Your outdoor spaces should never be an afterthought. They present the first impression of your home, create a welcoming atmosphere, and offer an excellent place to relax with friends and family. You, therefore, cannot afford to underestimate the importance of decorating and styling your home’s exterior in a fashion that matches the space’s aesthetics and functional requirement, as well as your home’s style.
Among the best decorative and functional elements you can leverage for your yard is outdoor lighting. That said, the following are the top considerations to remember when choosing outdoor lights for your home.
Considerations to Make When Choosing Outdoor Lighting
1. Durability
Many outdoor lighting fixtures feature metallic construction; however, not all metal fixtures are similar.
Aluminum is a popular option among homeowners on a tight budget due to its affordability and durability. Besides, the material is rust- and dust-resistant. However, paint placed on aluminum tends to fade over time due to oxidation. But you may opt for powder-coated aluminum; however, expect to spend more money.
Whereas stainless steel often looks fantastic in modern homes, it is highly susceptible to corrosion and dust. Choose this material only if you have time and resources for regular cleaning and maintenance.
A combination of copper and zinc, brass can last for years but comes with higher investment costs. Although brass is more robust than copper, both materials are identical in beauty, weather resistance, and color. However, copper outdoor lighting fixtures are more affordable than their brass counterparts.
2. Size
Whereas large lighting fixtures can bring more light to your large yard, they will likely dwarf your dwelling and take away attention from it. It helps to choose a lighting fixture size that blends well with other elements in your yard. For instance, you will want to avoid fixtures that block the doorway. Talking of garage wall lighting, pick fixtures that are a quarter or third of the door frame’s width.
Another ticket to getting fixture size right is choosing lights that cover a particular area sufficiently and not excessively. For example, opt for some floodlights if you want to illuminate your lawn.
However, floodlights are not the best choice for illuminating a pathway; instead, install a few path lights.
3. Intended Location
There exist three types of locations for outdoor light installation: dry, damp, and wet. In line with this, distinguishing the difference between dry-, damp-, and wet-rated lights is the key to ensuring the safe installation of your outdoor lighting.
Easily damaged by moisture, dry-rated outdoor lighting fixtures are best suited for areas far from dampness, such as covered patios.
Contrarily, damp-rated lights are perfect for areas with no direct exposure to water, snow, and rain. Such locations may include outside the bathroom window, outdoor kitchen, and carport.
Wet-rated outdoor lights are designed to withstand stormy conditions, heavy rains, and harsh breezes. You can install these devices in pergolas, verandas, and exposed gazebos.
You will also want to consider the prevailing weather conditions in your region. For example, if the area experiences sunshine for the larger part of the year, it is not a bad idea to install dry-rated lights in slightly exposed places in your yard.
4. Types
Note that there are numerous outdoor light options, and it may be highly tricky for you to pick the right choice if you do not know what you need. Following is a roundup of the different types of outdoor lights to make the selection process more manageable:
» Post lights:
You install these fixtures on top of posts or poles. When choosing a post light, look for a wet rating to take home a waterproof product.
» Wall lights:
As the name suggests, wall lights are installed on walls or any vertical surfaces. Ideal places to install these fixtures are patios, garages, and porches.
» Hanging and ceiling lights:
These models are an excellent alternative if you lack room for wall lights. Additionally, they are best suited for damp spots due to their tendency to hide from the rain.
» Landscape lights:
Usually low-voltage, these fixtures are an excellent choice to accent your landscape or your home’s façade. Among the ideal areas to install landscape lights are pathways, driveways, and gardens.
» Security lights:
Pick these variants if you want to add some sense of safety and security to your home’s exterior. Security lights tend to be brighter than most outdoor lighting alternatives.
5. Style and Color
Admittedly, you want outdoor lights to illuminate your home’s exterior at night. But remember that your lighting fixtures are visible during the day. Therefore, pick a lighting style that delivers a coordinated visual appeal to your yard.
Craftsman or Colonial homes do well with traditional outdoor lights, which tend to have ornate designs augmented with fancy details like flourishes and curved hooks.
For a modern home, choose contemporary outdoor lights commonly distinguished by their straightforward and minimalistic aesthetics. These fixtures often feature geometric touches such as rectangles and spheres to improve consistency in their minimalistic look.
Also available are transitional lighting fixtures, which fuse the elements of contemporary and traditional models. Most homeowners feel safe with these variants because they are not as simple as modern models nor as ornate as the conventional fixtures.
To consistently display a gorgeous exterior, be sure to use colors that blend well with your property’s theme. For example, pick outdoor lighting with gold or bronze elements if your walls have warm, earthy colors. Conversely, pewter or black outdoor lighting fixtures go well with blue-painted walls.
Also Read: 15 Outdoor Lighting Trends For 2021
The Bottom Line
Keep in mind the above considerations for the right outdoor lights that match your needs and home’s style.
Hevi Lite is your one-stop shop for top-quality outdoor lighting products and solutions. In our commitment to helping our clients find the best lighting fixtures for their outdoor spaces, our experienced professional design and manufacture unique lighting products that match the desires and needs of many residents and businesses in the region. Whether you need wall & surface lights, accent lights, sign & post lights, in-grade up lights, or floodlights, rest assured we have any outdoor lighting product you need to reinvent your home’s or office’s functional and aesthetic appeal.
Also available in our collection are lighting accessories and power supplies you need to complete your outdoor lighting project. Contact Hevi Lite today at 818-341-8091 or drop us a message here for more information about our products and a personalized, heart-to-heart discussion about your next outdoor lighting project.