If you have a patio, we don’t need to tell you what a wonderful space it can be. As you already know, it’s a perfect place to soak up the sun, relax in pleasant weather, and rest with the family.
Such outdoor areas are also great for entertaining, whether it is a patio, porch or backyard. Having a meal and get-together with family and friends in this space leads to terrific times and wonderful memories.
Be it time on your own or with family and guests; it’s after dark that patios can really come alive. For that to happen, you need to have the right lighting. Depending on the outdoor patio light ideas you select, you can create an atmosphere that’s relaxed, energetic, or dreamy.
There are many backyard lighting ideas to create just the right mood. Let’s show you what to look for and how to provide the right illumination for your needs. With these outdoor patio light ideas, you can turn your patio into a wonderland.
The Importance of Outdoor Patio Lights
We’ve touched upon how outdoor patio light ideas can add to the charm of your outdoor area. There are many reasons why it’s important to carefully consider outdoor patio light ideas. Here are some of them.
- If you’ve spent time enhancing the appeal of your patio, proper lighting is a great way to spotlight all of its aspects after the sun goes down. It could be the small architectural details, paved paths, a pool, or a well-tended garden. The right outdoor patio light ideas will call attention to them in the best manner.
- Patio lighting is also important in terms of security. With correct outdoor patio light ideas, you can tell what’s going on outdoors with a glance. For example, some types of lighting are triggered by movement. When you’re not at home, outdoor lighting can also be a protective feature.
- When guests come over after dark, a well-lit exterior creates a welcoming ambience. If you’re planning an outdoor party or small get-together, the right outdoor patio light ideas will make the occasion far more charming and distinctive.
Great Patio Lighting Ideas
Let’s get specific about some types of outdoor patio light ideas that you can use.
Outdoor Lanterns
Outdoor lanterns come in many types and shapes. They could be paper lanterns or simply lanterns in the traditional style. They often look best when hung up. They can create a warm and welcoming glow. They can even be a part of string lights for striking outdoor patio light ideas. Lanterns create little pools of light that look extremely appealing after sunset.
Tree Lights
If your exterior space contains trees, lighting them up at night can create an enchanting effect. You could wrap string lights around the bark, to begin with. If there are spreading branches, you can hang lights from them. These outdoor patio light ideas are also a terrific way to make festive occasions more special.
Pool Lights
If you have a small pool or any other water body, installing pool lights can turn it into an enchanted area. These lights can be underwater, which will refract from the pool surface. Or they can be along the sides. Another advantage of these outdoor patio light ideas is that they can prevent mishaps.
String Lights
String lights have many uses outdoors. When properly draped over an entertainment space, you can even create the atmosphere of a small Mediterranean café. There are many ways to come up with ingenious patio string light ideas. They can be used on their own or an addition to other outdoor patio light ideas.
Furniture Lights
Small lights on tables and chair legs can add a magical touch to outdoor patio light ideas. These can be lanterns or string lights, or, of course, covered candles. The type of light will depend on the size of the table and the number of people seated around it. You could even think of a table setting in which only the central section is illuminated.
Firepits and Natural Light
In cold weather, many people light firepits in their backyards. This is a cosy space for people to gather around. It is also, of course, a great source of natural light. At other times, those who have the space light bonfires for the same purpose. The effect can be enhanced if you combine natural light with other outdoor patio light ideas such as lanterns.
Step and Ground Lights
When outdoor steps, paths and even borders are lit up, they not only make the patio look lovely but also increase safety. Such outdoor patio light ideas can enhance the features of a garden or walkway. For example, they can draw attention to flowers, vegetation and rock arrangements.
Heater Lights
In places with freezing winters, patios and other outdoor spaces can be made warm and welcoming with the addition of heaters. Many of these come with lights. In some cases, the heating filaments themselves start to glow. You can use these as elements in the overall outdoor lighting plan. For example, you can think of more outdoor patio light ideas around them as a contrast. This will help as an added precautionary measure, too.
Wall Lamps
Wall lamps can add the right mood to any patio. They come in a variety of shapes and designs. You can choose from vintage and modern lamps. These outdoor patio light ideas will create charming light accents. For added safety, you can check to see if they are waterproof.
Types of Outdoor Lighting
We’ve mentioned some ways that you can use outdoor patio light ideas to transform the outdoors after dark. You can use it as your own patio lighting ideas DIY guide. Let’s now look at a few specific types of outdoor lights and their uses.
Spotlights: These point only in one direction. They can be used for security as well as for illuminating features such as statues.
Floodlights: These lights are to be placed at a height and provide overall illumination to spaces such as parking areas and driveways.
