7 minute read
LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE
A chandelier in your gazebo?
Why not? Just make sure it’s safe for moisture, heat and cold. You’re going to want to leave it up year-round.
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— Photo provided by Maria Bortugno
Light Up Your Life
Clever ways to easily add lighting to your yard without breaking the bank
BY BRIANNA SNYDER Sometimes small things really can make a backyard space pop. Hanging fairy lights in Mason jars from the trees, for example. Solar light mobiles. Or a portable fire pit.
The great news is that backyard lighting can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. So first, let’s strategize.
START WITH PRACTICALITIES
The first step to lighting a backyard with pizazz is deciding what places make the most sense to light. Footpaths through the yard, steps and other perimeter lights are an obvious priority. As with all great design—interior and exterior—function should guide your approach.
For footpaths, avoid a straight line out into the yard or else “it’ll look like Project Runway,” says Maria Bortugno of B Designs Interiors in Latham. Chart your path along the foliage and features of your yard to give a winding-path look. Flank the path with solar-powered LED stake lights, Bortugno says, which are inexpensive and can last a long time.
“Safety first!” says the now-retired Denise Maurer, formerly of Denise Maurer Interiors, based in Troy. “Light entrances, steps and walkways using a combination of horizontal and vertical lighting.”
Which brings us to the next practical areas you’ll want to light: tables, sitting areas and the faces of your family and friends.
Horizontal lighting is used to mark footpaths by casting light across the ground, Maurer says. “Vertical lighting adds dimension and helps identify objects and faces.” Here’s where taller stake lights can play their part, as well as sconces, pendants and other hanging lamps and lights.
RATTAN IS IN. ROPE LIGHTS ARE (KIND OF) OUT.
“Rope lights and string lights were a big thing for years,” Bortugno says. “They’re simple to use, especially if you have a gazebo, but I’m kind of tired of them!” Bortugno prefers LED-lit umbrellas instead. “It’s such romantic lighting,” Bortugno says, and is especially great for yards without gazebos. “Natural woven pendants, rattan, grasses and wicker? They’re all in. And that’s fun because they go so well with nature.” Maurer says the tone of light can also make a big difference: “Use warm lighting over cool lighting for a sense of intrigue,” she says. And while rope lights on gazebos may be tried and true, Bortugno says a lovely alternative is to drape them throughout tree branches, which adds elegance and romance to the space.
MOVE THE INSIDE OUTSIDE
“You want to keep in mind the architecture of your home and the design of your interior,” Bortugno says. “Your exterior and your interior need to go together.” If your interior is midcentury modern, take the same ap-
proach outside. “It doesn’t need to be a matching set,” Bortugno says, but the styles should complement each other. Don’t pair midcentury with colonial, for example. “If you have all black lighting in your mudroom and all chrome outside, it’s not going to look pretty and it’s not going to flow,” she says. “So you want to take into consideration the feeling you get when you walk from outside into your home. You’re creating what I call outdoor rooms, so make sure there’s continuation.”
Bortugno loves outdoor chandeliers for a glitzy approach. But she warns about making sure they’re safe for moisture, heat and cold. “Look at the temperature settings to make sure it’ll work,” she says. “You don’t take these down. They stay up for 365 days a year.”
WHAT ABOUT BUDGET?
“You don’t have to have a lot of money if you have good taste,” Bortugno says. “There is a light in every budget to solve the same problem. If you want patio pathway lights you’ve got the same type of light in every type of range to solve your problem—from Target to Restoration Hardware. And the LEDs are the cheapest, but look magical.”
Maurer agrees, especially about the LEDs. “There are many decorative styles available,” she says. Plus, she adds, you can fill Mason jars with battery-operated tea lights, which are more affordable and can be suspended from tree branches and set on tables. Or “you can retrofit old weliers with solar lights.”
Bortugno says glass lanterns are also a nice touch, and are less expensive than fully hooked-up lanterns. “Keep it simple,” Bortugno says. “Less is more.”
KEEP THE LIGHTS LOW
When plotting your lights—in the front and in the back— it’s important to note where they’re pointing. You don’t want lights shining into the windows of neighbors or into your own windows.
Maurer also cautions against high voltages. “Use low-voltage and LED lighting for highlights and to minimize the impact on our nighttime sky and reduce energy,” Maurer says. “Birds and stargazers will thank you.” n
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TTY #711
Are You a Candidate?
More joint replacement surgery patients today are back home by night
BY DIONISIO ORTIZ III, M.D.
Over one million hip and knee replacements are performed in the United States every year. By 2030, that number is expected to grow to over four million. In the past, hip and knee replacement surgery meant spending many days in the hospital. In many cases, patients would also spend additional days to weeks in a skilled nursing facility or rehab hospital. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the strain placed on traditional hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) has become an increasingly popular option for surgeries, such as hip and knee replacements. Modern techniques in anesthesia, pain control, and therapy have led to outpatient joint replacement becoming an increasingly “routine” procedure, where patients can be home in their own beds the night of their surgery.
There are many advantages to hip and knee replacement surgery in the ASC. Many studies have shown that patients have faster recovery, lower complication rates (e.g., infections), and are more satisfied with their overall experience. Additionally, the costs are in many cases lower to both patients and the overall healthcare system.
Advances in surgical technique, which include implant design, more specialty-trained surgeons performing total knee and hip replacements, and the development of robotic- and computer-assisted surgery, have also greatly contributed to the success of hip and knee replacement in the ASC.
How do you know if you are a candidate for outpatient total joint replacement? The vast majority of patients can safely undergo hip and knee replacements today in the ASC. Most common medical problems (e.g., high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.), as long as they are well controlled by your primary care doctor, can be successfully navigated throughout the process. Lastly, a good family/friend support system and a motivation to avoid a lengthy hospital stay are key to a successful outpatient hip or knee replacement. A discussion with your surgeon about all these factors will help determine if hip or knee replacement in the ASC is right for you.
Dionisio Ortiz is a board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeon from The Bone & Joint Center in Albany, New York. He specializes in hip and knee replacement surgery, including outpatient and robotic- and computer-assisted procedures. Please call (518) 489-2666 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Ortiz.
Committed to providing exceptional joint care to make you stronger, our fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons at The Bone & Joint Center proudly offer outpatient total joint replacements for the ankle, hip, knee, and shoulder. Our dedicated experts perform outpatient total joint replacements at our state-of-the-art Capital Region Ambulatory Surgery Center in Albany and Center for Advanced Ambulatory Surgery in Malta.
To learn more about outpatient total joint replacement or to schedule an appointment with one of our dedicated joint experts, please call us.
