When considering installing outdoor lighting in your home, every nook and cranny has to be accounted for. From the heights of your backyard trees to the bottom of your swimming pool, outdoor lighting is not only called upon for functionality, but also for aesthetic appeal. While installing outdoor lighting mostly focuses on specific areas like patios and yards, in-between spaces, like pathways and gates, have to be examined as well.
Outdoor Lights for Stairs
These include your stairs, and outdoor step lights are key to enlighten these areas. Putting up stair lights may not sound as necessary, as overhead lights might do the trick, but using these outdoor step smart lights to brighten up these so-called passageways is a viable option to also add some pizzazz to just walking up or down your stairwell, elevated porch, or to the second story of your home. We at Vera would like to share some ideas on how to use stair lights in your home, and also support the idea of their necessity. While outdoor step lights may seem like excess outdoor lighting options, they are better choices that marry function and aesthetics. Let’s talk about these outdoor lighting options that will also put style on the facade of your home.
Different Types of Outdoor Step Lighting
What’s nice about these outdoor lighting options is that you are not stuck to one choice. Depending on what kind of steps you have, or what look you want to create, these stair lights come with customization to your idea of how you want them to function, and what feel they give to your outdoors.
Wall-Mounted Outdoor Step Lights
Wall-mounted are probably the most common stair lights out there. Among the styles of outdoor step smart lights, these are probably the classiest. Some stairs are situated beside walls, and installing these stair lights a few inches above the step on the wall makes them shine on the step directly without one’s worry about stepping on them. These outdoor lighting options have to be installed by placing the bulb inside a hole in the wall, which can be laborious and expensive. But the payoff of these outdoor lighting options is great. These stair lights are away not only from direct damage but also from the weather, making these outdoor lighting options last longer. These outdoor step lights also point to where your feet will land, so that’s added points for safety.
On-Surface Outdoor Step Lighting
By on-surface outdoor lighting, it does not necessarily mean you place them on top of the step itself. These stair lights may come in the form of LED strip lights placed just below the edge of the step. The idea of putting these outdoor step lights this way is that it illuminates the step below it. Similar to wall-mounted stair lights, these outdoor step smart lights are a lot closer to each step, so you can be just as confident with the safety they bring.
Under the Steps – Outdoor Lights for Stairs
Some stairs are made of planks of metal or wood rather than solid cement steps that have no free space under each step. But for those that do, like spiral staircases at the side of the porch, under-the-steps stair lights could also be an option. The glow of these outdoor step lights is different from the others because they shine from under, meaning only the illumination is seen but not the actual outdoor lighting. These sound fancy, and they truly are. Specifically, for spiral staircases, these outdoor step smart lights look great as they take on the form of the stairs’ curves, which can be trippy and mesmerizing at the same time.
Lanterns – Outdoor Stair Lighting
For gardens that have large steps made of stone and cement, using lanterns as outdoor step lights may do. Simply place these at the side of each step, and they will light up the entire set of stairs plus whatever decor your garden or yard may have. These starlight options are versatile because, at the very least, they are lanterns that can be placed elsewhere. You can experiment with how you can place these on your outdoor steps however you light them because they do not have to be attached in one place. These lanterns may also stay in theme with the rest of your outdoor lighting, which is appropriate for homeowners who wish to have stair lights that are more decorative in nature. You may use any lantern as outdoor step smart lights with some imagination.
Other Options – Outdoor Step Lights
Your outdoor step lights may have solar energy capabilities as well. If you plan to put these stair lights where they can soak up the sun all morning, the use of solar energy batteries is optimum so that you will also save on your electricity bill. You may also take a look at home automation options to include these outdoor lighting fixtures in your smart home system. With some additional programming, you can turn on these stair lights through Alexa or Google Home, or schedule when they will be turned on in the evening.
Check Out Vera – Lighting for Outdoor Stairs
If you are deciding to use outdoor step lights for your home, come check out Vera’s catalog of lighting options right here. You might find more than just stair light’s needs, and finally complete your outdoor lighting checklist.