A radiant first impression: How to light your outdoor entryway.

A Welcoming Entrance

Consider the Architecture of Your Home

A roof or covered porch over the entrance will be one of the main influences when considering a new outdoor entryway lighting plan. For a smaller stoop, a direct downlight or two is likely all you'll need. Look for an outdoor wall light that creates a wash of light down the wall to brighten up the area around the door.

For Every Size

For a large porch, an even, diffused layer of light will illuminate the square footage. Instead of one large and powerful outdoor light, go for many small patio lights instead. A couple of wall lights with a down wash and a few path lights with a puddling effect will be far more pleasing than having one giant, bright fixture flanking the house.

Common Types of Outdoor Lighting

The most common outdoor fixtures are wall lights, but you can also illuminate your entryway with pendants, flush and semi-flush ceiling lights, or recessed lighting styles. Typically, it's best to layer a few styles together, similar to an indoor lighting plan.

How bright should entryway lights be?

In the dark, a little bit of light goes a long way. Incandescent wattages can be kept in the 25 to 40 watts range (200 to 500 lumens). If you are using multiple fixtures, stay closer to 200 lumens per fixture. If you have large windows that let the indoor light out, you may use even less light.

Outdoor Fixtures for a Roof or Overhang

For roof or overhang lighting, you can select from pendants, flushmounts and recessed lighting. For pendants, the bottom of the fixture should be about 6 inches above the height of the door. Flushmount ceiling lights and recessed lighting will keep the emphasis on the entryway itself and provide ample lighting. Place recessed lighting closer to the door to reduce shadows.

Outdoor Wall Fixtures

Wall lights can be used in combination with ceiling lighting to fill in gaps in illumination or on their own. Sizing of wall lights will be determined by the height of your door. If you are using one wall light, it should be approximately one-third the height of the door. With two lights, they should be approximately one-quarter the height of the door. In both cases they should be mounted so that the center of the lamp is 66 inches above the ground.

Outdoor Lamps with Diffusers

The easiest way to ensure you have enough light is to look for an outdoor wall light that covers the light source with a shade, plate or heavy diffuser. You don't want a design that will have you looking directly into the light source. Choosing fixtures with translucent white or frosted diffusers will help the whole fixture to be seen while preventing a glare or a beacon effect, where you only see the bulb filament through the clear glass.

Matching Outdoor Lighting Fixtures

Having a consistent style starting at the curb with post- or pier-mount lights helps create a unified feeling across your outdoor design. Many manufacturers offer complete outdoor collections that provide a cohesive look. You can also choose to make one piece the focal point and have the others blend in with their surroundings.

What is Dark Sky Lighting?

Depending on the region you live in, you may or may not be familiar with Dark Sky compliant lighting, which aims to reduce the harmful effects of light pollution by utilizing a number of design elements. Various parts of California and many coastal areas go so far as to require that your outdoor lighting be Dark Sky compliant, which means that the light is no brighter than necessary, blue light emissions are minimized and the light source is fully shielded.

Recommended For You

Current Offers