Outdoor lighting affordably accomplishes so many things that it's frankly surprising more people don't embrace it with open arms.
Uplights, spotlights, lanterns or a string of landscape lighting illuminating your outdoor patio and adds a huge amount of comfort and ambience at get-togethers. Landscape lighting also does wonders for your home's curb appeal.
Outdoor patio lighting can also provide safety for you and your guests while increasing the overall security of your home and reducing the chances of burglary (e.g., through lighting those dark corners with motion-sensitive flood lights). More reason to shine a light!
Patio Lighting Ideas
So, your new patio furniture matches your tastes and you've got your friends over….yet something's missing. Hanging lights, lanterns and stringed lighting might be that touch that your patio's missing to keep the good times rolling.
Wall Lanterns
A lot of people are unnecessarily put off by this idea because they think it'll turn their house into a Harry Potter set. Not true – lanterns and illuminating sconces can give your outdoor patio lighting an elegant leg-up without breaking the bank.
The great thing about wall lanterns and sconces – well, there are two great things – is that these kinds of landscape lighting are both versatile and home-value increasing. On the versatility point, lanterns and sconces can used to uplight or downlight. This means that you can choose to frame particular patio pieces or get the ambience just right…or both.
Lanterns often look much more expensive than they really are, and mountable lanterns are excellent for framing. Two lanterns against one wall highlights an entire area while four post lanterns on each of your patios corners can also work great.
The best part is that a lot of lanterns and sconces are very modern and include LED dimming. This means that you can match the lighting to the job – uplighting will probably require a little more illumination versus downlighting and framing part of your patio, section of your garden or even your home address out front.
Path Lighting
Path lighting is less immediately attention-grabbing than an ornate-looking post lantern…but no less essential to your outdoor patio lighting decor and functionality.
Path lighting (a.k.a., pathway lighting or step lighting) is typically installed no higher than a foot or two above the ground. In the same way that kids in cartoons leave bread crumbs behind to remember which way they came, path lighting lights the way from your driveway or backdoor to your outdoor patio.
These kinds of lights complement your outdoor patio lighting and provide an extra touch of safety – maybe much needed safety on a Saturday night when some of your guests might have had an extended conversation with Captain Morgan.
Be that as it may, path lighting is normally very low voltage and eco-friendly. That said, pathway lighting is designed to withstand the elements and enhance your outdoor landscape efforts without stealing the show.
String Lights
One of the quickest and most affordable ways to give a shot in the arm to your patio's decor and overall ambience is with LED string lights.
LED lights are wonderful because they look fantastic, complement your other lighting and provide the same illumination of incandescent bulbs, yet use less than 70% of an incandescent's energy.
String lighting is also the ultimate manageable DIY project since it's inherently up to your how you arrange lights along your patio.
Most homeowners go with a warm white LED string of lights because it's such a pleasing and aesthetically neutral option, but there are a ton of color options to choose from to help you get the mood just right.
