throughout your home, ACS can install a system that reduces the number of electronic components while maintaining full access to your music, streaming video, and television shows.  ACS will also integrate audio and video control with the other systems in your home for effortless control at your fingertips.  Easily adjust the lights, shades, climate, and security system along with audio and video using your Savant app.