How To Choose Outdoor Lighting

Learn how to enhance the beauty of your home and improve security with a comprehensive outdoor lighting plan.

Amanda Scott

Bellevue outdoor wall lights in home entryway

A welcoming entrance sets the tone for your home—even after the sun goes down. Patios, decks, and outdoor seating areas can be transformed into round-the-clock gathering spaces with accent and task lighting. Illuminating walkways and hidden spaces makes navigating your property safe and easy. Every living environment is enhanced by carefully-chosen lighting and outdoor spaces are no exception.

With our on-trend outdoor lighting collections, you can create a cohesive, designer-crafted look around your entire property. Whether you want to highlight a special landscape feature or provide extra security, our lighting experts can help find the perfect fixtures for your project and budget.

Outdoor Lighting Types

Wall Lights

Wall lights are the most traditional option for outdoor lighting to illuminate a porch, driveway or garage area. Mount wall sconces flanking the front door as a stylish way to greet your guests.

Common Areas:

Front Door, Back Door, Either Side of Garage Door

Lighting Style:

Ambient, Safety

Ceiling Lights

Turn covered porches into fresh-air foyers. There are flush-mount and pendant fixtures specially rated for outdoor use. Consider an alternative to wall lights and go with a ceiling light; this option can also complement wall lights.

Common Areas:

Porches, Outdoor Sitting Areas

Lighting Style:

Ambient, Task

Pendant Lights

Outdoor pendant lights have become very popular, especially over front door porch areas. Pendant lights draw the eye and add to the visual height of a space, making them stand out from other ceiling lights.

Common Areas:

Porches, Outdoor Sitting Areas

Lighting Style:

Decorative, Safety

Post Lights

For a stately look and feel to your landscape, consider post lights for balance and depth. Post lights and Bollards can be used to mark driveways and entrances or provide a broad circle of illumination anywhere on your property.

Round post light at beginning of home's walkway

Common Areas:

Either Side of Driveway, Walkways

Lighting Style:

Decorative, Safety

Flood Lights

For a general lighted area, consider flood lighting; this is one of the best choices for safety and security lighting. Security Lighting installed on the garage, along sideyards, or in backyards can be set on timers or activated by motion sensors or photocells.

Common Areas:

Top of Garage, Side Yards, Back of House

Lighting Style:

Accent, Safety

Landscape Lighting

Use landscape lighting to illuminate your walkways for safety and to show off your yard’s design. Path Lighting and Step Lighting help guide your way and add visual interest to the landscape.

Common Areas:

Gardens, Decks, Porches

Lighting Style:

Accent, Decorative, Safety

Landscape Lighting Techniques

Up Lighting

Up lighting allows you to call attention to specific features while providing a reflective, ambient glow.

Light points up
Designer-style lighting used to directly accent features
Highlights home’s details, trees, or any other larger structure or plant

Down Lighting

Down lighting creates a warm, inviting glow for get-togethers on the deck.

Light points down
Security or design lighting
Illuminates your front door or the look of your home

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting illuminates an area well enough to play cards or work al fresco.

Light points in all directions
Security or task lighting
Works in various exterior areas, but especially well near exterior entrances

Grazing

Grazing lighting enhances the texture of outdoor walls with a wash of light.

Light points either up or down
Designer-style lighting used to directly accent features
Light points directly up or down on an interesting surface, especially a rock or brick wall

Silhouetting

Silhouette lighting plays up the details of trees or sculptures with a light source placed between the object and a wall.

Light points upward towards a wall
Designer-style lighting used to directly accent features
Light directs towards a wall behind a large tree or object to show off the object’s silhouette

Shadowing

Shadowing emphasizes the lines of large trees and objects by casting their shadows across a surface. Experiment with the angle of lighting for the most dramatic effect.

Light points upward towards a wall
Designer-style lighting used to directly accent features
Light directs towards a wall in front of a large tree or object to show off the object’s silhouette

Moon Lighting

Moon lighting mimics natural moonlight by training beams through the canopy of trees.

Light points up and down
Design lighting
Light points up and down through a tree or natural canopy to offer the feel of a moonlit night

Spot Lighting

Spot lights can be precisely directed to highlight special landscape features.

Light points either up or down
Design lighting and security lighting
Meant to illuminate a specific feature or area

Sign Lighting

Sign lighting is aimed to draw the eye and allow for specific features to be read, so it is intended to be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing.

Light points either up or down
Design lighting
Meant to illuminate a sign; similar to spot lighting

Walkway Lighting

Walkway lighting is intended to illuminate a walking path as well as the area around a path, to make the landscape details visible.

Light points toward the ground
Design lighting and security lighting
Draws attention to a walkway and illuminates every step of the way for extra security

Path and Spread lighting

Path and spread lighting are intended to accent the landscape characteristics, whether or not there is a path.

Light spreads across the ground
Design lighting and security lighting
Illuminates your paths for safety, while also showcasing the look and feel of your landscape

Step Lighting

Step lighting is for ensuring safe travels over dark stairways.

Light points outward
Security lighting
Accents stairs or elevated steps to ensure safety while walking at night

Deck Lighting

Deck lighting provides the dual function of safety and design.

Light points down
Security and task lighting
Meant to light up your deck to perform tasks at night or to illuminate for walking at night

Fountain Lights

Fountain lights are designed to accent the features of a fountain or statue and utilize shadows to add interest.

Light points either up or down
Design lighting
Meant to illuminate a fountain; similar to spot lighting

Pond Lights

Pond lights allow for both enjoyment and safety as they call attention to the water feature.

Light points up or sideways through water
Design lighting
Offers an interesting look at night as the light casts through water

Important Considerations

UL Lights

Determines if the light fixture may be installed outdoors.
UL Damp lights must be covered by an overhang of some sort.
UL Wet lights may be exposed directly to rain and to moderate sprinkler spray.

Note: Before purchasing a light fixture for your home’s exterior, make sure to check if the light is listed for the necessary outdoor conditions.

Dark Sky

Dark sky lighting is directed downward to avoid disturbing nighttime views.

Eliminates light leakage (also called light pollution)
Some communities and parks require Dark Sky lighting
Protects the night environment to ensure darker and starrier skies

Example Fixtures: Wall Lights, Spot Lights that Point Downwards, Path Spread Lights

Photo Cell

Turns on light automatically
Operates from dusk until dawn
No need to turn on the switch

Example Fixtures: Wall Lights, Post Lights, Pendants

Solar Lights

Solar lighting is a cost-effective wireless option that won’t impact your electric bill and will keep working even during power outages.

Collects sun energy throughout the day
Converts the energy into light
At night more eco-friendly option that requires no electricity

Example Fixtures: Path Lights

Motion Sensor

Motion sensors require less energy consumption as the lights are only in use when the sensors detect motion. This is both a cheaper option as well as a good security solution when the light will be facing windows and might be disturbing if left on all night.