Choosing the right outdoor lights can transform your space into a blend of safety, beauty, and functionality. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to choose the best outdoor lights, focusing on key considerations such as purpose, power source, style, and technical features. Whether you aim to secure your property, create a warm ambiance, or navigate your outdoor space safely at night, our expert advice will help you make an informed decision that elevates the comfort and appeal of your home exterior.
Outdoor lighting serves multiple important functions. It ensures safety through pathway illumination, acts as a preventative measure against potential intruders and augments the visual appeal of your residence by highlighting its architectural features.
Choosing the appropriate lighting fixtures for outdoor use is crucial and should be based on the distinct needs of various external areas like gardens, patios or driveways, while also complementing your home’s overall style.
Ever stumbled in the dark because you couldn’t see a step? Outdoor lights make paths and walkways safer, so you don’t have to worry about accidents when it gets dark early. Simple lights like those along paths or on posts help you see where you’re going and keep you safe from tripping.
For areas where vehicles and pedestrians share space, like driveways or parking lots, setting up lighting fixtures that provide 1500 to 3000 lumens is advised for optimal clarity.
Outdoor lighting isn’t just about enhancing visual appeal. It’s a potent means of protection as well. Consider these alternatives:
To achieve the best balance between robust security and reduced light pollution, opt for LED security lights equipped with motion sensors that have received approval from the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).
Optimal outdoor lighting, especially ambient lighting, can significantly improve the atmosphere of your outdoor space. This type of lighting fosters a smooth flow between your home’s interior and exterior, amplifying the perceived expanse and welcoming nature of your living space.
Incorporating colorful LED accent lights adds an element of fun to any event by generating a lively vibe, while strategically positioned waterproof spotlights can artfully illuminate water features. The correct arrangement of these lights has the power to transform your open-air area into a private sanctuary tailor-made for you.
At GoBright Lights, we understand that choosing the perfect outdoor lighting can be a complex task, with a myriad of options available. That’s why we’re dedicated to helping you navigate through the choices to find the best solution for your home. Whether you’re looking for security, ambiance, or simply to illuminate your space, our team of experts is here to provide personalized advice and support, ensuring that your outdoor lighting is just as you envision it – functional, beautiful, and perfectly suited to your needs.
After determining the requirements for lighting, we should consider the options for power sources. Lights in outdoor spaces can utilize energy from solar panels, battery cells, or direct connections to an electrical grid. The decision on which source to use will be influenced by elements like your outdoor area’s positioning, how bright you need the lights to be and whether you favor mobility over fixed installations.
Outdoor lighting that is hard-wired boasts dependability and is ideal for extended use. Such right outdoor lights are connected to the main electrical grid, typically through wiring laid below ground level, ensuring they stay lit as long as there’s power in the grid.
When installing wall-mounted hard-wired lights, it’s beneficial to choose energy-efficient LED bulbs which lead to cost savings over time and lower maintenance demands. It’s important during installation that any underground wires are correctly situated and buried at a depth of no less than 6 inches to safeguard against moisture intrusion, corrosion issues, and physical harm.
Lighting powered by solar energy is an autonomous system that transforms sunlight into electric power. This type of lighting brings advantages including automatic operation from dusk till dawn, reduced costs for installation, and elimination of continuous energy expenses. Nevertheless, the performance effectiveness of solar lights hinges on the availability of sunlight in a region, which influences their charging capability.
Hence, it’s important to take into account elements like the geographic position and how these lights are installed to ensure they function at their best capacity.
Outdoor lights that operate on batteries provide an easy-to-install and movable lighting solution, particularly useful in spots where conventional hard-wired or solar-powered lighting systems aren’t feasible. Many of these battery-powered lights come equipped with added functionalities such as motion detectors or automatic timers, making them more convenient and energy-saving. It’s important to remember that the need for frequent battery replacements can incur extra maintenance expenses and might result in occasional gaps in your outdoor lighting.
After determining your lighting requirements and deciding on a power source, the next step is to pick the appropriate outdoor light fixtures. A wide variety of outdoor lights are on offer, each designed for different purposes. Whether it’s wall lights or pendant styles you seek, picking the right kind of fixture will hinge upon what part of your outdoor space you intend to illuminate – be that your patio, garage, porch or even a gazezeebo.
It’s important to bear in mind when selecting these fixtures that size matters. It should complement other aspects within the area for a cohesive and visually attractive presence in your exterior setting.
There is a diverse array of styles available for wall-mounted outdoor lights, from classic lantern models to modern interpretations, all of which can incorporate smart tech features for improved safety.
