How do you choose between lantern and cube outdoor wall lights?

Lantern wall lights reproduce the coach-lamp form: a metal frame holding clear or seeded glass panels, often with a curved arm or bracket that throws light away from the wall. Cube outdoor wall lights are the opposite — a sealed die-cast aluminium box, usually with a single opal or frosted diffuser, emitting light up, down or both through one aperture. The construction difference drives everything else. Lanterns have more joints, more glass and more fixings, so they need more maintenance and offer more decorative detail. Cubes have fewer seams, seal more reliably and read as architectural rather than ornamental. When specifying outdoor wall lights for a project, decide first whether the fitting should be seen as an object or disappear into the elevation — that single decision separates the two styles. The Terba curved-arm fitting is a textbook lantern; the Meron die-cast cube is a textbook modern block.

Match the fitting to the building's date and detailing. Lanterns work on Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian façades, brick cottages, barn conversions and anywhere black ironwork, sash windows or a pitched porch already set the visual language. A brushed gold or polished lantern can also lift a rendered 1930s semi without clashing. Cubes suit rendered new builds, timber-clad extensions, flat-roof renovations and any elevation with square reveal details and anthracite or grey window frames. Mixing the two on one elevation rarely works — pick one language and repeat it. If the front door has a traditional panelled surround, a lantern above it will look deliberate; the same door with a cube will look like a mistake. On rear elevations and garden-facing walls, cubes are the safer default because they disappear in daylight and wash the wall evenly after dark.

IP44 is the minimum rating for fittings mounted above 2.5 metres or in sheltered positions; for fully exposed walls facing prevailing weather, specify IP54 or better. Cube fittings win on sealing by construction: one die-cast body, one gasket, one diffuser. Lanterns have corner joints, hinged doors and multiple glazing panels, so every joint is a potential water path — check for a silicone or compression gasket on every panel, not just the front. On materials, marine-grade or powder-coated die-cast aluminium resists corrosion better than folded steel or cheap zinc alloys, which pit within two seasons near the coast. Whatever style you choose, the wiring side matters more than the housing: the general principles in the Electrical Safety First home safety hub apply to any exterior electrical work, and outdoor circuits should be RCD-protected at the consumer unit. The Meron and Usto fittings are both IP44 die-cast units with sealed LED compartments.

A cube with an opal diffuser spreads light across a wide arc, which makes it effective for general illumination of a door, path or patio — expect a broad wash rather than a defined pool. A lantern with clear glass and a candelabra-style lamp produces a more directional, decorative glow with visible sparkle, but far less usable spread; two lanterns flanking a door solve the coverage problem that one cannot. For output, work in lumens, not watts: 400–800 lumens suits a doorway, 800–1,200 lumens suits a driveway or large patio. Choose 3000K warm white for residential façades — 4000K and above look institutional on brick and render. Integrated LED cubes give fixed output and long life; lamped lanterns let you adjust brightness and colour temperature by swapping the lamp. Dimmable drivers are worth specifying on rear elevations where the light stays on through the evening.

Mount wall lights so the centre of the fitting sits 1.7–1.8 metres above finished ground level — high enough to clear heads and planting, low enough to light the door and path. Flank a doorway with fittings at equal height, roughly 300 mm to the side of the reveal. Cubes mount flat to the backplate with two or three screws; lanterns with curved arms need the bracket oriented so the arm points away from the prevailing rain direction. All cable terminations belong inside the fitting or in an IP-rated junction box — never in a taped joint behind the backplate. Any new circuit or fixed connection outdoors is notifiable work under Part P, so use a registered electrician, and the same sealing discipline that governs downlights safety guidance applies to any exterior fitting where cable enters the housing. Seal the backplate perimeter with exterior-grade silicone on porous surfaces such as render and brick.