Exterior Lighting Techniques to Improve the Curb Appeal of Your Home

Exterior Lighting Techniques to Improve the Curb Appeal of Your Home

Is there anything more appealing than a well-lit home, especially around the holidays? Probably not, but exterior lighting is important for so many other reasons besides aesthetics.

Not only does good lighting make the difference between a home that is inviting versus forgetful, but it’s crucial for safety too. Outdoor lighting is good at deterring burglars and illuminating walkways to prevent trips and falls.

The appeal of your San Diego home from the curb is also significantly magnified, which ultimately adds to the overall value of your property. So if you’ve been second-guessing the installation of outdoor lighting, it’s time to make the investment.

Here are a few helpful lighting techniques to ensure your home exterior is lit in all the right places.

Seven Outdoor Lighting Techniques That Will Transform Your Home

While you can’t really put an exact figure on how exterior lighting boosts your curb appeal, there’s no denying the appeal it adds to your home and the lasting impression it creates.

Lighting up the outside of your home sets the tone for visitors, potential homebuyers, and property evaluators. Not only this, but it also adds to the enjoyment of your home and a sense of house pride.

Good lighting also goes hand-in-hand with a well-maintained exterior, too. So make sure to repaint your exterior, upgrade fixtures, and your landscaping if need be, before you tackle the lighting.

Illuminate Surrounding Trees and Shrubbery 

One of the simplest ways to make an impact is by strategically hanging, mounting, or wrapping lights around any large or stand-out trees and shrubbery in your front yard.

Trees are a great focal point, and help to create an outline of your property, especially if they are illuminated. This type of lighting allows people to get a feel for the size of your yard, without actually seeing into it.

Take advantage of the largest trees in your yard and place two or three lights at the base of the tree, so it’s lit up from the bottom. For trees that are on the taller side, you can also hang or install bulbs from the upper branches that will project light over your yard.

Get Creative with Vantage Points 

If you don’t have many tall trees in your yard, it’s time to get creative with the vantage points you do have. This means taking advantage of shorter plants and shrubs or even installing standing lights.

A great way to create visual interest with light is to mix and match the height of your lighting. Place brighter lights at the exterior perimeter of your yard, near the base of the tallest shrubbery you have, to accentuate its height. As you move closer to your front door/porch, lighting should be arranged at chest height. Make use of shorter shrubs for this.

You want to round off you’re lighting by placing path lights that direct you to the front door.

Be Strategic with Your Porch Lighting 

This area of your home is one of the best places to play with light, and be strategic as to how well your home is lit. It is also a great way to light up the exterior of your home if you don’t have a large front yard, hedge, or much curb space to work with.

Your porch or patio area is a transition space between the curb and your home’s interior. It’s a good opportunity to create an inviting atmosphere that makes your home more welcoming. The lighting you choose for your porch should highlight the aesthetics and functionality of the area.

If your porch has a balcony around it, decorate the banisters with fairy lights. If your porch has an overhang, you want to install porch lights within it, spaced five feet apart ideally.

If your porch or patio is completely open-plan, you can install ground lights that shine up onto the exterior facade of your home. You can also install torch lamps, gas lamps, or free-standing lights in the rear corners of the space.

Prioritize Your Entranceway Lighting

Poor lighting in the entranceway of your home says a lot about the rest of it. You want to portray a warm, inviting, and secure feel, right as you enter your home.

The great thing about entranceway lighting is that you have a little more room to be creative and add a personal touch with your chosen lighting fixture. Don’t stray too far from the rest of the style of your home though. Make sure it matches and creates a beautiful flow from the entranceway to the next room.

Don’t forget that your primary concern with this type of lighting should be functionality. However, you can also be strategic and use it to highlight architectural and design features of your porch/home exterior.

Make Use of Pathway Lighting

It doesn’t matter if your entranceway is sufficiently lit, you should always create light around a walkway or pathway leading up to your front door. The purpose of this type of lighting is largely functional, illuminating walkways for safety. However, it’s also a great opportunity to highlight certain features of your front yard while creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

A great option for this type of lighting is in-ground, solar-powered lights that not only beautifully illuminate your yard, but also save you money.

Highlight Your Home’s Unique Features 

Whether your home is a modern and sleek design with clean, simple lines, or a true Victorian style beauty with bay windows and other intricate details, you should highlight key features with lighting.

Every single home has key features that are worth highlighting. You just have to find them, and the right lighting should do these features justice. Some of the best types of lighting for this purpose are downlights or in-ground lights that illuminate from the bottom, up.

Outline Your Property Perimeter

A good way to outline the expanse of your property is with perimeter or post lights. You can also great a faux gateway to your home with the use of post lights. All you need to do is install a pair of standing lights at the end of your walkway, which creates the visual of a gateway.

It’s always a good idea to outline the perimeter of your property if you plan on selling one day. It gives potential homebuyers a good idea of the size of your home from a street point-of-view.

Illuminate Your Home with Lighting Distinctions

We hope these simple lighting techniques have provided you with some inspiration for your next landscaping project.

If you’re on the hunt for top-quality lighting design, installation, or maintenance for the exterior of your San Diego area home, Lighting Distinctions has the expertise, experience and team you need.

Check out our landscape lighting services here and the range of projects we’ve worked on for an idea of what we offer.

Learn More About Our 3-Day Outdoor Lighting Trial