Certain models of these wall-mounted fixtures offer the functionality to adjust the direction of light. This enables you to spotlight particular areas if desired and presents them as an excellent substitute for ceiling lights.
Lights for outdoor pathways serve the dual purpose of ensuring clear visibility and highlighting features such as trees, gardens, or architectural elements within your landscape. These lights are available in numerous styles ranging from discreet low-profile fixtures to more prominent bollard-style lighting.
To achieve both security and optimal illumination, it’s recommended that these outdoor fixtures emit a light intensity between 100 and 200 lumens.
Deck lighting and step lights enhance the visual appeal while simultaneously mitigating the risk of tripping. Lights that are flush-mounted on decks and steps maintain a cohesive look and reduce potential stumbling hazards.
When it comes to lighting for steps, aiming for approximately 100 lumens strikes an ideal equilibrium between sufficient illumination for safety purposes and minimizing harsh glare.
LED spotlights, functioning as accent lights, are excellent for accenting specific garden attractions including foliage, arboreal elements or sculptural pieces by enriching the visual charm of the space after dusk. These spotlights can be directed to shed light on select zones, whereas floodlights provide more expansive lighting coverage. Both types are vital for creating an effective accent and feature illumination in a garden setting.
It’s important to select outdoor lights that complement the architectural design of your home. For a modern dwelling, contemporary lights can enhance its aesthetic appeal, while traditional lights are ideally suited for homes with Craftsman or Colonial architecture. If you require lighting that is adaptable to any style of home, transitional outdoor lights offer an excellent solution and are universally accommodating.
Elaborate details characterize traditional outdoor lighting fixtures, which echo the style of vintage lanterns and exude a nostalgic allure. Adorned with classic design elements and often finished in bronze, these decorative lights infuse elegance into any outdoor space, underscoring their dedication to timeless beauty through illumination.
Modern outdoor lights present a contemporary look, characterized by:
These lights not only illuminate your space, but can also function as practical artworks, providing inventive structures that give your outdoor area an exclusive flair.
Outdoor lights of the transitional variety merge components from traditional and contemporary designs to create a cohesive look. Their adaptability makes them suitable for complementing numerous home architectures.
These exterior lights come in an assortment of finishes, ensuring they can coordinate with diverse outdoor decorating schemes.
Prior to settling on your choice of outdoor lighting, consider key technical aspects. The protection against water and dust ingress is determined by the IP rating, while the energy efficiency is influenced by the type of light bulbs used.
Comprehending these details will help you optimize your investment in outdoor lighting systems.
The IP rating system is used to specify the level of protection offered by electrical enclosures against solids and water. For outdoor light fixtures, it’s advised to use ones with at least an IP65 rating, which guarantees defense against water jets from various angles.
Ensuring your outdoor lighting has a suitable IP rating will help maintain the durability of these fixtures.
Selecting the appropriate bulbs for your outdoor lighting can greatly influence energy efficiency. For example, LED light bulbs are exceptionally energy-efficient, using up to 90% less energy compared to traditional incandescent bulbs and have a lifespan that is up to 25 times longer. Consequently, they have become a favored option in modern designs of outdoor lights.
The lumens metric quantifies the amount of visible light that a source emits, with light emitting diodes being one such example. Lumens are crucial for determining the brightness level of various lights and assessing their ability to illuminate outdoor spaces.
Take solar lights as an example. Their luminosity can vary significantly depending on their intended use.
If outdoor lights are not correctly installed, their performance will suffer regardless of their quality. To maintain their efficiency and extend their lifespan, it is crucial to carry out regular maintenance. It’s important that when you’re undertaking the installation yourself or having it done professionally, insulated tools should be used and adherence to the manufacturer’s guidelines is a must.
Ensuring light fixtures are routinely cleaned and inspected for any signs of water penetration can help prevent rusting and additional problems, thereby maintaining the integrity of your lighting setup.
Choosing whether to have outdoor lighting professionally installed or to tackle it yourself often depends on the intricacy of the project and your knowledge of electrical systems. Opting for professional installation guarantees that the work is performed safely and accurately, yet taking a DIY route could be feasible if you possess some electrical know-how, particularly when dealing with low-voltage lighting setups.
Maintaining outdoor lighting fixtures is crucial for ensuring they provide the best possible light. This maintenance should involve cleaning the glass parts of these fixtures with a mixture of mild soap and warm water to preserve their brightness, as well as ensuring that debris does not accumulate around them. It’s also important to routinely inspect all outdoor lighting fixtures to verify that they remain in good condition and operate safely.
