Never underestimate the power of curb appeal! Your property’s appearance is a direct reflection of your business or community and can oftentimes leave lasting impressions on your clients, employees and homeowners. By emphasizing focal areas and entrances, making occasional enhancements and renovations, taking into account seasonal changes throughout the year, and utilizing professional, ongoing landscape maintenance service, you can ensure your property is functional and looking its best year-round – good for business AND for property value!

Here are 5 ways you can elevate your commercial property’s appearance:

1. Emphasize Entrances & Focal Areas

Welcome clients and employees with an inviting property entrance. Here are a few examples of our favorite, impactful entrances and focal areas:

HOAs

Offer homeowners a neighborhood entrance they’re proud to come home to with a monument surrounded by color, a serene water feature, tree-lined streets, paths and walkways, or even consider adding texture with rocks, succulent varieties, shrubs and hedges, or drought-tolerant grasses.

Commercial Buildings

Because commercial properties have varying elements – such as the building’s style, architecture and hardscape – the entrance options are endless and should be matched to the building’s overall theme. This achieves a practical and functional design that enhances the overall aesthetic without standing out or competing with other elements. Make the building’s entrance pop with vibrant color, potted plants that pair well with other design features, water features that add ambiance, or even an indoor atrium filled with plants, living walls, and/or seating areas – if space and architecture allows. If your company’s logo is visible, be sure it stands out and is a focal point for clients by accenting it – landscaping elements are a great way to do that.

2. Illuminate Your Landscape

Another technique to enhance entrances and other focal areas or common spaces – and don’t forget stairs and walkway areas – is with outdoor lighting. Lighting can drastically improve your property’s visual appeal, while adding a level of safety and security, especially important later in fall and winter months when days are shorter. Here are a few impactful ways to incorporate landscape lighting:

Add overhead or accent lighting to larger areas where visitors or homeowners frequent – parking lots, sidewalk areas, entrances, doorways, pathways, and stairs.

Use solar powered or motion activating lighting where appropriate, to save on energy and electricity costs.

Showcase landscape focal areas, trees and signage with soft, accent lighting.

3. Change with the Seasons

Although the changing of seasons isn’t quite as dramatic here in Southern California as in other parts of the country, you can still make small changes that pack a punch. One way to do that is by changing out seasonal varieties of landscape color that complement your property’s design, but also maintain a healthy appearance if planted during optimal growing seasons. You can also consider incorporating holiday or seasonal plantings – such as poinsettias in December – to create a festive atmosphere. Another easy, budget-friendly trick to improve your property’s appearance is with the reapplication of mulch, which is recommended one to two times a year.

4. Incorporate Trees & Hedges

Trees and large hedges can really make a visual statement but provide practical benefits for commercial properties as well. For one, they add shade – making outdoor spaces more functional. Hedges provide a level of privacy and security and also define or emphasize outdoor areas. Trees and hedges both provide noise reduction, lending tranquility to employees, homeowners and property visitors. Bonus – trees increase your property’s value!

4. Maintain the Landscape

One of the best ways to increase the perception of your business and improve property value is with well-manicured, expertly designed landscape. Using a professional, experienced maintenance company that specializes in commercial properties is key. Not only will a professional maintenance company keep your grounds LOOKING its best; they will ensure its FUNCTIONING at its best too.

There are endless ways you can enhance your property’s visual appeal – these are just a few ideas! It’s all about finding balance, a design that works for your property, that adds value while conveying a warm, welcoming environment to visitors – all within your budget and property goals. For questions or ideas related to landscape enhancements or maintenance, contact Benchmark today – our team is here to help!