Planning Your Outdoor Sconce Lighting Design

Outdoor sconce lighting is a decorative yet useful form of outdoor lighting that includes such things as pathway, wall, and downlighting.

While the selection of wall sconces is abundant, it can be a bit cumbersome to find the right sconce to suit your style and outdoor lighting needs.

Lets look at ways in which you can achieve multiple uses for your sconce lighting fixtures.

Sconce Lighting Uses

Before you can select the best sconce lighting for your needs you'll need to know precisely what your wall sconces were meant to accomplish.

Wall sconces serve a key role in outdoor lighting but are also decorative, helping to finish off a structure's architectural look. Your sconce lighting should match with the style of the architecture it'll be complimenting.

Use wall sconces to assist in lighting the things around or below it such as a garden, a walkway, or steps by using up and down wall sconces.

These sconces are designed in such a way that they have lights aiming up and down. As they accentuate the surface of the wall, their light spills out onto the surface below.

Choosing The Proper Position

Positioning your outdoor sconce lighting will depend on the design and use of the structure you'll be lighting. If lighting an entryway, it makes sense to position the fixtures on either side of the front door.

If you want to create a dramatic outdoor wall lighting effect on the walls of a commercial or retail building, evenly position your sconces throughout the exterior of the building to create aesthetics that flow easily and are pleasing to the eye.

Outdoor wall sconces should be positioned high enough where people won't be blinded by their light. They should also not be too bright and overpowering.

You want to make sure that the lamp wattage used in your outdoor sconce lighting is subtle enough that people can come into close range of your sconces without being blinded.

Choosing The Right Size

Selecting outdoor wall sconces requires that the size of the fixture is just right and works well with the structure's overall size. A very large wall sconce would be overkill if positioned on the front of a small home.

Likewise, a very small fixture would look awkward if positioned on a very large commercial building. Deciding on what size is right for you is a matter of personal preference but it should augment the existing structure.

You'll often be able to eyeball to tell which fixtures are too large or too small. If you're unsure, its best to find a store with a good return policy in place. Test your favorate fixtures by actually measuring them up against your structure's exterior.

Do this by temporarily hanging the unmounted fixture in it's desired position. Then stand back and you be the judge. Decide exactly which size and style of outdoor sconce lighting is right for you.

Make It Flow Seamlessly

Trust your instinct, always go with the sconce lighting fixtures that you like the most. All wall sconces produce residual light that spills over onto your landscape.

The type of sconce you choose will determine the direction that your light beam will spread. An important feature that should not be overlooked is the wall sconce's glass lense.

Frosted lenses work well with sconce lighting fixtures that are in direct viewing angle of people. These frosted lenses help prevent the lamp's light output from blinding your guests.

They also prevent too much attention from being drawn to the fixture itself, helping to blend your outdoor sconce lighting into the overall outdoor environment more smoothly.