3 Ways You Can Highlight Your Homes Architectural Features with Outdoor Lighting

Nov 8, 2022 10:22:11 AM

When it comes to showcasing your home’s beauty, you’ll want to consider a lighting application called architectural lighting. Architectural lighting is all about lighting up the various features of the home itself.

Lighting up the architectural features of your home is one of the best ways that you can generate some amazing nighttime curb appeal while also making your home more welcoming. The key is to have an artistic architectural outdoor lighting design that is customized to your home.

While each design is going to be different based on what your home looks like (and what features are highlighted), here are a few ideas to get you started with exterior house lighting.

#1 Use Wall Lighting to Add Visual Interest

Most of the time an architectural outdoor lighting design includes lights shining on the exterior walls of the home. Stone, brick, and even siding can take on a unique look in the evening hours, creating a warm glow to your home.

A lighting design expert will determine exactly where lights should be positioned (and how many are needed) to create the optimal look. As we’ve said before, “less is more” with lighting. You want just the right number of lights for the visual effect you want without overdoing it.

Wall lighting typically includes the use of wash lights, which are a great way to accent the walls and give more depth to your home. Wash lights provide soft light for walls and make a great alternative to spotlights.

Architectural Pillar Lighting. House Background

#2 Light Up Arches, Corbel, Cornice, and Other Unique Features of Your Home

Does your home have certain architectural features that make it really beautiful and unique?

Perhaps it’s an archway, a corbel or a cornice, trimwork, pillars, or some other feature that really stands out during daytime hours. If your home has any elements like these, you’ll want to consider them in your architectural outdoor lighting design.

These features take on an even more unique and appealing look with light shining on them at night. They can cast gorgeous shadows and create visual appeal that will make your home stand out during the nighttime hours.

We can use bullet lights to cast a narrow beam of light on certain features that you want to highlight. This might even include a statue or perhaps an urn that you always switch out with seasonal flowers.

Front of Home Landscape Lighting

#3 Make Sure Your Front Entrance or Porch is Well-Lit and Welcoming

When you light your exterior house at night, you also want to make sure that your front entrance area or porch has some special attention. This is a key area in your front yard and you want it lit properly.

The right lighting will make it welcoming and attractive both to guests but also to you and your family when coming home from work or an evening out. There’s nothing appealing about coming home to a dark house. But a well-lit front porch is a different story.

Many front porches have columns or pillars that can be strategically lit in an architectural outdoor lighting design. As with other decisions, you want to make sure that your lighting professional is taking a thoughtful and artistic approach to their lighting strategy.

Pillar Lighting. Large driveway

Getting the Best Exterior House Lighting with an Outdoor Lighting Professional

At the end of the day, getting the best possible architectural outdoor lighting design is going to come down to your choice in lighting professionals. As we’ve said many times before, outdoor lighting is both an art and a science and you want to make sure that you’re working with a pro who takes it seriously.

You’ve probably driven by plenty of places where the exterior building lighting design leaves something to be desired. Whether it’s lighting that is overdone, under-done, or perhaps not done at all, you know that it really takes away from the home’s overall appeal.

But your home deserves better than that.

If you’re looking for architectural lighting ideas for the front of your house, we’re here to help. These are just a few of the possible ideas we can incorporate. But we’ll create a solution that’s customized to your Memphis home.



Are you ready to create a secure, functional, and beautiful property at any hour of the day? If so, let’s meet and discuss some bright ideas.

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Architectural Lighting