8 Tips To Mix And Match Home Exterior Lights
Exterior lights are a must in every property for many reasons. For one, exterior lights make it easier for the household to maneuver around the outside of the property during nighttime. Since your property will have lesser blind spots, exterior lights can also deter potential intruders.
Moreover, exterior lights can also boost your property’s curb appeal, but only if you know how to mix and match fixtures properly. Without proper planning, your exterior lights might create too much glare, which can adversely affect your aesthetics and make guests feel uncomfortable.
Make the most out of your home exterior lights by mixing and matching them correctly. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Match One Trait
Mixing and matching exterior home lights can be exciting, but too much excitement will likely lead to bad decisions and a tacky-looking exterior. Prevent this from happening by paying attention to the features of the fixtures you’re eyeing to add.
One of the easiest ways to mix and match home exterior lights is to make sure that every fixture has one common trait. For instance, when lighting your entryway, look for lighting fixtures with the same style, glass type, or finish. This will ensure that all your fixtures are cohesive and your space looks polished.
Plus, when you know which trait to match, you won’t have problems narrowing down your options when you shop fixtures from https://oregonoutdoorlighting.com/ and other similar companies. This will make your search faster and easier!
2. Create A Focal Point
In design, the focal point is the area of interest or emphasis meant to capture the viewer’s attention. These are areas where the eye can rest and bask in your visual design. Having a focal point in your exterior is crucial to establishing an eye-catching and inviting space.
As you’re mixing and matching home exterior lights, create a focal point and make sure that other fixtures in the space don’t distract it. For instance, when adding lights to your pergola, choose a statement piece, such as a branching chandelier, basketweave pendants, or multipoint pendant lights, and then add smaller lighting fixtures to support that focal point.
Having a focal point will prevent you from going overboard as you’re mixing and matching home exterior lights. Plus, a focal point can also divert your guests from noticing a less desirable area of your outdoor space.
3. Don’t Try Too Many Things In One Area
There are numerous exterior lights to choose from today, but this doesn’t mean you should incorporate too many of those in one area. This will make the space look cluttered and prevent you from making a focal point.
When mixing and matching home exterior lights, don’t try too many things in one area; it’s best if you pick one or two favorites. For example, string lights, ceiling fans with lights, under-counter lighting, pendant lights, or tiki torches are excellent options for lighting your outdoor kitchen, but you shouldn’t use all of them. You need to pick no more than two of these fixtures to ensure that your outdoor kitchen doesn’t end up being too bright or create the wrong ambiance.
4. Consider The Color Of Your House
Your exterior lights won’t help you achieve the best aesthetics if they don’t match your home’s colors. Instead of creating appealing and clean-looking exteriors, you might end up as a disaster if you don’t consider the color of your house.
Choose home exterior lights that match the color of your home, especially if you’re going to add fixtures on the same area or side of the house. For example, if your home exterior is painted in neutral shades, look for fixtures that come in a lighter or darker shade. If you want to add lighting to your blue-colored patio, choose fixtures in similar hues.
Playing with colors is one of the easiest ways to mix and match home exterior lights. Even when using different styles, your home exterior lights will still look cohesive as long as you use the same or similar colors!
5. Think About The Scale And Location
Your attempt to improve the aesthetics of your outdoor space will be futile if you end up using fixtures that are too large or too small. Small fixtures are usually unnoticeable, while massive ones can over empower other design elements in your home’s exteriors.
Keep all the fixtures on the same scale when you mix and match home exterior lights. This will ensure that your fixtures serve their purpose and your property’s curb appeal isn’t compromised.
Take note of these tips so you can get the correct right size and location for your home exterior lights:
Entryway lighting: Your entryway is the focal point of your property, so choose fixtures that are proportioned to the size of your door.
- Hanging lights: Lanterns and pendants should be about 1/5 of the height of the door and centered six inches above your door.
- Mounting lights: The size of mounting lights will depend on your door and ceiling height. But, in general, outdoor lanterns and sconces should be installed at eye level––at least six inches from the door casing and eight to ten feet apart.
- Wall lanterns: Wall lanterns should measure about 1/4 to 1/3 to the size of your front door.
Garage lighting: Because of its size, how your garage looks can significantly affect your curb appeal. Maximize this area by combining and matching fixtures in the correct size.
- When using lanterns or sconces in different sizes, place the bigger one on the front entrance door and then the smaller set on your garage doors. This will help you achieve cohesion without being boring.
- If you’re going to place fixtures over the top of your garage, scatter them across the span of your garage doors. In this way, you can create even illumination that stretches over the entire area.
- Placing one wall sconce or lantern on each side of the door is an excellent way of lighting a single-car garage.
- For a two-car garage, add at least two lighting sources on either side of the door. You can also add a third light above the garage door for added aesthetics and illumination. As for the size, your lights should measure about 1/3 to 1/4 of the height of your garage door.
Post and fence lighting: When choosing post and fence lighting, opt to invest in bigger fixtures. Post and fence lighting are located further away from the house and will likely look smaller than they actually are, so opt to go big.
6. Be Wary When Mixing Styles
Home exterior lights come in different styles, so why not highlight some in your outdoor space? Adding fixtures in various kinds will surely make your outdoor space more thrilling. However, take note of the word ‘some’ because adding too many fixtures in different types can also send mixed signals and prevent you from setting the right tone of the space.
As a rule of thumb, choose to mix and match home exterior lights with two styles only. For instance, when lighting your deck, you can choose to add string lights and then under-table lighting. As for your entryway, you can add two wall scones with the same design and then hang one lantern light.
Adding fixtures that have three or more styles can make your outdoor space look unpolished and unattractive. Adding too many design elements will also prevent you from creating a theme that complements your home’s existing design or architecture.
7. Opposites Attract When It Comes To Metals
Home exterior lights with metal finishes have become more popular today—and it’s easy to see why. Metal fixtures are usually scratch and chip resistant, which means that you don’t have to worry about damages even after long-term use. Metal fixtures are also budget-friendly and can work well with any home design.
When it comes to metal fixtures, the phrase ‘opposites attract’ applies. You can mix and match lighting fixtures in glossy finishes with matte or warm colors with cool. For instance, you can install wall sconces with polished brass finishes with lanterns with matted nickel finishes.
Mixing home exterior lights with metal details can add fun dimensions and visual interest to your exteriors. You’ll be surprised how metal fixtures can make your exterior look and feel better!
8. Consider Buying From The Same Brand
Don’t have the time and energy to browse through several brands to buy different types of fixtures? Or decide which fixtures match? Try buying from the same source or brand. Several home improvement and lighting stores carry complete lines of home exterior lights from the same manufacturers, making it easier for you to mix and match fixtures.
Home exterior lights from the same brand often come in similar colors, designs, and finishes. Purchasing these complementary sets will enable you to create matching lights for your exterior without spending a lot of time and effort. You can think of this hack as a shortcut to mixing and matching home exterior lights!
Use Exterior Lights To Your Advantage
If you’re planning to revamp your outdoor space by adding different types of lights, use this article as your guide. Once you have these tricks up your sleeve, creating the best outdoor space using a variety of lighting fixtures will become a piece of cake!