The term “curb appeal” is used to denote the attractiveness or allure of the exterior parts of a residential or commercial property. Don’t forget to enhance the evening curb appeal of your home. One of the things that you can do is to improve the exterior lighting. Simply adding a series of low voltage lighting along the sidewalk or driveway can make your home look more appealing. You can also make your home look more beautiful and secure even at night if you put a decorative light fixture in the front porch.

Different Types Of Exterior Lighting

New technologies and many different types of outdoor lighting products make it easy to create lighting zones. Different areas of the landscape can be lit independently– to highlight a special tree or to cast brighter light on the grill in the outdoor kitchen, while keeping the patio lighting softer and more suitable for conversation.

In fact, lighting designers typically use four main kinds of outdoor lighting to get exactly the effect they want:

• Uplighting: fixtures aimed upward for accent and drama
• Downlighting: safety-oriented; used to illuminate large areas or define a pathway
• Zonal lighting: highlighting individual objects and plants
• Moonlighting: a natural effect, evoking light cast by a full moon. Fixtures are often mounted in trees; mix of uplighting and downlighting.

Right now is a better time than ever to design with light outdoors because Creative Lighting is offering a discount to our Social Media customer.  Save 10% on all exterior lighting through July 30, 2010 with our Social Media coupon.  Click here to “Follow us” on Twitter and Click here to “Like us” on Facebook.

Selecting the right sized outdoor lanterns for your home sometimes poses a challenge.

 Here are some tips for a fit that’s just right:

If you have one light next to your front door:

•  it should measure about 1/3 the height of the door.
• the center of the bulb should be about 66” above the threshold of the door.

If you have two lights on either side of your front door:

• they should measure about 1/4 the height of the door.
• the center of the bulb should be about 66” above the threshold of the door.

One of the biggest errors made when selecting exterior lanterns is undersizing your  lights.  When you’re shopping for exterior lighting, remember you’re standing only a  few feet away from a sea of lanterns.  Think about the size of your garage door, patio doors, etc.,  these are large scale items typically seen from farther away, so… when in doubt always go larger!  Also, consider the visual weight and design of the fixture.  When sizing a very light colored, mostly glass fixture, you may need to go larger than if you select a dark finished,  mostly metal lantern.

 We have found a great visual guide…click below for:

 Sizing your exterior lighting!

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