To safeguard electrical connections against corrosion, it’s advisable to use gel-filled wire connectors specifically created for external applications. These can help maintain the integrity of the connections over extended periods.
Choosing the right outdoor lighting may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. By understanding your lighting needs, considering power options, selecting the right fixtures, choosing the right style and design, considering technical specifications, and ensuring proper installation and maintenance, you can transform your outdoor spaces into welcoming, secure, and aesthetically pleasing havens. The perfect outdoor lighting solution is within your reach!
When selecting a light for your outdoor space, it’s essential to take into account the style of your home’s exterior and any existing fixtures. Ensure that the new light complements your home’s trim as well as its outdoor decorations.
When selecting outdoor lighting fixtures, it is optimal to choose those with an IP66 rating or above, which ensures they are safeguarded against heavy rainfall.
If there’s a chance your lighting could occasionally be submerged due to flooding, you should think about opting for fixtures rated at either IP67 or IP68.
Lighting for outdoor spaces fulfills various functions, including improving safety by illuminating paths, deterring potential intruders, and elevating the visual charm of your residence through emphasis on its structural design. Beyond these practical applications, outdoor lighting also plays a pivotal role in the celebration of occasions, adding a festive flair to your home for holidays and special events, thereby contributing to a secure environment while fostering an inviting and celebratory ambiance.
Solar energy, batteries, or direct connection to the electrical system can all serve as power sources for outdoor lights, offering a range of flexible solutions tailored to various requirements.
Yes, themed outdoor lights are available for different celebrations, such as Christmas, Halloween, and other occassions, allowing you to add a festive touch to your home’s exterior during these special times of the year.
Architizer's A+Product Awards is open for submissions, with the Extended Entry Deadline fast approaching on Friday, February 23rd. Get your products in front of the AEC industry’s most renowned designers by submitting today.
Exterior lighting brings façades and outdoor spaces to life. Whether utilizing fixtures for security, landscape or dramatic effect, exterior lights can transform how you see and understand a building or pathway. While exterior lighting may fall under a landscape architect’s purview, it’s important for every type of architect to understand how outdoor lights can integrate with a building and its larger site. By understanding the play between light and dark, architects can use contrast and shadows to create inspiring and intriguing spaces.
The main starting point when considering exterior lighting is establish the primary design goal: are you hoping to identify key features, add drama to surfaces that don’t normally stand out, or to simply create a clear path and entryway? You can both highlight a building’s architectural features and draw attention to plantings and trees. From task lighting for safety to ambient string lights for the perfect outdoor party, start by identifying the outdoor spaces you want to use and then find solutions for each area. Next, you should understand the basic types of fixtures when making your lighting plan. Finally, you should consider security and maintenance. These steps are reviewed in the following guide and provide a solid foundation for understanding different ways to brighten your design.
Audain Art Museum by Patkau Architects
Task Lighting: It’s important to start with task lighting for illuminating pathways and entrances. Task lighting is paramount when performing specific tasks. This type of outdoor lighting can be achieved by using pathway lights, deck lighting and outdoor step lights. If your fixture is exposed to the elements, you will want to make sure to get a wet-rated fixture. And always make sure that the light fixture is specifically identified as outdoor lighting.
Ambient Lighting: This lighting provides an area with overall outdoor lighting. A common mistake is using too bright a bulb outside. A bulb that uses a lower wattage or has a lower lumens output is generally adequate in the dark. Usually, these are outdoor wall lights or post lights. Ambient lighting is also known as general lighting, which radiates a comfortable level of brightness without glare and allows you to see and walk safely.
Accent Lighting: Accent lighting adds drama to an outdoor space by creating visual interest. Take time to plan and focus your lighting for particular features: walkways, the doorway, landscaping. You can highlight trees, planting areas and architectural details. This type of lighting is usually provided by spotlights. Here, up lighting can be used to create drama with a taller structure or tree.
Path Lights: This is the most common type of landscape lighting. Path lights are small posts that have a light built in and are capped with a diffuser. They can be used to frame out a space or feature in a yard, or spread out down a walkway. They can be place around a pond, along a driveway or lining a pathway.
Ceiling Lights & Hanging Lights: Ceiling lights and hanging lights are usually selected for damp locations where they’re never directly exposed to rain. Made to be integrated in a surface or as a featured light, they are normally specified as brighter fixtures. You can find hanging lights in a wide range of styles that offer varying levels of brightness.
Wall Lights: The classic front or back porch light, wall lights can be mounted on virtually any vertical surface. One of the most commonly seen outdoor fixtures, wall lights are a durable and attractive. Outdoor wall lights are usually used for decorative purposes, providing ambient or accent lighting rather than focused, bright lighting. These are the ideal choice for patios or porches.
