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amy_kennair

Outdoor lighting help needed

2 years ago

Hey y’all. I have just finished restoring my mothers solid wood, hand carved door. Long story short, it was a nightmare. 8 layers of paint, stain, and lacquer. She has added a frame to give the illusion of a larger door. Because of that, the lights flanking her door are an issue.

  1. Too close to frame.
  2. Scale.

She does not have an easy, without an electrician, way to hang a pendant.

I need help deciding the best lighting plan for
This setup. She is a mix of Victorian and rustic farmhouse. The door hardware is antique bronze. The porch height is 9 feet. She is also considering adding wooden shudders to the 3 windows under the porch. Any help or advice there would be great. 🙏🏼

Comments (12)

  • 2 years ago

    The furniture isn’t all staying. We have them here refinishing them. Just wanted to give you a quick view of the under porch windows

  • 2 years ago

    A close up of the lighting currently. It just looks lost to me. I’m thinking more of a linear minimal sidelight but she is so far from minimal she doesn’t like the idea.

  • 2 years ago

    The light fixtures were scaled well for the ranch style house when it was built. I would keep them. They don't compete for attention with the many other items on the porch front. If you do want new fixtures to be prominent, clearing almost everything off the porch will be needed.

    Is your mother interested in changing the landscaping? Picking up the old yard decor items to sort through and rearrange, then adding a layer of mulch or planting mix would perk up the existing plants.


    The bell is wonderful .Any history? Does it still ring?

  • 2 years ago

    Thank you so much for the reply. We are actually not keeping the furniture there. We just have it there because we are refinishing it for back yard use. She does want to keep 2 rockers and a side table on the far end between the two windows. Believe it or not, in this part of the country, her landscaping wins her prize after prize. It’s her baby and just getting her to let me turn her into entryway into this century was a HUGE fight. 😂

    I asked about the bell and she said they put it down when they built and it’s been 40 years. My great great grandfather owned a sawmill and logging company. It was on his lumber yard so there is no telling how old it is. Her entire home inside and out is filled with AMAZING HISTORY

  • 2 years ago

    And the bell still works. I just tried.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    Those lights look great. they are very over lit, way too much light! try warming up the color of the light bulb a bit and lowering the wattage. A pendant wouldnt work here anyway, too low hanging.

  • 2 years ago

    Such a lovely home...thanks for sharing! You did a fabulous job on that amazing door! Kudos for the time & patience that must have taken!

    I like the lights you currently have, but I would not add shutters because I think it will take away from all the plants, which other that the ones blocking the sidewalk look great!

  • 2 years ago

    I hope these lights do the trick. Thank you all for such amazing and kind advice.

  • 2 years ago

    *bulbs. The fixtures stayed

  • 2 years ago

    I would simply sand and respray the original lights with a flat black Rustoleum (for metal) paint. Done. Love the front door AND the history of your mother’s home. I don’t think that shutters are necessary and I don’t believe that you will be able to fit a shutter to the left of the end window on the left side of the porch. The wall doesn’t appear to be wide enough. I would leave it alone and focus on a colorful entry mat, a wonderful bed for the dog, and some pretty cushions for the porch furniture. A charming home. And that door is beautiful! Good job!

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    That looks so much more "homie " and inviting. looks good!