diy home

We are right in the middle of our exterior renovation and I have been searching high and low for the perfect outdoor lighting for our home. If I’m going to overthink one design element, it’s probably lighting. Lighting has the ability to really elevate a space and is a more permanent feature… as opposed to plants or a doormat. I especially wanted to knock it out of the park for our front door as it is the first thing that greets someone as they visit our home. Here are a few things that I’m considering before deciding.

SIZE MATTERS

The size of exterior lighting really matters in the context of what it is surrounded by. A good rule of thumb for an exterior front door is that a light should be roughly 1/4 of the size of the door… or larger. In my case, I have a large 8′ door so I am really wanting a sconce that is 24″ in height.

FINISH

As with any fixture, it’s really important to decide on a finish for your lighting fixtures as a whole. I think there are some cases where you could mix finishes within your exterior lighting plan but in general, I would stick with the same. There are a lot to choose from: bronze, black, matte black, copper, brass, white, vintage brass… Make sure and check the description. I personally love bronze light fixtures for most exteriors. I think black can be a little cold/stark… and other finishes can be hard to match.

THINK ABOUT OTHER EXTERIOR LIGHTS

This one is tricky but super important. You might find the perfect front door light but if you can’t find other lights that coordinate and flow with it for the other parts of your home, it might not be the right choice. It’s a good sign when a light fixture has various sizes that can be used in different places, but all have similar lines.