Post Lights & Pier Mount Lights: As the name suggests, post lights are fixtures that mount on top of posts. When a more architectural light is needed, post mount lights are designed to install onto a post or on top of a structure. They’re commonly used for entries, gates, fences or around a deck. Because they’re usually placed in open-air settings like driveways and pathways, most post lights are “wet rated,” meaning they are designed to withstand direct exposure to rain and moisture. Pier mount lights look much like post lights, but are designed to be installed on top of columns or walls.
Landscape Lights: Landscape lighting is a low voltage system separate from the wall and ceiling lights. Path, spot and floodlights can be used in combination to created layered lighting. Spotlights can be used for featuring a number of outdoor elements like trees, buildings, sculptural and architectural details. Well lights are recessed into the ground to create a seamless look in both landscape and hardscape setting. The inset profile is minimal and can be used to up light trees, walls or art.
Deck and Step Lights: Deck and step lights are installed directly into a yard’s hardscape or decking. They are used as an accent to architectural details and added safety to dark stairs. They can also be used for washing light down stone walls or lighting up entertainment spaces.
There are options that help boost security when you design for outdoor lighting. With everything from Wi-Fi-controlled LED light bulbs to motion-sensor lights with distance and size controls, considering safety and security begins with understand location. The main focus is usually the front door, driveway, and garage. Motion sensor lights are a good solution because they are triggered by movement. Security lights offer a bright, flood-like light that helps ward off burglars or intruders.
Dusk to Dawn Lights: These fixtures are fitted with special photo sensors which trigger them to automatically turn on and off with the setting and rising of the sun. They are an easy way to ensure your outdoor lighting is on only when needed.
Motion Sensor Lights: Sensor lights are triggered to turn on by nearby movements, making them ideal as security lights and for high-traffic parts of your property like entries and walkways. The range and angle of motion sensor vary by design.
It’s important to consider the scale of your space. From a small, intimate garden to a large backyard field, understanding the scale of your outdoor lighting scheme will determine the front porch wall lights, ceiling and hanging lights, and post and pier mounted lights.
Post and Pier Mount Lights: For post-mounted designs, 84” high (or 7 feet) is standard. Fixtures may be a different size depending on the number of bulbs.
Front Porch Wall Lights: If you have one fixture, your light should be approximately one-third the height of the door. For two fixtures, wall lights can be as little as 1/4 the height of the door.
Ceiling and Hanging Lights: The most important thing to consider is that your space is tall enough to accommodate a hanging light. From there, you can choose a design that’s proportional to the dimension of the covered porch or patio.
As for maintenance, motion-sensors and solar-powered lights are one way to save energy with outdoor lighting. For wattage, if the bulb is in a glass shade, try the 75 to 100 Watt equivalent range. For an exposed bulb, get a minimum of a 60 Watt equivalent. Most outdoor fixtures are designed for either wet or damp location use. It’s important to consider which you need:
Wet Rated (or Wet Location) fixtures are designed for use anywhere that is directly exposed to wind and rain. Outdoor wall lights, post lights and motion sensor lights are wet location rated.
Damp Rated (or Damp Location) fixtures are designed for use in covered patios, pergolas and any place that is not exposed directly to rain and moisture. Outdoor ceiling lights and hanging lights are damp use rated.
As there are many types, styles and sizes of outdoor lighting available, the pricing for different options is highly varied. To find out what the typical pricing is for the type of outdoor lighting you have in mind, it’s helpful to simple start browsing for different fixtures. Don’t forget that the list price doesn’t account for installation costs. Also consider the amount of energy the light uses that will affect your ongoing costs. Finally, when weighing the cost of exterior lighting, don’t forget to look into the fixture’s durability and whether it will need to be replaced over time.
Though you can sometimes rely on solar power, most lights on decks, patios or porches will need electricity. For outdoor lighting that requires electricity, you’ll choose between low voltage and line voltage.
Low Voltage Lighting: This option works at 12 volts, use less energy, and are typically easier to install.
Line Voltage Lighting: This option uses 120 volts, which is the same amount of energy that most appliances in your house use. They typically require some extra features to install safely outside, such as a conduit that will protect your wires and a junction box.
Seeing how different outdoor lighting products have been used in context is key. To this end, the following architectural case studies can help further inform your research into exterior fixtures:
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Architizer's A+Product Awards is open for submissions, with the Extended Entry Deadline fast approaching on Friday, February 23rd. Get your products in front of the AEC industry’s most renowned designers by submitting today.
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