5 porch lighting ideas to make your house pop

3 January 2019

Porch lighting isn’t just for function — it can add much-needed aesthetic appeal to your home. If you’re looking to pump up your kerb appeal or add a little bit of drama to your doorstep, the right outdoor lighting can turn a ho-hum house into the envy of the neighbourhood.  

Make the perfect first impression to guests, passers-by and the neighbourhood alike by incorporating some of these smart outdoor lighting tips.

Don’t let your guests grace your doorstep in the dark — welcome them in with light! By adding a motion sensor for your outdoor lighting, you and your guests won’t fumble for keys or the doorbell. You can set an outdoor sensor to trigger whatever lights you like, but wall-mounted outdoor lights placed on either side of the door offer a grander, more welcoming feeling to the home.

Tip: For a more dramatic lighting effect, place one motion sensor at the beginning of your driveway or pathway and set them to trigger path lights. Once they reach the door, another motion sensor will trigger the porch lights.

When you browse for porch decor ideas, you’re often bombarded with tons of crafts and other DIY decorations. Combining these elements with smart outdoor lighting can bring the cosiness your porch may be missing. Mason jars filled with candles, homemade windchimes, wreaths, paper lanterns, and more can complement your subtle porch lighting without overwhelming your porch decor.

Tip: If you have hung a wreath on your front door for the season, direct a spotlight at it to make sure it's always on display. 

The railings are usually ignored when it comes to outdoor lighting — they'll get a garland and some string lights during the holidays, but not much else. Instead of path lights (or, if you love a well-lit home, in addition to path lights), you can install strip lighting under the railing around your porch. An Outdoor lightstrip can also be paired to a motion sensor, lighting up bright — or even with some colour — when someone approaches. 

Best yet: In the winter, you'll get a lovely effect of diffused, illuminated snow on your railing — before you clean it off, of course!

Most porch lighting is the same shade of soft white. While that works well for most homes, sometimes you want to add a little something extra to your porch decor. With smart outdoor lights, you can bring colour to your outdoors — and with Philips Hue smart lights, that’s 16 million colours.

Tip: Use your smart outdoor lights for the holidays! Instead of stringing up colourful lights, you can simply set your outdoor lights to the color of your choice: bright red and green for Christmas, pastels for Easter and spooky orange lights for Halloween — perhaps even a living scene from Hue Labs.

If your porch is surrounded by greenery, put it in the spotlight — literally! With outdoor spotlights, you can add a dramatic effect to the bushes, trees or other greenery around your porch. Place your angled spotlight and aim it at a plant in front of a wall to cast spectacular shadows and create a sense of depth.

Tip: Low-voltage weatherproof spotlights, such as the Hue Lily, are much easier to install, allowing you to set up and move your spotlights in a jiffy — and all without hiring an electrician.