5 Outdoor Lighting Ideas to Illuminate Your Home’s Exterior

Outdoor lighting can make all the difference to a home’s exterior, helping to highlight features and illuminating walkways, patios and outdoor dining areas.

Before deciding on a lighting plan, assess what you want to emphasize with it and how you’ll use the space. It’s also important to consider safety issues like steps and access points to common areas.

String Lights

String lights can transform a backyard patio or pergola into an inviting space that’s perfect for entertaining. These lights cast a warm glow that instantly puts guests in the mood for a festive night of drinks, grilling and conversation.

They’re also a great way to create a safer outdoor environment, especially around fire pits. Lighting up the area around a fire pit can help people see where they’re going, so they don’t fall too close to the flames or hurt themselves.

The best outdoor string lights can withstand weather elements like heat, humidity, rain and snow. Many are also equipped with smart technology, meaning they’re programmable and can be controlled via voice control or a smartphone app.

Candles

Candles are the ultimate mood lighting, and you can use them to add a romantic touch to outdoor seating. They’re also a great way to keep bugs away.

For a safe alternative, try battery-operated candles that burn in a controlled manner and won’t damage your garden furniture or cause fires. These are particularly popular for church ceremonies and emergency preparedness.

If you’re looking for a candle that’s also a good environmental choice, opt for soy wax. These tend to be less expensive than paraffin options and burn longer, too.

For an extra-special touch, consider securing a pretty pillar candle in a glass vase for a stunning centerpiece. These candle holders come in a variety of heights and colors so you can find the perfect match for your outdoor décor.

Lanterns

Lanterns add lovely accent lighting, elevating the ambiance of your outdoor space. They’re also a great way to highlight architectural details and décor.

Hang a single lantern from a tree or a collection of lanterns above your patio dining table for a casual boho effect, or play with varied heights to create visual interest and allure. You can also find a range of lanterns that are battery-powered, so they don’t require plugs or chords and can be easily moved around as you entertain guests outdoors.

Pier-mounted lanterns are another outdoor lighting idea that works well when you have a low wall in your front yard or at the end of a driveway, where a post light would be too tall. To mount these at the entrance to the driveway, simply secure a pier-mount adapter onto the top of a post that’s positioned in the ground somewhere.

Outdoor pathway lighting is a welcome greeting to visitors, but it’s also a practical safety measure to keep people from falling or getting hurt. A set of small lanterns at regular intervals along the path provides enough light to guide the footpath and make it easier for those with limited vision to navigate.

Path Lighting

Often one of the first types of landscape lighting a homeowner installs, path lights add safety and help define outdoor spaces. However, there are a number of common mistakes many homeowners make with this seemingly simple lighting feature.

To get the most out of your path lighting, keep these tips in mind. Hopefully, they’ll help you avoid a few of the common mistakes and bring your home to life in the evenings.

When choosing a path light, look for a fixture with a beam spread that enables the light to travel beyond the path itself for a useful distance. These fixtures are most effective when placed at the beginning and end of the path.

Alternatively, a series of ground lanterns cast illumination across the pathway. These are available in solar or battery-powered options, eliminating the need for hardwired installation.

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