LANDSCAPE

SWING

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Though the couple doesn’t drink much hard liquor, a bar cart from West Elm displays liquor bottles in the living room for when they have guests over. “Plus it just really kind of looks pretty,”

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ETCH WINE GOBLETS

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EDGE POTTAGE GARDEN WITH TRELLIS

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Mood boards. This image of a designer’s desk shows a collection of plants, patterns, colors and inspirational images hung above the drawing surface. Designers of all types use mood boards, also called inspiration boards, to bring their sources of inspiration together into one collage. Landscape architects use mood boards and ideabooks here on Houzz to capture details, materials, natural settings and more. The point of the mood board is to distill the inspiration into one board that represents the design’s major visual elements. For a landscape plan, this might include patterns, colors and historic garden precedents that inform the design. The mood board may be presented to the client at the concept review meeting, or it may only be talked about.

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Sunforce Outdoor Lighting Solar Motion 60 LED Security Light - $34.99 2 Light up dark exterior corners with motion-activated lights.The Sunforce solar-powered LED motion-activated light is ideal for outdoor use. It frightens would-be trespassers, who think a person has switched on the light. No need to worry about connecting a power source or about the batteries’ running out, either.

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Install a security system. The Washington Post feature revealed that homes without security systems are three times more likely to be broken into than homes with systems. Prominently displaying a sign on your front lawn might be enough to deter some criminals, even if it is fake.

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Request a free survey of your property from your local police station. Most stations will survey your property for potential weaknesses if you ask.

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Make your home appear occupied when you are away. Leave your car in your driveway or carport, turn on your radio or TV loudly using a timer, and ask a neighbor to pick up your newspaper, mail and flyers attached to your door every day if you are on vacation.

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Plant low, thorny bushes beneath your windows. Bougainvillea, barberries, roses or any prickly specimen ought to deter break-ins. Yuccas and other large succulents are a lower-maintenance option.

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Cover the ground near your windows with gravel. The loud crunch of footsteps on gravel is enough of a deterrent for a burglar to search for another target.

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Increase visibility by trimming all bushes and hedges to 3 feet or shorter. Anything taller and you create a hiding place for criminals. Lower shrubs also increase visibility for your neighbors and pedestrian onlookers, who can report fishy activity.

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