The bright guide to porch lighting

Kayla Gulec Kayla Gulec
Duplex en Barcelona, The Pont design The Pont design Modern style balcony, porch & terrace
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Being outside in nature is one of life's greatest pleasures. Feeling the sun on your shoulders, the wind in your hair, and smelling that crisp, summer air will make you never want to go back inside. That's why many of us end up installing balconies, porches, or terraces to our homes – so we can have all the perks of nature and enjoy them while still in the comfort of our own space. 

Decorating and designing your porch is incredibly exciting. You get to add your own flair to the exterior of your home and in essence, decorate the outdoors. It's also pretty easy to do – add some plant life, some chairs and tables, and your own personal charm, and you have a porch that very well may be the envy of all your neighbors. 

One thing we don't often think about when decorating porches is the lighting. We seem to forget that this beautiful space can also be utilized at night. So if you're thinking, how can I illuminate my porch? you've come to the right place! This Ideabook is dedicated to showing you how you can make the best out of your porch with lighting that will awe and inspire.

Strategic style and design

When thinking about the lighting on your porch, you're going to need to strategically design it in such a way that you and your company have adequate lighting to see each other. You should organize your porch space so that when you're entertaining, you have a center space around which to congregate. Once your dream plan is complete, a great starting point for outdoor lighting are outdoor lanterns – or if you have a long pathway that leads up to your home, path lights – that will greet your guests upon arrival. Choosing a look that complements the existing style of your home’s façade is the most creative part of choosing your outdoor lighting. As we can see in this image, central lighting on the table, as well as overhead lighting, creates the perfect luminescence for you and your guests. The lights also match in style with each other and with the Mediterranean style  f the porch. If you like to keep it simple, like we see here, many lights come in collections so you can effortlessly coordinate your style.

Position

As we mentioned before, strategic porch design really matters with outdoor lighting. The same can be said about the placement of the lighting. Placement of light fixtures over the table is a great way to make sure you and your guests can see each other and perhaps the food they're about to enjoy, but solitary lighting over the table isn't the only type of lighting you should have on your porch. 

Once you have your central light fixture squared away, you can think about lighting in other areas. In this image, for example, we see a great positioning of lights in the potted plants surrounding the porch. The lights in the trees match the central light over the table, giving the porch a soft, welcoming light.

Wattage

H's HOUSE, dwarf dwarf Classic style balcony, porch & terrace

Let's talk about how bright your porch lights should be. You need to consider how much light you need from each fixture you have on your porch, and that all depends on where the light itself is situated. As a general rule, lower wattage bulbs will accommodate a smaller space and higher wattage fixtures will light larger spaces quite well. For example, you can use 40-watt bulbs in lights installed beside exterior doorways, in or near potted plants you have on or around your porch, or for lighting towards the perimeter of your porch. For larger spaces that are roughly 10 square metres, use a higher wattage bulb, like a 120-watt bulb. Once you know how big your space is, you can figure out how much wattage the location requires, and then you can choose a light fixture that will accommodate those needs.

Maybe a motion sensor?

Decorative lighting isn't the only type of lighting you can have on your porch, or property for that matter. You can also install motion sensing lights that activate as soon as anything crosses the path of the light trigger. Motion sensors are great if you live in an area that's less than trustworthy, but they're also a fantastic addition if you want your home to welcome you with light without you having to switch anything on yourself. If you'd like to install motion sensor lights to secure the area around your home, your options are pretty much endless. You can decide at which point on your property you want the motion sensor to activate and you can choose the colour of the light itself. Motion sensor lights can shine a lot of light on a porch area. Styles and wattage of these types of lights come fairly standard, as well.

Think about the seasons

We all know summer time isn't the only time we can enjoy our porches, so let's talk about installing a lights that are directly exposed to the elements and how we can have weather resistant illumination. Finding lights that are designed to withstand harsh elements like wind, rain, snow, and hail are pretty easy to find at any hardware store, but you should consider other factors besides the bulbs themselves. For instance, find light fixtures and covers that are made from metals that resist weather. And remember, it's worth the time and effort to pay a little more for a durable light that will last longer. Unless, of course, the lights on your porch won't be directly exposed to the elements, you can then choose a lower-cost outdoor light, but definitely be sure that it's water and moisture resistant.

Be considerate – be eco-friendly

Being eco-friendly with lighting doesn't mean going out of your way to find the most expensive or most organic lights available on the market. Being eco-friendly simply means making minor changes in lighting decisions that are not only painless for you, but also help the environment. Eco-friendly lighting options include halogen-based lighting or plain old energy efficient bulbs. The eco-friendly light options also save you money, and hey, who doesn't want that? You should consider buying solar powered or LED lights. As their name suggests, they're powered by the sun, so you don't have to waste electricity on those lights that are used to just illuminate the walkway. And these types of lights are especially inexpensive, so not only do you save on your electric bill, you don't have to break the bank to buy the lights in the first place.

Are you ready to illuminate your porch now? Do you have anything you'd like to add? Let us know in the comments section below!

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