I have a completely normal (ok, obsessive) relationship with lighting – I can spend hours looking for the perfect one. Updating your lighting really is the best way to modernize both the inside and outside of your home – I am continually surprised and saddened at how often I see people with builder grade lighting after living in home for 10+ years.
I am currently shopping for new outside lighting for the Office addition and just hit the buy button so though I would share some of the great options that I found in my journey. My design will feature a mix of LED and traditional blub fixtures. Remember, all your lights do not need to match. Below is my final selection – I am so happy/surprised that my husband approved the modern chandelier which I was not expecting and I am getting the matching wall light (he has not seen this one yet) that will be by the front door. The tube light will be on the building to the right of the pendant and just needs to provide light and take a backseat to the star.
The light at the bottom left will be in sets on the front and back of the office addition. This light is available in LED and traditional bulb lights and I am a bit surprised that I am going with the LED option. I think that it will be more modern just to have a glow without the bulb. I do love me an Edison light blub and they have LED versions so you can have both your bulb and efficient lighting if you want.
Before you start shopping my favorite lighting options below, here are a few outdoor lighting trends to consider:
- There are two general type of outdoor lighting fixtures – traditional bulbs or LED. If you select a fixture with bulbs, I highly recommend that you use LED bulbs to save electricity and they will last longer so less maintenance. There are fantastic LED Edison bulbs (the clear bulbs that show the filaments) so you do not have to compromise on style if that is the look you are going for.
- Transition in color from brown to gray, black and even white – we are going with black which goes with everything.
- Large lights – too small lights is one of the biggest mistakes I see. Most lights come in multiple sizes. I am going with 20″ lights for my outdoor wall lights which will be on a single story addition and is generally the right size for most exterior wall lights. Try making a cardboard cut out the size you are considering and tape it up – you will know when it is right.
- More outdoor chandelier options as people are increasingly spending more time outdoors and creating outdoor living rooms – we certainly spend more time outside since moving to California! I have a few in the line-up below but may do something separate on these as I was primarily looking for a pendant to go in a doorway.
- More contemporary design. Our house is quite modern, so I am leaning in that direction but really think that modern lights look good on most style homes. I recommend against traditional lantern lights (think pointy at top and bottom) which most homes have as it will land you squarely back in the 1980s.
- Outdoor string lights. These are extremely easy to add. I purchased a few inexpensive round bulb light strings, zip tied them to some trees and added a timer in just a few minutes. These were initially intended for Christmas but are not a permanent feature. It is like magic when they come on every night at about 5pm and they add a fun glow that is visible from the kitchen and family room.
- Smart security lights. We have outdoor motion sensor lighting that is connected to a camera system that can be controlled or viewed on mobile devices. Do not use this much but nice to know that we have it.
Here are some of my favorite outdoor lights. If you do not find something you love, head over to the online stores below which are my favorite for outdoor lighting – just make sure you have a few hours before you do in case you find you are as obsessed with lighting as I am.
Favorite Outdoor Wall Lights (most come in different finishes)
Favorite Outdoor Pendant and a Couple Chandelier Lights