Well, we haven’t painted the brick yet, but this week, we did make a tiny (both in price and in size) update that made the front of our home a little more visually appealing.
The light that’s just about over my head in the photo above used to be an outdated brass number (see below) that is not uncommon on homes, but not attractive either. What made the situation worse, was the location of the light. I’m not sure why they opted to install the fixture 6 feet away from the front door to start with, but it has made finding something that will work there a little challenging.
It needed to be something that didn’t protrude too far, didn’t hang too low, and didn’t draw too much attention to itself. We also hoped for something a little more modern since the front of our home looks pretty traditional and we love to mix modern and traditional inside.
We came across this matte black wall lantern while shopping at Lowe’s and it was a whopping $19. We couldn’t put it in our cart fast enough.
It reminds me a lot of this one from Rejuvenation that I’ve been eyeing for this spot, but there are some distinct differences like the size, the quality, and this $19 version is only opened at the bottom.
I was impressed that the Lowe’s version came with a bulb, however, it was pretty small and a very cold color (if you’ve listened to Ep. 13 of our Podcast, you know I am kind of particular about my light bulbs), so we picked up a different one for about $8–which we also found at Lowes.
A few things I look for in a lightbulb are:
1. The Kelvin Color. Around 2000K will give you a really orangey glow light. And closer to 5000K will give you a bluish tint–“daylight bulbs” are kind of known for that. My favorite Kelvin color is right around 2700-3500K. It seems to be a bright white without being too cold or too warm. You’ll find a scale on every bulb box.
2. Wattage. Most fixtures tell you a maximum wattage that the light can handle. In this light’s case, it was 65W or a 13W equivalent. Since it was an outdoor light, I wanted to get as much power as it could handle, but this was as close as I could get. Have you ever gone over the recommended wattage? What even happens if you’re dealing with LEDs like this? How could a light handle 65W but not over a 13W equivalent? (Should have sprung for the 75W)
3. The last thing I look for is the lumens which tells us how bright the light is going to be. 800 is my favorite Lumens. But if it is a bare bulb indoors, you might want to go down on the lumens.
I would say the install was relatively easy with one hiccup–the holes in the junction box didn’t line up with the holes on the mounting plate, so Chris had to drill an extra hole. Worth it.
This light plays a really good supporting role to our main fixtures on either side of the garage (these) and does a good job lighting the stairs. But, in the future, we’d love to add a ceiling fixture right above the front door for additional light. For now, and for $19, I can’t express how excited I am to not see that little brass guy when walking up to the front door.
Our wood grain Shaker cabinet fronts were designed for busy, high-traffic homes like ours. Clad with durable textured thermofoils, this line is compatible with Sektion, Akurum, Godmorgon, and Besta cabinets from IKEA. It's the perfect, practical way to add the warmth of wood to all the rooms of your home.
We have teamed up with Loloi to create a line of rugs that are as affordable as they are beautiful. This collection houses a great mix of traditional and modern rugs, in cottage-y colorways, as well as vintage-inspired beauties that you’ll want to roll out in every room.
We partnered with Stuga on a line of hardwood floors — The Ingrid is really livable, and the color is very neutral. It doesn’t lean warm or cool, it’s that just right in-between. We have really loved putting it everywhere in our house. It’s the best jumping-off point for design, no matter your interior style. In addition to being beautiful, Ingrid is really durable — we have three kids, and we always have a home construction project going on. Ingrid stands up to it all.
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A reader recently asked me if I’m starting to fully embrace traditional style and whether we still consider our house to be a “modern Colonial” and why. It was a really great question and so timely — I had really just been thinking about my approach to this home and how my style has changed […]
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Hi there! Would you be able/willing to show a photo of the light at night? Im wondering how bright it actually is?
Thank you :)
THANK YOU FOR THIS!! We are going to put these on side patio! Do you have some favorite exterior paint colors? I’m having the hardest time deciding.
Love it!
You also want to check the bulb to make sure it’s rated for a wet location when installing outdoors.
Something else to look at when buying LEDs for outside fixtures – some of them have a minimum starting temp – if you look carefully it should be listed on the box. I’ve seen -3 degrees F and -13 degrees F when looking recently. Others just say indoor only.
What a stunning change it make ! Subtle yet once there it’s like it was meant to be this all along !
Also thanks for the tips for choosing lightbulb. We’re moving in our first home in less than a month, and I know nothing about all this stuff ! So it’s very helpful for me to gather these infos so I’ll not be crumbling under incertitude when buying all the stuff !
Plus, as usual, nice photo !
Don’t worry about the LEDfor watts. If I’m not mistaken, watts describe the bulb/fixtures energy use. If you have a fixture that says 60 watts, thats the maximum watt bulb it is wired to handle. A 13 watt LED would be more than safe!