Uplights: You can think of these as spotlights that point upwards. They can be used to illuminate hedges, walls and trees, for example.
Bollard lights: These are often used on garden paths. They are posts with lights on top of them.
Patio Lighting Maintenance
Regular outdoor lighting maintenance is important to keep light sources working perfectly. It can be very frustrating to have flickering or otherwise malfunctioning lights when seated outdoors after dark.
Weather and vegetation growth can cause lighting to malfunction. Sometimes, animals and even people can harm them by mistake. Here are some tips to keep your lighting at its best.
- You should regularly get reflectors and lenses cleaned. This surface can get covered by external material over time. For example, there could be dirt, dust, spider webs and even water spots. When these are removed, the light fixtures will operate at optimum levels of brightness.
- The area around the lights can also become blocked or otherwise obstructed. This could happen because of the growth of vegetation and plants; these need to be pruned and materials such as leaves and branches removed. Otherwise, the areas that are supposed to be lit up will look dim and dark.
- Corrosion, damage and dents can also affect outdoor lighting. You should periodically check for these and see whether they should be repaired or replaced. Over time, these can become potential sources of water seepage.
- Similarly, checks should be carried out on wires and connectors. This is extremely important not just for the lights to operate but also to prevent electric shocks.
- As with interior lights, bulbs and other sources of illumination may get fused and need to be replaced. It could also happen that they lose their brightness. This could be an opportunity for you to re-evaluate your patio lights and consider whether you need to increase or decrease the wattage for the best results.
- The above steps are even more important when it comes to outdoor lights that you have installed for safety and security. Such lighting along paths and steps and on walls and doors must always be in perfect condition.
A Final Tip
All of the above information should let you create just the right type of outdoor lighting for your needs. However, there is one more tip which is important to know in outdoor patio light ideas.
When lighting a patio, you should not look at the task the same way as you do indoor lighting. This is because, in an outdoor space, you don’t need the same levels of lighting. In fact, high levels of lighting can actually make outdoor spaces unpleasant.
Why does this happen? The fact is, bright lights against the night sky will cause more glare. That is why it also makes sense not to use exposed light sources such as uncovered lightbulbs. That will only make people squint and ruin the evening.
It is best to think in terms of soft, ambient lighting. You can always spotlight areas that need more attention. Instead of an overall bright light throughout the outdoor area, you can create a low-level ambience and mix and match light levels. When it comes to outdoor patio light ideas, that is often the best approach.
Summing Up
After dark, patios can become more magical with the right lighting. This can make any get-together even more special. What’s more, with the right outdoor patio light ideas, you can draw attention to appealing architectural elements.
There are many ways to light up a patio. You can use lanterns, string lights, underwater lights and even light up the furniture. Remember that it is best not to create a high-level and uniform area of lighting: you should create bright and less bright areas for the best results.
Dining tables, lounging areas and fire pits can be lit up to create the right atmosphere. Safety can be increased with lights on walkways and stairs. For security purposes, doors and walls can be spotlit. A properly-lit patio can enhance enjoyment, whether you’re with family or guests.
At HomeLane, we’re ready and willing to help you create magical living spaces, both indoors and outdoors. After you’ve decided on how your patio should look, you can check out some functional and aesthetic living room design ideas, too.
FAQs
What Kind of Lighting Do I Need for a Patio?
You can think of patio lighting in terms of three zones. There are spaces to relax and entertain, safe spaces, and areas that need security. Each one can have different types of lighting. For entertainment, the lighting can be ambient and atmospheric. For safety, make sure that steps, paths and borders and illuminated. And for security, the doors, boundary walls, and driveways should be well-lit.
Are LED Lights Suitable for Outdoor Use?
The use of LED lights is becoming very popular nowadays. They are well suited to be used outdoors. However, you should ensure that they are housed and sealed properly. When choosing LED lights for outdoor use, you should check their IP rating. This indicates whether the lights are protected from external elements. LED lights that are placed outdoors should have a higher IP rating than those used indoors.
Do Outdoor LED Lights Use a Lot of Electricity?
LED outdoor lighting is typically low voltage. This means that it uses less power than other types of bulbs. So your electricity bills will not go through the roof when you opt for outdoor LED lights.
What Kind of Light Do You Use for an Outdoor Patio?
The type of light depends on the size of the patio, as well as its elements. For patios with a lot of greenery, you can think of uplights that highlight bushes and trees. Patios with textured walls, too, can benefit from this sort of lighting. In outdoor dining spaces, you should use softer and more ambient lights, such as string lights and even lanterns. The use of ground lights will make walkways and borders safer after dark.
