From String Lights to Lanterns: Outdoor Lighting Ideas You'll Love

Summer days are long. But there’s no need to take the fun indoors when the sun sets! Various outdoor lighting solutions can extend the use of your porch, patio and yard well into those balmy summer nights.

Outdoor lights are available to brighten any exterior space around your home. Styles can be found to complement a variety of decors, so you don’t have to stick with just one look.

Liberate your decorating spirit and let the light shine on all your summer celebrations, from birthday parties on the patio to backyard barbecues, from drinks on the deck to elegant outdoor dining.

When decorating with light, you’ll want to consider all your existing outdoor structures and spaces, including your:

• Porch

• Patio

• Deck

• Pergola

• Trees

• Fencing

• Pathways

• Pool

• Lawn

Layer your lightscape for maximum impact. That means using several kinds of lights in a number of areas - above your head, at your feet and all around the yard.

Get out your Christmas lights! Outdoor string lights are a versatile way to light up your yard in style. You can find decorative outdoor patio lights to match every style and mood.

Take your yard’s look from playful to sophisticated, simply by switching out a few strings of patio lights. Choose outdoor LED lights for energy efficiency, incandescent string lights for a warm glow or colorful novelty shapes just for fun!

Novelty string lights let you express your style, enhance a theme and add some fun! String up seashell lights or flip flop lights for a beach party, flower lights for a summer party, or novelty light strings featuring tractors for grandad’s birthday.

Other outdoor lighting ideas:

• Twine them around deck rails, up columns and posts, around trellises and arches

• Swag them along fences

• Criss-cross them over an open patio

No one wants to miss a step in the dark. Fortunately, there are lighting solutions that are both practical and attractive.

Dining tables, side tables and coffee tables can always use some additional light at night. There are many options, including flameless pillar lights, jar candles, tea lights, votives and traditional tapers. Set them in beautiful candle holders arranged singly or in groups to add a warm glow to your meals and brighten your conversation.

Lanterns are attractive decor features by day that become even more beautiful at night. Versatile lanterns are at home on a table or deck rail. Place them along a path, around the pool or patio, on a raised tree stump or hung from a low shepherd’s hook.

There’s another style of outdoor light you’ve probably seen on home design shows and social media. It’s a popular DIY trick because it’s so attractive! Fill mason jars with battery-operated mini lights or fairy lights and use them to line walkways and patio steps.

You can leverage the same concept by tucking micro lights into a vase or lantern set on a dining or end table to provide elegant, soft lighting.

Don’t forget to illuminate your water features! Ponds, fountains and swimming pools all benefit from night lighting. Plus, the effect of light reflecting on water at night can be truly magical.

The internet abounds with ways to enhance your water features with light. You can float tea lights on top of your pool using anything that floats, or buy floating lights specifically made for swimming pools. Many feature solar or battery-operated LED lights that can change color depending on your style or mood.

For entertaining or personal pleasure, outdoor lights can add an extra element of beauty to your pool, garden, yard and patio. Soft, warm lighting spread throughout your outdoor area will provide a warm, welcoming ambience after dark.

But you may wonder, how bright should outdoor lights be? Consider the brightness of each light source and how they fit into your overall lighting plan.

Once measured in “watts,” both incandescent and LED lights now use “lumens” to indicate the amount of light a bulb emits. Most patio light bulbs produce from 400 to 800 lumens, equal to about 40 to 60 watts each.

You may also notice a Kelvin temperature reading on the packaging of your outdoor lights and replacement bulbs. The “temperature” of a light source refers to its relative color. Warm lights, or those with lower Kelvin temperatures, appear more yellow-toned, while cool lights with higher Kelvin temperatures have a blue tint.

For outdoor lighting such as patio string lights, path lights and accent lighting, most garden experts recommend using warm-toned lights to create a soft, welcoming mood. Task lighting, such as the lights over an outdoor kitchen prep area, or landscape lighting and spotlights for security or architectural emphasis, may be brighter and cooler.

An overall backyard lighting plan will likely use a blend of warm and cool lights layered in from pathways to tabletops and overhead. Using multiple light sources provides greater control over your landscape, so you can create a well-lit space without lighting up your yard like a parking lot.

With just a few lighting options and a bit of imagination, you can use light to enhance garden and architectural features and establish a welcoming space for your family and friends.

For improved ambience and flexibility, expand the lighting in your outdoor spaces. Browse Christmas Central’s extensive selection of outdoor lighting to find just the right look for your new backyard lightscape.

A pergola can be lit several different ways, depending on the effect you want to achieve.

Globe lights and Edison lights are popular choices for soft, warm light that’s bright enough for conversation, entertaining and dining. Try soft white mini lights for a more romantic look.

In most cases, string lights are woven through the pergola beams and may also be wound up the support poles and frame. On wooden pergolas, string lights can also be threaded along evenly spaced screw hooks.

The internet is a good source for other creative lighting options, including hanging an outdoor chandelier or suspending pendant lights or lanterns from pergola beams.

String lights look charming draped from tree branch to tree branch, but a yard without trees doesn’t have to be a yard without lights.

First, evaluate other permanent backyard structures you can use to anchor your patio lights. This could include the exterior of your home, as well as patio overhangs, pergolas, deck posts and fence lines.

Lights can also be strung from free-standing poles, mounted poles or posts, and shepherd’s hooks.

Yes, outdoor lights can stay out in the rain. However, before you hang your patio lights, be sure they are approved for outdoor use. You’ll find this information on the packaging, in the online listing and printed directly onto the product itself or on an attached tag. This certification ensures the product has been tested and approved to withstand wet or harsh weather.

Even UL-approved outdoor lights are vulnerable to wet conditions at the power source. As an extra safety precaution, only plug string lights into outlets with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI). When linking multiple light strings, secure the connections with electrical tape, plastic or a manufactured cord protector.

Indoors or out, never use string lights that have exposed, frayed or damaged wiring.