Residential Outdoor Lighting

Residential Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor Residential Lighting

As much as your interior design gets put in the limelight with the right lighting fixtures, your outdoor spaces deserve nothing less! Installing outdoor residential lighting can be tricky but no worries. At Lighting and Supplies, we offer you the most unique and curated outdoor residential lighting fixtures like backyard lighting, garden lights, lanterns, spotlights and many more.

Best Outdoor Residential Lighting Options

Darkness and low lighting needn’t put a damper on your backyard activities. Be it swimming or barbecuing, you can’t set the mood without being able to see anything. That’s why, you need to know what residential exterior lighting options might be the best for you. Getting so many options can be overwhelming as you ask whether you want the best outdoor wall lights or fancy string lights around your backyard. 

The three main types of backyard illumination are safety lighting to deter prowlers and improve navigation, landscape lighting to accentuate garden features, and accent lighting to put the focus on the hardscape. Ultimately, you want all three types for different needs and each of these categories offer a variety of lighting choices.

1. Security Lighting for Outdoor Spaces

Security lighting is one of the best outdoor residential lighting investments you can make for your home. The brightest backyard lighting is a safety lighting to illuminate large areas and scare off would-be burglars or destructive animals. Powered by 120V current, this lighting is installed at high spots such as the eaves, above a garage or as outdoor lighting downlights to cast wide light beams onto main walkways or the backyard fence. You can also install motion-sensing floodlights that mount to the surface of exterior siding or walls and contain two or three-bulb housing units that go on only when built-in sensors detect movement in the area, exposing prowlers and deceiving them.

2. Path Lighting for Safe and Attractive Walkways

Path lighting is a soft to moderately bright safety residential landscape lighting designed to help you navigate walkways while attractively highlighting them. Install it on the ground along both sides of main walkways from the back door to your fence door, along stepping stones from the main walkway to a backyard feature like a fountain, and/or around flower beds to emphasize their contours. It’s often available in low-voltage (12-15V) and solar LED options consisting of a decorative bulb housing unit attached to a short stake you drive into the ground. Even if your walkways are shaded, these outdoor residential lighting installations will stay bright for several hours after dusk.

3. String Lights for Creating a Warm Ambience

String lights (also known as light strings) are soft, low-voltage accent outdoor residential lighting used to evoke a warm, intimate ambiance that’s especially desirable for entertaining. Hang string lights wherever the activity is — be it on the eaves of the home to brighten an outdoor kitchen or from the posts of an outdoor pavilion to illuminate patio furniture. When you look for residential exterior lighting, string lights are the ideal choice as they come with waterproof, rechargeable, traditional battery-powered or solar-powered options along with long-lasting LED bulbs. Such lights run cordless across the yard and enable lighting in far corners of the yard without electrical outlets.
 

4. Outdoor Wall Lighting for Enhanced Safety and Aesthetics

Outdoor residential wall lighting is a low-voltage, moderately bright safety and accent lighting used to illuminate and improve navigation in small recessed yard areas. You can mount them on any vertical surface, such as along the interior of your pergola; above stairways; and around sunken seating areas, pools, and other low-lying spots. LED Wall sconces are an open-bottomed design residential exterior lighting, casting maximum light onto recessed areas making them the best outdoor wall lights. They improve the safety measures and offer a clearer view outside. You can install semi-flush-mount scones if you have scarce space on exterior walls.

5. Lanterns for Stylish Outdoor Accent Lighting

Lanterns are a soft low-voltage accent outdoor residential lighting for a small expanse of an outdoor wall to play up architectural decor. They’re often installed in the vicinity of the back door to highlight a transom window, arch, or ornate wreath atop it. Most lanterns are semi-flush mount, consisting of a glass-and-metal material attached to an arm affixed to a plate on the wall. However, battery-powered tabletop lanterns bring that same visual interest to eye level while softly illuminating elements that you might reach for when outside entertaining: bowls of snacks, beverages, board games, and more. Choose lanterns with a translucent as opposed to a clear glass covering to provide diffuse, glare-free nighttime lighting that doesn’t distract from other residential exterior lighting fixtures.

