Modern Exterior Garage Lighting Ideas to Welcome You Home
In addition to its functional side, outdoor lighting for your garage also needs to have curb appeal, syncing with the ambiance and aesthetic of your home. But with a variety of LED lights to select from, selecting the right exterior garage lights can become a time-consuming task if you don't know what to look for.
Explore the different concepts for outdoor lighting, and be on track to upgrade your garage's exterior today.
Inspiration for outdoor garage lights
A wide variety of styles and themes exist for garage doors. To save you from getting overwhelmed when shopping for fixtures, here are 10 of our favorite concepts for outdoor lights:
1. Stay true to timeless
If you plan to renovate your home in the future, traditional light fixtures for outdoor spaces like your garage can be timeless. While lighting trends can shift, traditional fixtures typically stay in style. They are known for their black and dark finishes, which complement various garage walls and doors made from brick, stone, metal, and wood. These fixtures are mainly wall-mounted, and sconces work best, providing a balanced illumination.
Pro Tip: Brook and Brooklyn are classic examples of timeless outdoor lights. These Modern outdoor LED wall sconces feature a minimal profile, adding a touch of contemporary elegance to various building styles, including older homes, new builds, and commercial settings. They’re perfect for placing in the center above the garage door or two adjacent to an entryway, adding a focused and inviting illumination.
2. Go outside the box
Avoid disturbing the clean lines of your home by opting for subtle and minimalist outdoor wall lights that won't compromise your exterior aesthetic. Often, these fixtures are box-like, square, or rectangular, providing soft accent lighting that gives enough brightness to the outside space.
Pro Tip: Harlow is a box-like fixture with a solid black contrast that adds a sense of modernity to a garage wall. Stainless steel withstanding all types of weather, this modern outdoor sconce provides a soft white glow above and below, subtly adding brightness and elevating a garage wall.
3. Make the most of modern
Upgrade your outdoor space and add modern light fixtures next to your garage doors. These fixtures tend to be simple yet add a statement to your home, offering a bold black contrast against the illumination and wall during the day or night. It is also easy to find modern fixtures that match for the front door and other parts of your property.
Pro Tip: Haylen, a waterproof LED light, is perfect for placing vertically on either side of your garage doors or just horizontally above the door. Its sleek, long strip provides a bold, dramatic edge to your exterior, and the fixture can be dimmed to three different versions to enhance the elegance of your home.
4. Think contemporary rustic
Contemporary rustic may seem like complete opposites for outdoor spaces, but they work! Generally, these fixtures seamlessly blend in with both modern and rustic styles. They are often dark black, made from stainless steel, and have a lantern-like design.
Pro Tip: Terri is a modern outdoor sconce with a contemporary twist to a rustic lantern-style fixture. Ideal for placing on either side of your garage door, it adds a sleek touch of style while staying true to its rustic stainless steel finish.
5. Eclectic
Add an inviting, warm welcome to your garage entryway, yet show you’re in touch with times and up to date with the modern world. Eclectic exterior lights are known for their vibrant mix of designs and materials, providing a quirky touch to the outdoors.
Pro Tip: Harper is an eclectic strip straight fixture that provides a quirky touch to your garage. Its abstract black shapes add a unique element to this fixture, staying true to a vibrant contemporary theme.
6. Mid Century Modern
Make your outdoor garage area look stylish with fixtures that fall within the mid-century modern theme. This concept is all about its distinct style, focusing on simplicity and functionality while paying homage to the aesthetic around it.
Pro Tip: Fern is a prime example of a mid-century modern outdoor wall sconce. It is made from a robust aluminum rectangular fixture that comprises more glass than its frame. With three areas and modern glass ridges, it effectively focuses the light outward, enhancing the appreciation for your garage or home's walls.
7. Stick to the Scandinavian touch
Scandinavian lighting is a popular concept for both the interior and exterior of your home. Scandinavian lighting focuses on simplicity, functionality, and warmth. Designs for fixtures tend to be minimal and use metals, wood, or glass.
Pro Tip: If you want to embody the Scandinavian theme, Haven is a minimal fixture that may work wonders for your garage exterior. This modern outdoor sconce made from stainless steel and acrylic complements various exteriors. Available in a solar-powered version, this fixture can be dimmed to ensure your garage looks inviting from dusk to dark black nights.
8. Ignite your exterior with an industrial style
Add a strong statement to your garage with industrial-style outdoor garage lights. These fixtures have an industrial and factory-like look, often being bulkhead fixtures with a cage-like design around them. They are a great option if you're looking to upgrade your house with both bright lighting and sleek, stylish fixtures.
Pro Tip: Ember is a modern outdoor wall sconce that offers an industrial style to your garage exterior. Its modern cage-like design adds a sleek and sophisticated touch, yet a refined look to the outdoors.
9. Stay classy with a casual coastal look
If you live by the coast or want your garage to have a beach-like coastal look, this concept focuses on a relaxed aesthetic. Fixtures that fall within this beach-inspired theme tend to be made of natural materials like wood and metals, withstanding the elements. Their designs are simple and functional, adding an inviting element to your home.
Pro Tip: Beam is a fixture placed next to your garage doors that can add a coastal look. It’s a portable floor mount fixture, made out of a natural material, rattan, providing a cozy touch to the outside of your home.
10. Understated functionality
These types of exterior lights provide illumination without occupying too much space. They're subtle and functional, focusing on clean lines and less ornamentation, and do the job at hand. Understated functionality emphasizes "less is more."
Pro Tip: Falcon is a classic example of understated functionality. This outdoor wall sconce is made from high-quality aluminum, holding a minimal and modernist design but not taking up the attention of your garage or home's exterior.
Wrapping up exterior garage lighting
When selecting the right garage lighting, always consider your home's design and intended function. Consider whether you want the fixtures to highlight the entryway, provide safe illumination for parking or storage, or just serve as a decorative piece.
When looking for outdoor lighting fixtures, opt for weather-resistant materials and ensure they match the ambience of the rest of your home. For example, consider how many lights are already installed in the nearby outdoor space and ensure that any new garage lights complement the existing ones. If you have existing flood lights or landscape lights, you'll need to match styles and lighting type. For further inspiration, browse our wide range of outdoor lighting fixtures.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main type of lighting for outside your garage is exterior lighting. There is a wide range of exterior garage lights to choose from. The most popular choices are spotlights, pendant lights, wall-mounted sconces, and floodlights. When selecting these types of lighting, consider the aesthetic, purpose of the fixture, and functional aspects. Some lights provide a soft glow and are primarily there for aesthetic appeal, while others serve to brighten dark corners and ensure safety.
When selecting exterior garage lights, consider your home's curb appeal. Generally, each fixture should be one-third to one-quarter the height of your garage door.
While there are many different types of exterior lighting to select from for your garage, we recommend LED lights. They're one of the most cost-effective and best options, being energy-efficient and long-lasting.
When looking for exterior lights, they should balance the outdoors of your garage! Typically, they should measure one-third to one-quarter of the height of the garage door. You'll also want to think about how they're viewed from afar. Most of the time, garage lights are seen from a distance and often look smaller than they are, so you also need to take that into account.
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