What is a barn light

Barn lighting refers to a style of lighting that is originated in agricultural settings, like silos, barns, and farmhouses. Aesthetically, barn lights are tied to historical shapes of RLM lights which carry a distinctly American-made aesthetic. RLM stands for “reflector luminaire manufacturer”. RLM lights are designed to provide controlled area lighting with full cut-off illumination enabled by metal shade. Barn lighting is an aesthetic-revitalization of RLM lighting. Barn lights are characterized by a throwback look that’s bound to the early history of the building while establishing the distinctive farmhouse style.

A historical perspective to lighting

Barn lighting has evolved from delivering practicality and functionality to provide design appeal as well. The simple, understated form of barn lights not only plants a vintage aesthetic that will never go out of style, the sophisticated and refined look of these farmhouse-inspired lights are easily assimilated into contemporary décors. Barn lights lend light and character to both indoor and outdoor spaces, contribute an elevated aesthetic to residential and commercial settings, and offer timeless sensibility as lighting technology continues to evolve. Barn-style fixtures are prominently featured in many contemporary homes and businesses such as industrial apartments, warehouse lofts, retail stores, art galleries, country cabins, and garages.

Design and construction

Barn lights are most commonly found outside of the house, illuminating driveways, porches, alleys, yards, and building perimeters while serving as a decorative addition to the spaces. These fixtures are also known as gooseneck lights as they use a curved arm which resembles the neck of a goose. The gooseneck arm extends the metal shade outward from a rounded wall plate and allows the sconce to illuminate area away from the wall. The metal shade in an industrial style directs the light downward over an area. Metal shades hide the light source to restrict light trespass, glare and light pollution for neighborhood-friendly outdoor lighting.

The elegant curved arm design and classic metal shade combine to bring character to the exterior space and supply the subtle architectural detailing to help a building stand out. Steel or aluminum construction ensures durability and creates an authentically rugged charm. The metal shade is finished in a tough polyester powder coat paint or covered with a layer of porcelain enamel in the desired color for high corrosion resistance in the outdoor environments.

Technology implementation

Barn lighting has been given new life with the introduction of LED lighting. Gooseneck barn lights, as with all other traditional fixtures, use Edison screw bulbs as the light source. Light bulbs also complete a charming vintage look of the light fixture. The use of LED replacement bulbs results in significantly reduced energy consumption and maintenance interval. LED filament bulbs, which deliver the classic look of incandescent lamps you love and the captivating benefits of LED lighting you expect, are a perfect addition to vintage-inspired light fixtures.

Farmhouse-inspired wall lights are also available as integrated systems. Integrated design enables better thermal management, higher efficiency power conversion and advanced light management, which effectively maximize the life and efficiency benefits of LEDs. The excellent controllability of LEDs facilitates the incorporation of motion sensing and dusk-to-dawn functionalities in gooseneck wall sconces.