Choosing Beautiful Exterior Lighting for your Home

It is springtime, and homeowners all across the country are itching to get outside and spruce up the exteriors of their homes. Folks are power-washing, planting, trimming, and touching up. It’s also a great time to replace tired-looking or improperly sized exterior lighting in order to enhance curb appeal. While they may be small relative to the other elements of the exterior, great outdoor light fixtures can be like jewelry for the front of your home. Read on for important considerations when choosing new lighting.

size matters

When considering potential lighting options for your front door area, select the largest fixture possible that will not overwhelm the space. Too often, homeowners err on the side of caution when it comes to size and end up with undersized fixtures. Whatever you do, don’t purchase a light without measuring the area where it will go, and don’t just replace an existing fixture with one of the same size unless you’re sure that the size is appropriate. The previous homeowner or builder may have chosen the wrong sized light for the space! Remember that large fixtures will lend presence to the front of a home, while lights that are too small will get lost on the exterior.

There are many rules of thumb out there on how to select a size (for example, 1/4-1/3 the height of the front door plus casing for sconces), but mocking it up can really help in the selection process. Simply cut sturdy paper or cardboard to the dimensions of the light you’re considering, tape the mock-up to the front of the house, and look at it from street- or sidewalk-level.

Style matters

It is a good idea to select fixtures in a style that complements the architectural style of the home. A traditional colonial style fixture on a mid-century modern home, for example, will look out of place. If the home is transitional or does not lean strongly toward a particular architectural style, consider choosing a fixture that will complement other elements such as door hardware, mailbox, and even landscaping for a cohesive look.

If you are choosing lights for more than one location (for example, sconces and pendant or overhead and post), you can certainly choose matching fixtures from the same brand and line. However, there is no rule that says you can’t select different but coordinating styles. In fact, using different lights that coordinate, rather than match, can increase visual interest by creating a layered, put-together look.

function matters

While considering an exterior light, pay attention to the UL rating of the fixture. Damp-rated fixtures may be used in covered, protected outdoor spaces, such as on a porch or under an overhang. They should not be used in areas where they will be directly exposed to rain, snow, etc. Choose wet-rated fixtures for those applications instead. Some lights include a dawn-to-dusk feature, turning the light on when its photoelectric eye senses that it is dusk and off again at dawn. Others include motion-detecting functionality. Consider whether these features are important to you as you look at fixture options. Finally, think about how much light you want in a space and make sure you select a fixture with an appropriate amount of bulbs and wattage to generate the amount of light needed for safety and good looks.