Learn how to select lighting fixtures and create lighting effects that suit Colonial, Victorian, Georgian, Tudor and other styles of architecture.
A well-designed outdoor lighting system is a key component in creating a beautiful home landscape. Understanding the characteristics and history of your home's architecture will allow you to develop a lighting system that compliments your home and garden while improving safety and security.
Scale
Appropriate size is one of the most important factors in choosing outdoor lighting. The size of the fixtures should be in scale with the size of the house so that the fixtures are neither lost among other elements of the architecture nor will they appear exaggerated. Large castle lanterns on Greek revival columns will look garish flanking the short driveway of a Colonial style home. Likewise, in architecture that includes ornamented Victorian designs, a plain Mission style porch light will be overpowered.
Angles, color, and material
Before delving into the details of the architectural period that your home fits into, get an overview of the general characteristics of your home's construction. The predominate angles of the embellishments on the building are one of the first aspects to consider. A home with only straight lines is best suited for the geometric shapes of the Colonial or Mission style. For homes with curving lines accented by carvings or filigree work, the ornate fixtures of the Victorian style will work well.
Next, take a look at how wood, brick, metal, and other building materials are used on your home. The types of metal and wood used in the architecture can be reflected in the outdoor lighting fixtures themselves and brick or stucco are ideal for creating posts or other supports for lighting fixtures.
The color scheme of your home will also influence which type of lighting fixtures will fit best. While the fixture needn't match exactly, for a coordinated look, choose fixtures that fit the general color scheme of your home, whether it consists of warm colors such as red, brown, or yellow or cool colors such as blue and green. Lastly, the subjective feeling that your home's architecture projects can also be an accurate guide for finding a suitable lighting style. A home with a rustic, farmhouse look will be best suited by simple, rough-hewn lighting fixtures in natural colors, while a home with an embellished Old World feeling will do better with wrought iron and detailed scrollwork. When selecting material, keep your climate in mind, as well. Polished brass may be beautiful, but it won't stand up to hard winters.
Lighting Techniques
The outdoor lighting techniques used to show off the details of the garden at night can be used to highlight attractive architectural features, as well. Grazing, the technique of casting light obliquely to bring out the texture of a surface, is ideal for stucco or brick walls. Cottage style homes or homes that include Art Deco elements are naturally complimented by accent lighting in the form of mushrooms, flowers, and other natural forms. To highlight the statues and sculptures that are often part of Greek and Roman revival architecture, dramatic uplighting or crosslighting effects can be accomplished with bullytes or wellytes. However, before installing any complex lighting system, consult with a professional landscaper to avoid costly mistakes.
Once you've made an overview of your home's unique design elements and lighting requirements, consider the typical features of your home's architectural period. Along with helping you find the most visually pleasing style of lighting, knowing the history of the architecture allows you to develop a more authentic look.
Colonial style
At the time this style was conceived, lighting consisted of wall fixtures and lanterns designed for candles. Typical designs were simple and squarish with a hanging globe projecting from a wall bracket on an S-curved arm. The globe lantern, known as an onion lamp, could be removed for carrying and was often enclosed by a protective cage to prevent burns. Tin and iron were preferred for simpler lamps, while pewter and brass were used in the more luxurious designs. Because of the popularity of the Colonial style in recent decades, this type of lighting is one of the most commonly seen.
Greek revival
Greek revival lighting designs focus on symmetry and balance. Modern replicas feature large cast iron or cast aluminum wall brackets and bulbs detailed with Doric fluting. Pillars adorned with Greek key or egg-and-dart motifs and acanthus leaves provide a classical mounting for door and driveway lighting. Mission style lighting also fits well with Greek revival architecture.
Spanish revival
Influenced by the churches of the American southwest, Moorish styles, and Pueblo architecture, Spanish revival homes incorporated far more ornamentation than the Mission style it's sometimes thought to have developed from. While simple, geometric Mission style lighting and stucco posts are typically used, wrought iron lanterns and torch lighting also go well in this setting.
Tudor
The traditional black and white timber and plaster building is the classic example of Tudor architecture. Lighting from this period presents a rugged appearance featuring lanterns with hand-hammered finishes, heavy chains, and heraldry designs. Iron and cast brass are the most frequently used materials. Many of the fairytale castle or Gothic-influenced fixtures suit Tudor homes, as do some Cottage-style and Arts and Crafts designs.
Georgian
Georgian architecture sought to recreate the harmony of ancient Greek and Roman design while developing a feeling of lightness and space. Outdoor lighting for this style can be mounted on wrought iron lampposts or on flattened columns embellished with acanthus leaves and egg-and-dart molding. The Georgian revival period also included the Art Deco lighting that was created at this time. In addition, chain-hung light fixtures became popular after the development of cloth-covered wire allowed wiring to be safely extended outside the walls.
Victorian and Edwardian
As the boxy Colonial look falls out of fashion, the ornate Victorian and Edwardian designs are coming into vogue again. Modern replicas of this style feature large cast aluminum fixtures with acorn-shaped bulbs mounted on wall brackets elaborately embellished with scrollwork, marble, and onyx. For whimsical accent lighting with a traditional Victorian look, lighting can be fit inside gazing balls placed in flowerbeds or along paths. The Italianate period of Victorian architecture also added classical motifs such as urns, lyres, and caryatids. Although Victorian designs are often thought of as lavishly ornamented, there are light fixtures available that provide a look of restrained elegance suitable for more modest Edwardian homes.
Arts and Crafts and Mission
In an attempt to counteract the impersonal mass production of the industrial age, the Arts and Crafts movement worked to showcase the handiwork of the craftsman with rustic designs that displayed their hand-made look proudly. Lighting fixtures characteristic of the Arts and Crafts or Mission period feature square brass or iron tubing with square, rectangular, or cylindrical shades of plain or stained glass.
Art Deco
The Art Deco movement found its inspiration in a wide variety of styles, including Greek and Roman, Asian and Middle Eastern, as well as South American architecture and up-dated these styles to suit modern sensibilities. While the more exuberant lighting designs displayed bright colors and abstract stylizations of lilies, tulips, sunbursts, and other natural forms, the later part of the period offered linear, angular patterns in white, ecru, and silver.
Later 20th Century
From the 1920s until more recently, the trend was towards sleek designs in abstract or geometric shapes that presented a strictly functional, minimalist look. Outdoor lighting of this type is often created from steel and glass in streamlined forms with concrete posts used to support driveway lighting. The clean lines of the Colonial style and simpler Mission style designs typically fit well with later 20th century architecture.
More than just enhancing safety and security, a carefully designed landscape lighting adds drama and dimension to the night garden. Understand how lighting techniques and decorative lighting fixtures can compliment your home's architecture, as well, and, with the advice of a landscaping professional, you'll be able to develop an integrated lighting system that enhances your entire home landscape.
