Holiday Lighting in Newport, RI: What the Best Homes Do Differently

Newport has some of the most architecturally significant homes in New England. Here is how the properties that stand out every December approach holiday lighting.

Newport Is Different

Newport is not a normal New England town. The architecture ranges from Federal-style colonials on the Point to shingle-style Victorian summer cottages on Bellevue Avenue to the mansions on Ocean Drive. Each style demands a different approach to holiday lighting, what works on a three-story colonial will look wrong on a shingle cottage, and vice versa.

The properties that look best in Newport at Christmas are the ones that work with the architecture instead of against it. That means proportionate lighting, not so much that the house looks like a casino, and not so little that it disappears.

What the Best Newport Homes Do

Roofline only, done perfectly. On a Federal or colonial, a clean roofline with evenly spaced, color-consistent LEDs and nothing else often looks better than a house covered in decorations. The architecture is the decoration.

Warm white, not multicolor. Warm white lights (around 2700K) on a Newport property in December look sophisticated and intentional. Multicolor lights can work on some homes but require a much more careful design to avoid looking chaotic.

Column wrapping that matches the proportions. Newport has a lot of columns, and columns wrapped with a single strand of lights, tightly and evenly, look elegant. The common mistake is wrapping too loosely, it looks sloppy from the street.

Tree Lighting in Newport

Newport properties often have large, old trees that dwarf the house. For Christmas, we typically outline the canopy with lights rather than trying to fill it, the silhouette of the tree, defined by lights at its edges, reads beautifully from the street. A large ornamental tree outlined with warm white lights and a matching roofline below it is one of the most classic looks in Newport holiday lighting.

Getting on the Schedule

Newport is one of our most requested areas and fills up earlier than anywhere else we serve. We typically have Newport installs fully booked by the end of October. Contact us now to get on the schedule for this season.