For some people, having the most attractive home on the block is crucial. From a nicely-trimmed lawn to flourishing flower beds, however, it seems that having a stunning home exterior takes a lot of time, effort, and upkeep. For those reasons, many folks leave the exterior of their property untamed or minimally tended to.

However, just with the right exterior lighting alone, the exterior of your home can be aesthetically and functionally stunning. Porch lighting isn’t just limited to lanterns but might also include barn lights, pendant lights , or even chandeliers. With a variety of shapes, styles, finishes, and sizes, there’s no doubt that there is the perfect type of lighting for the front of every home on this planet.

If you’re hoping to have top-notch lighting for your home’s exterior, let’s check out some great examples that will ensure yours out beats your next-door neighbor’s:

Exterior Lighting #1

Many homes if they have exterior lighting at all usually have a wall lantern installed on each side of their front door. One wall lantern style that might interest you is a lantern that hangs from a loop to provide a more natural, rustic look as featured in the above image.

The squared-off shape of these lanterns in particular is interesting considering many wall lanterns are oblong. The short legs on the bottoms of these two wall fixtures make it seem as if the lanterns were designed to be taken on the go or set down somewhere rang than hung, adding to the rustic look. The shape of these lanterns is particularly complementary to the squared windows featured on the home’s front door.

The darker finish of these lanterns is a great pick to add contrast to the lighter gray and brown present in this exterior design. All in all, while these wall lanterns are on the simpler side, they nevertheless add value and beauty to the home.

Exterior Lighting #2

If you want to shy away from traditional wall lanterns, opting for a chandelier or pendant light would be a great alternative. Something simple yet beautiful like this lantern-styled fixture installed in the center of your porch or overhang can provide substantial beauty without going over the top.

Notice how the length of the fixture is short; it doesn’t cover or steal the limelight of the door nor its gorgeous crown molding. As for the shape of the fixture, the rounded-off hexagon style of this light adds a variation of shape to the porch that would otherwise features merely squares and rectangles in the form of brick, paneling, windows and details on the door, and a welcome mat.

Like in the latter example we saw, this fixture helps provide contrast due to its darker hue. The black fixture also helps to distract from the blue paneling of the house to add the right touch of neutrality.

Exterior Lighting #3

Adding class and sophistication to your front porch has never been easier than with the right lighting. In this example, the featured fixture’s elongated shape is a great fit for the taller ceiling of this particular porch, making it neither too high nor too low. The rectangular shape of this light fixture is also a perfect fit to counterbalance the rounded architectural shapes of the home’s exterior.

The warmer-toned lighting of this fixture is a big bonus as it adds to the rustic Italian style of the home’s exterior. The warmth alone has formality to it that would make nearly any home’s exterior immediately fancier and more relaxing than it’s cooler-toned counterparts.

Exterior Lighting #4

Not everyone likes the lantern style, even in the form of a chandelier or pendant light. To provide a different style and illuminative effect, opting for a barn light or few for your outdoor space might be a good option, particularly if you’re a fan of an industrial, rustic, or farmhouse design.

The first thing you might notice in this featured exterior design is the vibrant contrast between the stark white exterior and the black gooseneck barn lights. With this contrast, the brightness of the white is toned down while the barn lights are emphasized in their own way.

The circular shades and curved necks apart of these fixtures bring a playful, classic touch to the overall exterior design. With downward-facing shades, one can also enjoy recessed lighting that won’t blare directly into others’ eyes. This style of lighting will particularly come in handy for outdoor seating.

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Exterior Lighting #5

Exterior lighting doesn’t have to be simple and dainty; it can be bold and unique like the fixture pictured above. The parallelograms of the fixture add fun shape to what would have been a fairly plain exterior design. The exaggerated circle attached to the fixture offers an unusual touch that helps create a little avant-garde for the space and helps break up the straight lines featured on the porch.

While it’s a very specific detail, the narrowing toward the end of the fixture is thin enough to where it doesn’t intercept the gorgeous, elongated windows on the door. Generally, the other shapes and features of this fixture may seem like simple touches but greatly add to the overall beauty of the light. Each aspect of the lantern-styled chandelier makes this porch go from casual and dry to formal and luscious.

Exterior Lighting #6

While you don’t have to select big fixtures to make the exterior of your home bold and beautiful, larger fixtures can provide a grand appearance like in this example. Large fixtures are ideal for homes with larger features. The extra-large door, walkway, and columns of this featured home make larger outdoor light fixtures great candidates.

Notice how the finish of these lanterns match the finish of the trimming and panes on French windows. The warmer-toned hue of the lanterns match that of the stone and brick featured in this exterior design. The brown features of the design – the door, roof, house trimming, and brown accents in the brick and stone – look stunning alongside the dark finish of the fixtures and their orange-based illumination.

Conclusion

Upstaging your next-door neighbor by installing high-quality light fixtures on your home’s exterior is an easier task than it might sound. Picking an exterior fixture, or multiple fixtures, with a complementary shape, size, style, and finish to your outside of your home is key. Installation of your fixtures in the right area(s) is also critical to ensure the right aesthetic balance and the proper range of illumination.

While the fixtures you select don’t have to be identical to the examples we showcased in this article, what these examples can provide is inspiration for how you might want to tackle your own exterior lighting project. Heading over to Cocoweb.com’s e-store, you’ll find a wide selection of indoor and outdoor LED light fixtures from pendant lights to barn lights. Scope through the options, and see what you come across!

If you need more interior or exterior design-related tips and tricks, check out the rest of our blog posts .