Characteristics Of A Modern Farmhouse
An overwhelming majority of modern farmhouse-style homes are white, but they dont necessarily need to be. Their exteriors tend to be vinyl siding, brick, or vertical/horizontal planks. The look is simple and warm. The trim is basic just around the windows or potentially shutters which adds that touch of detail. These houses werent designed to make a big statement.
Best Outdoor Lighting Products By Finish
Still not sure what product to select? We’ve attempted to eliminate some of the guesswork for you by presenting you with a list of the best outdoor lighting options by type of finish. You can use this handy list as a guide or a starting place in your search for the perfect lights to complement your outdoor situation, whatever that may be!
The Best Materials For Your Outdoor Lighting
While outdoor lighting comes in a variety of different materials, the top materials have been found to be cast aluminum, solid brass, and wrought iron. Cast aluminum has an especially large variety of outdoor lighting products to shop from with over 1,200 various wall sconces, post lights, ceiling lights, and more. Solid brass and wrought iron are also just as valid of options, as they do a great job at standing up to the elements. However, if you are looking specifically for wrought iron lighting, be sure to note that many fixtures are styled to boast a wrought iron appeal, but may not in fact be made of wrought iron. So, make sure to always check the material on your fixture as well as the UL rating!
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Farmhouse Outdoor Lighting Where Traditional Warmth Meets Country Charm
byUltra Outdoors48.1k Views
Are you searching for a style that marries that traditional vintage look with a bit of country flair? Farmhouse-style homes often have an extended porch along the front of the house and offer a warm and inviting feel. The house may be very simple or decorated with railings or columns. Finding farmhouse outdoor lighting is easy as this style has quickly gained popularity.
Motion Security And Floor Lights
What better way to keep your home secure than with a motion sensor light fixture. These outdoor lights feature motion sensing electronics to detect when objects move in the nearby vicinity of your home. Motion sensor lightswill automatically switch on when the detector has sensed movement, will then stay on a while and then switch themselves off automatically.
Outdoor security lights can be motion sensor lights, or also sometimes flood lights, or both. A flood light on your home can illuminate a driveway or yard and give ample light for external activities at dusk or at night. Adding a security light to your home also helps to protect your home and keep you safe. Choose security lighting for your home and you won’t have to worry about when to switch the light fixture on or off.
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Best Farmhouse Outdoor Lighting
The latest trend for this design involves gooseneck lights for the front porch. A gooseneck light works better when there is a single door as opposed to a double door or a single door with glass windows flanking the sides. No matter what exterior lighting you use, though, with a farmhouse design, everything must be well-illuminated. That is what gives it that warm appeal.
How To Size And Place Garage Door Lights
The above guide to placing your outdoor garage lighting is very helpful in ensuring you keep your fixture out of range of any moving parts on your garage door. To determine how large your outdoor garage fixture should be, simply multiply the width of your garage door in inches by .25 or by .33 (for a two-car garage then place it at the centermost point of your garage door. To place your garage light at the center of the door, take the width of your garage door and divide by two to determine the location of the center of your garage door.
Typical single car garage doors are either ten, nine, or eight feet wide by seven feet high, and double car garage doors start at 12 feet and go up to 18 feet. As an example, an eight-foot single car garage multiplied by would give you an optimal fixture size of 24 inches wide. While a 12-foot double car garage door multiplied by would get you a fixture size of 36 inches wide.
For sidelights divide the height of your front door by 1/3 and 1/4. Look for a light fixture that measures 1/3 to 1/4 the height of your front door. This will give you a light fixture of ample size, while not looking too diminutive or big for your house.
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How About An Outdoor Ceiling Fan With Lights
One last thing you may want to consider as an option for your outdoor lighting needs is a ceiling fan with lights. Ceiling fans with lights have the added benefits of air circulation and a cool breeze for those hot summer nights. Outdoor ceiling fans with lights also come with UL wet and damp ratings to indicate their possible placements outdoors. Pictured below is the Quorum Galveston Patio. The Galveston carries a UL wet rating and brings CFL lighting through clear seedy glass. Additionally, the Galveston produces a 5,126 CFM, meaning that it is capable of creating quite the cool breeze.
When shopping outdoor lighting and outdoor ceiling fans with lights, the possibilities for stylish designs are endless. Outdoor lighting can easily add that next level of sheer beauty to your home! Also, keep in mind that once you have found exactly what youre looking for, we will ship your $40+ order for free!