6. Deck & Porch Lighting for Functionality and Style

Deck & rear porch lighting is a moderate to high-intensity residential exterior lighting designed to help people move around the deck wtih ease, avoiding tripping hazards and visual clutter. It also accentuates nearby garden, porches or landscape features. It’s installed as a series of LED lights recessed into grooves of the surface. With such outdoor residential lighting, you don’t even feel anything underfoot. Deck lights also belong around the perimeter of the deck surface, in between the individual steps of stairs, and/or along deck stair railings.

7. Spot Lighting to Highlight Architectural Features

Spotlighting, also known as “up-lighting” or simply residential landscape lighting, is standard-voltage lighting used to shine narrow, moderate to high-intensity beams upwards. These are perfect if you’ve got antique ornaments and architectural beauties you want to to showcase. Install it at or above ground level below tall trees to make them look more statuesque. To light taller objects, such as trees, opt for bullet-shaped lights. These are outdoor lighting downlights with adjustable head that sits above ground and casts bright pins of light over longer distances at any angle. For shorter features, such as shrubs, try well lights and round lights as they are pushed into the ground to cast light upwards over shorter distances.

Why are LED Lights Great as Residential Outdoor Lighting?

Let’s take a look at some specific reasons why LEDs are ideal outdoor lights:

  1. Bright & Clear Light: Many legacy outdoor residential lighting fixtures are prone to burning down to orange or pink colour hue. LEDs produce consistent white light in longevity.
  2. Energy Efficiency: Unlike hot lights whose wiring and circuits strain and burn out the filament, LED technology transforms electricity directly into light using a semiconductor, wasting no heat making them best outdoor wall lights for energy efficiency.
  3. Reduced Cost of Ownership: LED creates same number of lumens (light) using much less wattage, saving your monthly utility bill and help you to reduce the frequency of maintenance and replacement by switching to LEDs.
  4. Variety of Styles: LED barn lights oudoor are one of the most decorative outdoor residential lighting in trend. LEDs come in a variety of different shapes and forms to meet all your requirements.

What Kinds of LED Lights Are Usually Used Outdoors?

A wide array of reliable, efficient outdoor LED lights are available on the market for commercial and residential applications. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular choices one at a time.

Common Types of LED for Residential Outdoor Lighting

There are myriad choices for you available when you’re trying to decide what outdoor residential lighting fixture you’d love to install in your backyard, cabin, pergola, or outdoor deck. Here’s a list of some common and popular LED lights you can install:

String Lights for Cozy Outdoor Areas

LED string lights are small individual outdoor residential lighting strung together on a line. They pack a lot of light and create a warm and inviting atmosphere in any space and are extremely popular for decorating patios, fire pits, grill areas, porches, and so on. See our String Lights here!

Pathway Lights for Safe and Attractive Walkways

LED pathway lights are residential landscape lighting providing the perfect amount of lighting for safe walking across landscapes, lawns, and driveways. They are perfect for bringing an appealing visual to your outdoors. It’s also the ideal outdoor residential lighting for improving safety without breaking the bank.

LED Bollards for Stylish and Functional Lighting

An LED bollard is a decorative residential landscape lighting installed on a pillar or post containing an LED lamp. Bollards are essentially like larger, more permanent pathway lights. They’re ideal outdoor residential lighting for walkways that are frequently used at night and require clear, striking lighting.

LED Bulbs for Energy Efficiency

Bulbs can many times be used as outdoor residential lighting if covered and kept away from direct exposure to changing weather conditions. If you’re not looking to buy all-new outdoor landscape lighting fixtures, installing energy efficient LED lightbulbs in them can reap many of the reliable, cost-cutting benefits of LED technology. Browse our large inventory of LED bulbs here.

Choosing the Right Outdoor Residential Lighting

There are a number of things to consider when you’re on the hunt of choosing the perfect outdoor residential lighting for your perfect home. A few things to always remember include the functionality of the lights, IP ratings and UL certifications of the residential exterior lighting fixtures you by.

Dawn-to-Dusk Functionality for Energy Savings

One of the best ways to maximize your savings with LED lights is to make sure they stay off when you don’t need them. Dawn-to-dusk functionality uses a photocell to detect the presence of sunlights and switches off your light resulting in energy efficiency. If you’re looking to make the most of your outdoor residential lighting LED investment, dawn-to-dusk lights are the way to go.

