Creating the right impression for your home begins before you ever open the front door. Outdoor lighting is just as important as landscaping, but it is easy to overlook these fixtures when you think about sprucing up your home’s exterior. Light fixtures, from outdoor garage lights to motion-sensor flood lights, provide your home with security, safety, and curb appeal. It’s time that outdoor lights get the respect they deserve! Here are our suggestions for finding the best outdoor lights to complement your home design and prevent accidents in the dark.
RELATED READ: Indoor / Outdoor Living Tips from the Pros
Lay of the Land
How often do you pay attention to the lights outside your home or around your property? If you are like many homeowners, you may not give lighting a second thought unless you notice a burned-out bulb. Imagine seeing your house through someone else’s eyes.
Walk your property, taking note of dark areas that could benefit from extra lighting, including pathways, stairs, pool decks and patios. Do your current outdoor lantern lights and posts look tired and worn? Could your backyard benefit from more ambient lighting? Would you feel safer in your home with more lights around the perimeter? Take stock of what you have and notice areas that need improvement. That little bit of effort can help you create a plan to improve your exterior lighting both for security and aesthetic reasons.
The Usual Suspects
Most outdoor spaces have specific lighting needs, so you may want to create a comprehensive lighting plan to address each region. Consider these particular areas when deciding which kinds of lights to include:
- Walkways – Prevent falls when friends or family visit with pathway lights that lead from the street or driveway to your front entryway. Look for solar walking lights that do not require hardwiring.
- Steps – Are your steps bright enough for people to see them? Add underlighting along a handrail or individual lights on every step to ensure guests won’t miss a step or two.
- Garage – Stop intruderes in their tracks with motion-sensor outdoor garage lights. Floodlights can light up whenever someone or something moves past them to send snoops on their way.
- Entryway – Use outdoor pendant lighting to make a grand statement at your front door. Consider the style of your home to determine what shapes and finishes can complement the rest of your exterior.
- Landscaping – Uplighting or spotlights can add drama to your property. Why not add lights at the base of a gorgeous tree or around a flowerbed to make your yard the envy of the neighborhood?
- Outdoor kitchen – Don’t be left in the dark! Light up your outdoor kitchen to enjoy this outdoor space after the sun sets. Add task lighting to see what you are doing at the grill or pizza oven, and include ambient lighting to create an inviting vibe.
- Porches and patios –These outdoor entertaining spaces and seating areas can benefit from similar lighting techniques you use indoors. Consider adding a string of lights for a soft, slightly festive feel.
- Pool decks – Lighting around a pool isn’t an extra; it’s a necessity. Make sure you have adequate lighting around any water feature to stop accidents before they happen. Outdoor torch or string lights can also make the pool inviting for a nighttime swim.
Bright Like a Diamond
Once you have a better idea of the best outdoor lighting options for your needs, you can start looking for fixtures that appeal to your taste. Just like with indoor lighting you select to enhance your interior design, you should understand your exterior design style to select lighting that complements it. For example, you probably would not choose rustic outdoor barn lights for an ultra-modern home because they would look out of place. On the other hand, a modern farmhouse would welcome the addition of barn lights framing the front entryway for a cohesive style.
These outdoor lighting styles pair nicely with popular exterior styles:
- Outdoor lantern lights – These traditional fixtures come in several finishes for an old-fashioned charm that looks perfect with a colonial, victorian or even cape cod exterior. Consider investing in flickering bulbs to mimic the gas lighting once found outside these historic houses.
- Industrial gooseneck or outdoor barn lights – If your home has a modern farmhouse feel, incorporate a more industrial or rustic look with your fixtures. These sconces look appropriate in a black or patinaed finish.
- Minimalist flush mounts – Simple yet effective, these understated lights fit well with the contemporary style. Finishes include bronze, black or satin nickel to accompany geometric shapes like rectangles, squares or cylinders.
- Outdoor pendant lighting – Select a funky pendant light to accent your mid-century modern house. Bold shapes can pop against a sloped, flat or peaked roofline for some serious curb appeal.
- Mission-style lanterns – Craftsman homes deserve the clean lines and natural inspiration of Mission light fixtures. Either outdoor pendant or lantern lights will do the trick, as long as you think Frank Lloyd Wright would have approved.
- Transitional outdoor lights – Not quite formal and not quite modern, these lights cross boundaries to work for more homes. Select this style for your ranch home that doesn’t seem to fall under one of the other categories. Bronze or black finishes give these lights plenty of personality.
A Parting Gift
One last thing to consider when updating your outdoor lighting; be respectful of your neighbors. The last thing you want to do is blind the houses next door or across the street with your new outdoor pendant lighting or security flood lights. See how your home looks at night when it’s lit up, and set off your motion-sensor lights to see if their glow stays within the perimeters of your yard.
The best place to find unique outdoor lighting is Chairish. Our carefully curated collection of pendants, posts and lanterns can complete your home’s exterior. Browse our selection, and be sure to check out our sales for treasures that won’t blow your budget.
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Lead design photo by Suzanne Kasler Interiors / Photo by Erica George Dines