If you would like more assistance tracking down the perfect product, you can always reach our ceiling fan experts at !
How To Choose Weather You Need A Wet Or Damp Rated Light Fixture
When it comes to choosing the perfect fixture for your outdoor area, one of the most important factors is the UL rating that the fixture carries followed closely by the type of weather it is going to reside in. UL wet and UL damp ratings are both indicators that your fixture can be installed outdoors as well as the type of environment they work best in. These different UL ratings indicate which outdoor areas are most suitable for your fixture. While wet-rated lighting fixtures can stand up to the harsher elements, damp rated fixtures traditionally only hold up to a certain level of moisture and indirect weathering.
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How To Size Front Door Pendants
Our guide on how to size and place outdoor pendant lights will help you determine proportional dimensions based on your front entryway. To determine the best size or ideal size for your pendant lighting fixture, multiply the height of your door by one fifth. For example, if you had a front door which was 80 inches in height, you would multiply 80 by one fifth for an ideal fixture size of 16 inches.
Pendants are generally hung using chain, wire, cable, or stem connections. Typically chain connections are the most customizable but stems can also be an elegant choice. For this reason, when measuring your fixture, you would not necessarily need to include the length of the chain or stem. However, with wire, cable, and stem hanging methods you should take the length into consideration to ensure your pendant does not hang too low. The agreed upon height is no lower than seven feet from the ground.
Choosing Led For Your Outdoor Lighting Fixture
Did you know that Energy Star LED bulbs are only replaced once every 36 years on average? LED lighting is growing in popularity for both indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures as they are more environmentally friendly and can save you a substantial amount of money on your electric bill. Many brands are now integrating LED lighting into their designs. Therefore, LED lighting is definitely an extra element that you may want to consider when selecting your outdoor lighting fixtures. Below are just a few of the many benefits of LED lighting:
- Only 60% of energy consumed goes to heat.
- LED is offered in a wide range of colors.
- It only pulls 10Watts.
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Front Porch Lights: From A To Z
More than just a beacon leading to the front door, exterior lighting helps define the look of a house. With planning and a bit of math, you can put your home’s best face forward.
Drive down any residential street, and we’d bet your eye is instantly drawn to the house with the inviting, well-lit front door. Done right, exterior entry lighting makes the most of what you’ve got, complementing your home’s architecture, increasing security, and helping guests navigate their way to the front landing.
That said, it can be a real challenge to select the perfect fixture. Just stroll down the lighting aisle of any home store, and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the countless styles, finishes, bells and whistlesand that’s before you look online.
Start by evaluating your space to determine the type of fixture that best fits it, whether wall-mount, ceiling-mount, or, in very large entries, a combination of the two. In every case, the overall goal is to cast a wide pool of light that illuminates the entry, banishes dark corners, and casts a warm glow that’s easy on the eyes, says San Francisco-based lighting designer Jody Pritchard. We’ll explain how to determine the correct size, placement, style, and finish of your front-door lighting. Follow these steps to make your house the one that says “welcome home.”
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What Does A Farmhouse
When most people think of a farmhouse-style house, they think of traditional farmhouses that dot the country landscape, but this is far from the truth. While they invoke the same images of comfort, a laid-back atmosphere, and safety, these older homes were built to be simple so they could be built quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.
The modern-day look still pulls elements of that simple, no-fuss appearance. There is no defined way to do a farmhouse exterior, which makes it appealing to a lot of people. You can customize this look to suit your tastes and preferences, and really make it your own creation.
The one element that really defines a farmhouse is the combination of a vintage utilitarian farmhouse with modern elements. In a sense, it is an updated version of an old classic.
When it comes to creating a farmhouse look, many people are turning to older, more classic homes because they have the bones already in place to pull off the look. Turning them from a turn-of-the-century house to a farmhouse look tends to be easier. Remember, the definition of farmhouse marries vintage/classic with a country flair.
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Installing Quality Outdoor Lights
Performing the actual installation of high-end outdoor light fixtures is easier than you may first believe.
There are two types of outdoor light installations which you may face: fixtures with existing wiring and those requiring new wiring. Normally, for ceiling, pendant, and wall types, you will have existing wiring and will be replacing a current fixture. For those situations, replacing old weathered outdoor lights is easy, even for amateurs. While a new installation takes more time, you don’t have to be an experienced electrician to add new lighting to your home.