Understanding IP Ratings for Outdoor Lights

A good IP rating represent’s a lamp’s resistance to dust and water. Its two numbers, first being relevant to dust prevention and 6 being the highest rating, and second relevant to water resistance with 8 being the best. When choosing residential exterior lighting, you want to shop of LED lights that prevents rain and dust particles from infiltrating your lamp; however, a score of 6 is required if you’ll be cleaning the area around the lamp with a power washer.

The short answer - Rugged outdoor LEDs should have an IP rating of 65 or 66.

Look For UL Safety Certification

The Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification is the gold standard for safety and efficiency in lighting. Any LED lamp or bulb bearing their logo has been through rigorous testing to guarantee its functionality, safety for human use, and great quality . LEDs are perfect for industrial, commercial, and outdoor residential lighting applications because they reliably deliver the lumens people need to for safety while creating new opportunities through energy efficiency and reduced long-term cost of ownership. Whether you’re looking for functional, security or decorative lighting, LED is the way to go.

Styling your Lawn's Residential Landscape Lighting

The right outdoor lighting can boost home security, increase safety when walking around at night, and allow you to enjoy your outdoor spaces long after sunset. For the best landscape lighting, incorporate a variety of fixtures and lighting types, like a combination of spotlights, underground well lights, wide-angled floodlights, and pathway lighting to illuminate your home and landscaping at night. Certain exterior features, like nature's greens and architectural details, are best suited for some outdoor light fixtures.

When choosing outdoor light fixtures, consider the power source and bulb type that best fits your lighting needs. For long-lasting, energy-efficient landscape lights, LED bulbs would be the optimal choice as they are long-lasting and energy efficient. Another option is solar landscape lights as they use the sun's rays and a rechargeable battery for power, providing easy setup and eco-friendly energy use.

Create the ultimate outdoor lighting system with these picks for the best landscape lights, including solar-powered and low-voltage options. These sleek, energy-efficient fixtures will keep your home illuminated from dusk to dawn.

Types of Landscape Lighting

Now that you know what you want to light, how will you actually do it? There are a few basic types of fixtures that you want to get familiar with when you are making your lighting plan. Below are the various types of lighting you might find in a landscape:

  1. Flood Lights & Spotlights:  The difference Floodlights between a spotlight and floodlight comes down to beam spread. Spotlights project a concentrated, narrow beam of light that's usually around 45 degrees. It's easier to aim and adjust so that if you're looking to highlight specific display points. A spotlight will be your best choice. Floodlights generally have a wider beam spread, up to 120 degrees. If you're looking to cast light over general areas like a driveway or lot, use a floodlight. It's better for overall safety and visibility.
  2. In-Ground Lights: An in-ground light, or well light, is typically a circle-shaped fixture that installs directly into the ground, and is often used to illuminate walkways and driveways. They heighten the sophistication and visibility of the features in your yard, creating drama and atmosphere with an uplight effect. They're best mixed with spotlights, if and when you can blend them, but uplighting on its own can be a strong lighting solution.
  3. Outdoor Post Lights: Post lights help accent the pathway to your home and set an ambient tone without the overpowering brightness of floodlights. Tall posts are great for illuminating driveways and long stretches of space that get lost in the dark. Shorter posts work well for paths and small alcoves.
  4. Path Lighting: Path lights are a basic outdoor fixture all yards should have. Similar to post lights in that they create light markers that run down a line, path lights are shorter and smaller in comparison. Path lights easily improve curb appeal and, of course, make walking along paths safer.

Top-Rated Residential Landscape Lighting Distributor & Supplier

Lightingandsupplies.com is a lighting distributor of Commercial Indoor & Outdoor Residential Lighting fixtures and light bulbs. Based in the US, we carry the top LED lighting brands like EiKO, RAB Lighting, MaxLite, naturaLED, Westgate Lighting and more of the Top Lighting Manufacturers in the United States. We also carry a wide variety of Horticulture products by Hydrofarm, along with ceiling fans by RP Lighting+Fans. Lightingandsupplies.com also provides rebate programs, expert lighting design advice, and lighting audits for large projects. As a wholesaler, authorized dealer and bulk distributor of lighting products, we take pride in our customer-focused 100% satisfaction guarantee and return policy.

For more information, call 888-325-4448 or email: [email protected].

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