Outdoor lighting provides light for safe walking in the evening hours, a welcoming guide for visitors, security, and a pleasant way to enhance the natural beauty at home. Your exterior lighting should be a reflection of your home's exterior as well as its interior style.
Tolomeo XXL Outdoor Floor Lamp with Floor Base by Artemide
Whether you are replacing outdated lighting or building a new home, when choosing the lighting for your home it is best to consider the overall appearance of your home. Here are a few questions for you to ponder:
Not enough lights can leave the house looking bare of lights. While too many lights may look over done, too bright for you and your neighbors, leave you asking where have the stars gone, and overwhelm your house's overall appearance. How will the lighting fixtures look from the driveway, the curb, and the front door?
Remember that the overall goal of creating your outdoor lighting is to design a comfortable, safe and secure lighting experience. There are many types of outdoor lights and many types and styles. Here are just a few examples of the basic outdoor lighting types.
Outdoor Wall Lighting or wall sconces are?most often used in outdoor halls, near front and back doors, and exterior garden walls.
Port Outdoor Wall Sconce by Hubbardton Forge
Flush Mount Lights: These are generally used in an enclosed area that has a ceiling, just like the standard indoor flush mount. Most commonly you may see these in the entryways of homes, above or close to the front door and on porches.
Holmby Hills 2 Light Outdoor Flush Mount by Corbett Lighting
Post & Pier Mounted Light Fixtures are great for illuminating your entrance ways, pathways and near driveway to enable better visibility for drivers and pedestrians. The post portion of the post light tend to be sold separately from the light fixture.
Cheyenne Exterior Pier Mount Lamp by Troy Lighting
Hanging Lanterns and Fixtures look great in grand entrances and porches with tall ceilings. In order to insure adequate lighting and safety, hang lanterns a good distance from swinging doors. The general rule of thumb for hanging a lantern is 84″ from the floor.
Britannia Exterior Three Light Lantern by Troy Lighting
Accent Lighting: Accent or ambiant lighting is a rather large category. It can include path lighting, decorative lighting used for changing the scene while having fun (like shown below) and even abstract designs that add just a smidgen of light and style to your space.
Globe Lamp by Smart & Green
Step lights or sometimes called deck lighting are perfect for adding additional light to your outdoor steps and porches for safety and for looks. Placing step lights on the front of each individual step or on the walls aligning your steps will bring an updated appearance to your home's stairways and walkaways.
Ledra Outdoor Step Light by Bruck Lighting
