Outdoor Ceiling Lights

Good lighting at a threshold is extremely important - both for safety, feeling welcome, and to deter burglars. Outdoor ceiling lights have the benefit of being directly overhead, which makes them ideal for enclosed entrances or thresholds with an overhang.



Outdoor ceiling lights usually refer to flush-mount fixtures that are attached to the ceiling above an entryway or passageway. They come in many different styles, but generally are modern (silver or black, usually square or round), traditional (faux or real iron works, usually in a lantern shape), or "mission" style, which has an art deco look that can sometimes bridge modern and traditional styles if you have elements of both at your house.

The light produced by these fixtures can be white or have a yellow tinge. If you are painting your entryway, or are very sensitive to how the colors of your entryway look at night, be careful with outdoor ceiling lights that will give off a yellow tinge. Its usually the more traditional-looking lights that sport the yellow-ish glass that produces the yellow light. It can be counteracted by using white paint with a bit more (just a very, very small bit) of blue in it. Some people, of course, like the yellow tinge because it looks a bit more like an old-style lantern lit by candles or gas. It all depends on which look you are going for.

Also consider how powerful the light fixture is. Outdoor ceiling lights are an ideal way to guide people toward the main entrance of the house - usually the front door. Some houses seem to have two entrances, and this can make for confusion for visitors and for deliverymen. If you've ever lived at a house that has two entrances, you'll know what a hassle it is to deal with each visitor's confusion each time, and you will probably have lost a package or two for a few days until you realized it was delivered, but was tucked behind a bush at the other entrance. Feng shui consultants get very involved with making sure a house's primary entryway is clearly understood, well lit and easy to access. The entryway is understood as the main entryway for chi, or energy, through the home, and how well it functions - how pleasant it is to use - can influence the household's financial health, family relations and the health and careers of its occupants.

Having enough light will solve the problem. You need at least 100 watts of light to make a front entrance bright enough to be inviting. 150 watts is better, especially if you are going to have two fixtures - one on either side of the entrance. You can upgrade the wattage on a fixture a little bit by using using the new energy efficient compact flourscent bulbs. Because they burn cooler, you can put, say, a 100 watt bulb in a fixture meant for up to 75 watts. Just don't overdo it - go up one level of wattage and that's it, or you'll be creating a fire hazard.