Everyone knows that one house in the neighborhood with an amazing looking front entrance day or night. Everyone also knows that one house that is unappealing after dark. The outdoor lighting around your front door sets the mood and determines how your guests feel when they arrive. If your house is less than appealing after dark, here are five elegant outdoor lighting options for your Newton, MA front entrance.
Related: 4 WAYS OUTDOOR LIGHTING WILL ENHANCE YOUR LANDSCAPE DESIGN IN BEDFORD, NH
A Series of Sconces
A sconce is a light fixture that is fixed to a wall and pointed upwards and sometimes both directly up and down. It was traditionally designed to hold candles or oil lamps, but the modern versions use LED lights. Sconces act like uplighting and downlighting in landscape lighting: they illuminate the wall and any textural elements. They also indirectly light the surrounding area with ambient light. Sconces can come in a variety of design styles, from ornate and regal to simple and modern. Arrange these light fixtures on either side of the door. You can also use them along the side of your home along the front walkway instead of post-mounted lights.
Post-Mounted Lights
One of the most prominent and classic ways to light up a front yard landscape is to attach some lights or lanterns on top of a post. They’re old-school, but even with this classic lighting style, they don’t have to be lanterns. There are so many styles available that make post-mounted lights a great fit your specific landscape and home design. Post-mounted lights will greatly improve depth perception, making your front entrance feel more safe, open, and welcoming. These lights can be solar powered to take them off the grid and take a dent out of your electricity bill. Keep in mind, however, that sometimes solar powered lights can be rendered ineffective by snow and pervasive cloudy days. Hardwired lights offer more reliable and consistent light.
Walkway Lights
Walkway lights are an essential part of any landscape. Providing adequate lighting for walking surfaces also offers subtle illumination for the surrounding landscape. Post-mounted lights don’t always get the job done if there are plantings between the post and the walkway. Walkway lights that are close to the ground direct light directly onto your paved surfaces. They’re a great solution for walkways but they also add ambience and illumination to your driveway, pool deck, and patio. Best of all, walkway lights are angled away from the eyes, so people won’t be subjected to annoying glare or harsh shadows.
Lanterns
Few light fixtures are as charming and useful as the lantern. Depending on the design, lanterns can bring either a quaint and rustic feeling to a space or a sleek and modern feeling. Choose from a huge range of lantern design styles that give your front entrance a warm welcome. Like sconces, lanterns can be mounted directly on the home on either side of the front door; or, they can be post-mounted or mounted on a masonry pillar.
Lights Embedded in Masonry
With LED technology, landscape lighting has reached a new level of creativity. Since bulbs don’t need to be replaced for 5-10 years, it’s more practical to integrate fixtures into masonry features. This can include a seat wall along the front walkway; pillars on either side of the entryway; in the steps up to the entry; and even in the walkway itself. This makes for a clean, uncluttered look. The lights also bring attention to the gorgeous masonry textures.
Related: ILLUMINATE YOUR LANDSCAPING WITH THESE OUTDOOR LIGHTING IDEAS IN PETERBOROUGH AND MILFORD, NH
