Light Up Your Life Outdoors
Like the proverbial porch light, great outdoor lighting welcomes you home, guides you safely to your door and provides a sense of security. It also greets your family and friends, creating an atmosphere of warmth and cheer. Well-considered exterior illumination can ensure that your home is as pleasant outside as it is inside, from Halloween to New Year’s Eve and beyond.
With the holiday marathon ahead, now is the perfect time to update your home’s exterior with outdoor lighting. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways of highlighting your landscape, adding perspective to the architecture and enhancing your home’s safety and functionality. Plus it’s a comparatively simple way to remodel—no building permits required—that will complement your lifestyle for years to come.
Carriage House by Maxim Lighting
Bright Ideas
When you get down to it, lighting fixtures are like any type of design, exhibiting either a more traditional or contemporary flavor. If the architectural details of your home tend toward the classical, consider the Maxim Lighting collection, which offers an extensive collection of traditional and transitional exterior lighting. If your residence features modernist lines and minimal details, Access Lighting is an excellent source of clean European styles. Both Maxim and Access are lauded for their mix of high design, quality craftsmanship, affordability and durability.
Neptune by Access Lighting
Light Plan
After you’ve determined the style of exterior lighting fixtures that will harmonize best with the architecture and design of your home, what next? Here are a few recommendations:
- Enter here. First decide what you want to accentuate—the entrance is always an excellent choice. Then, consider points of interest. Once you’ve established your focal points, you can better see where you need additional accents or landscape lighting.
- Size matters. Keep the size of the light proportional to your home—shop for a decorative front light that is 25% of the height of your front doorway.
- Clear or opaque? Go bright with clear glass shades give out the most light. Or create a diffused ambiance with frosted glass.
- Bug off. Like people, moths, spiders and other insects are attracted to light. To deter them, filter your landscape lighting with yellow or orange bulbs—colors that most insects can’t see. Check out LED lights, which save energy and don’t attract bugs. Set up your lights to turn on a couple of hours after sundown to avoid the bugs that emerge at dusk. Also, consider enclosed fixture designs that minimize insect access while reducing the effects of water splash.
- Finish the look. Explore textures that harmonize with your home’s architecture and finishes that ensure durability. Wrought iron and brass complement traditional architecture, and brushed metals enhance contemporary exteriors.
The classics are always in style. Maxim offers a collection of traditional and transitional lighting at a moderate price point, mixing energy timeless style, energy efficiency and a wealth of
materials, including cast aluminum and wrought iron. Two of Maxim’s most celebrated lighting families, Carriage House and Santa Barbara, feature textured glass and a special finish, Vivex,
which resulted from a unique collaboration between Maxim and two of its manufacturers. Vivex is twice as strong as resin, non-corrosive and UV-resistant; it withstands extreme temperatures
and saline environments with equal ease; and it’s backed by a three-year warranty.
Santa Barbara by Maxim Lighting
Access specializes in beautiful, affordable lighting with a contemporary edge. By merging sleek European styling with energy-efficient fluorescent and LED options for the majority of its
products, Access provides memorable outdoor solutions. Oden is the epitome of strength and simplicity, with a dimensional metal frame and frosted, textured glass. Neptune is inspired by
the sea, with simple metal details and frosted glass reminiscent of a shell. Both lighting families are certified for wet locations and available in a UV-resistant, non-corrosive Marine Grade
coating. This finish protects the fixture in extreme saline conditions, and is backed up by a two-year limited warranty.
Oden by Access Lighting
Feel like lighting up the exterior of your home? Check out the Maxim Lighting outdoor lighting or Access Lighting outdoor lighting sections for some inspiration!
About Kristen Crosby
Kristen is an avid design blogger who loves DIY projects. She gets her inspiration from fashion and music. Connect with Kristen, or find more home decor inspiration from Arcadian Home on Google Plus!
Tags: Access Lighting, Carriage House, Maxim Lighting, Neptune, Oden, Outdoor Lighting, Santa Barbara