For many post/pier outdoor light types, there likely won’t be existing wiring running to the place where you plan to set up outdoor lighting, but you can accomplish this outdoor light installation project in seven steps. This requires digging a trench and laying out your wiring, which is more time-consuming manual labor than complicated. But the end result is exactly what you imagined, without having to perform unnecessary or obvious workarounds.
Finally, if you just don’t like playing around with electrical wires, finding an affordable electrician is the next sensible approach. Many projects which take you a few hours can be completed by a qualified electrician in half that time expect to pay between $50 and $100 an hour for their time.
Sizing Outdoor Light Fixtures
You will find different lighting needs based upon various outdoor locations. Each space will likely have differing lighting needs, so plan accordingly. Here is a guide for three popular outside areas of a home:
Front Door/Porch/Entry Area
Follow this simple formula to select the right size of outdoor light fixtures for your front door area:
EXAMPLE: We will use an average door, which measures 80 inches tall, or about 6 2/3 feet high. One-fifth of this size is 16 inches and one-fourth of 80 inches is 20 inches. So, for your front door area, look for fixtures measuring between 16 and 20 inches.
Garage Area
Even when the garage area of a house is next to the front door section, you want different lighting for each spot. Also, garage sizes can vary between one- and two-car sizes, which must also be factored in when selecting the number of high-end outdoor light fixtures for this area. To gauge appropriate fixture size, again apply the same measuring rule as use for the front door, determining 1/3 and 1/4 of the garage door height for a range of fixture sizes which will fit best.
Pool and Patio Area
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Outdoor Patio Dining Chandeliers
Outdoor chandeliers are a wonderful way to add a pop of drama and elegance to your outdoor patio, dining area, or entryway. They come in various sizes and with an array of different styles to choose from, they can certainly make a bold statement leaving a lasting impression on any guests that visit.
How To Size Outdoor Living Area Chandeliers
First measure the width and length of the space where you are planning to hang the chandelier. Then, round to the nearest foot of each measurement, to get a round number for each and add them together. If your room width is 10 feet 5 inches, you would round to 10 feet, and your room length is 17 feet 6 inches, you would round to 18 feet. The sum of those two measurements would be 28 feet. Simply convert that number to inches and youve got the ideal width of your chandelier. After you have gotten to your ideal size fixture then simply consider if you want it centered or not and place accordingly.
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Exterior Lighting For Outdoor Christmas
Adding exterior lighting is a great way to highlight the farmhouses outdoor Christmas decorations.
After all the hard work decorating the porch, we wanted it to be visible day and night. We decided to add to our AQ Lighting landscape lights to brighten the house. Be sure to check out this Exterior Lighting post and AQ Lighting.
I hope you enjoyed todays porch ideas and I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you!
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How To Size Post Lighting For Your Yard
To determine the size of your post lighting fixture, the pier mount light should be about a quarter of the pole height. So, if the length of your mounting pole were 20 inches, you would want a fixture which is approximately five inches. Note that many of the popular post mount fixtures are between 18 and 24 inches tall. Additionally, it is recommended to have an electrician prepare the area for the hard-wiring installation that you can do yourself.
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How To Install: Do The Math
Not sure how a fixture will look once you take it out of the showroom and install it at home? Before pulling the trigger on your purchase, double-check that it follows the guidelines for scale on the opposite page. Then make a mock-up of your selection: Cut cardboard to the size and shape of the light and affix it to the house near the door. Back off and take a look from the bottom of the driveway or the middle of the street to be certain it looks right.
Front Porch Ceiling Lighting
Outdoor ceiling lighting for a front porch or screen porch is a great option if youre looking to bring your own style while saving in overhead space. This is because outdoor ceiling lighting gets mounted flush or semi flush to your overhead patio, porch, or entryway. Even though these low-profile fixtures may be smaller in size, they can still emit a significant amount of light.
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How To Size Front Door Wall Sconces
We encourage you to utilize these helpful industry tips for choosing the correct wall lighting placement around your front or side doorway. In order to determine the best size wall fixture, simply multiply the height of the door in inches by one-fourth for a traditional look, or if you prefer a more bombastic design style then multiply your door measurement by one-third and go big! Basically for a traditional style, installed above a standard sized door of 80 inches, you would multiply 80 X leaving you with an average fixture size of 20 inches. For the larger size fixture simply adjust your math accordingly.