Outdoor Lighting for Colonial Homes in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has more colonial homes than almost any state in the country. Here is how to light them correctly, and what most homeowners get wrong.

The Colonial at Night

The colonial is the defining home style of eastern Massachusetts. From Lexington to Hingham to Westwood, the classic symmetrical facade, center door, evenly spaced windows, pitched roof, is everywhere. At night, without lighting, even the most beautiful colonial becomes an indistinct dark shape. With the right lighting, it looks like a historic property that has been there for 200 years and deserves to be noticed.

The Most Important Feature to Light on a Colonial

The entry. Every colonial has a front door that is the focal point of the facade, and the entry, the columns, the pediment, the door surround, should be the most brightly lit element of the house at night. Two uplights flanking the door, aimed at the columns or pilasters, anchor the composition. Everything else in the lighting design should support this central focal point.

Corner Fixtures

Most colonials have four distinct corners. A low uplight at each corner, aimed along the face of the house, defines the building against the night sky and gives it a sense of presence and scale. This is a subtle technique, the fixtures are small and the light is not dramatic on its own, but it makes a substantial difference in how the house reads from the street.

Dormers and Upper-Floor Windows

Some colonials have dormers, and well-lit dormers dramatically change the roofline silhouette. A fixture aimed up at a dormer from below shows the architectural detail and breaks up what would otherwise be a blank upper facade. Not every colonial has dormers worth lighting, but when they are there, they are worth using.

What Not to Do

The most common mistake on a colonial is a single flood light mounted above the garage, aimed at the front of the house. This creates flat, harsh, even illumination that removes all shadow and makes the house look like a commercial building. Remove the flood light. Replace it with fixtures that light specific features from the ground up.

We have worked on colonial homes throughout Massachusetts, Wellesley, Newton, Needham, Hingham, Scituate, Duxbury, and dozens more. Send us a photo and we will send a free design plan in 24 hours.