Outdoor lighting is the perfect way to enhance the best features of your home. These types of lights can transform your outdoor spaces into an evening paradise and make it your crowning glory.
So, if you’re looking to enhance the curb appeal of your home with outdoor lighting, you’re not alone - there are lots of outdoor lighting ideas that you can explore.
Outdoor home lighting ideas can be as simple or as extravagant as you like – and affordable with some care and know-how. In this article, you can learn what lighting ideas to consider, how to use them effectively, and why they should be chosen.
Outdoor House Lighting Ideas
One of the best outdoor home lighting ideas can be to focus on the roofline. Illuminating a roofline can enhance the look and security of the whole house and make it appear more welcoming as a whole.
The eufy Permanent Outdoor Lights can be the perfect way to illuminate the roofline of any home. This outdoor light boasts over 80 preset light themes to choose from, or you can customize the lighting with eufy’s AI-powered technology. It also enables you to make your home standout during festivities with brilliant light displays or create a unique setting for your family to enjoy. You can even connect the eufy permanent outdoor lights to your security cameras to display welcoming or warning messages to your visitors.
8 Outdoor Lighting Ideas for Front of House
It’s quick and affordable to add lights to any outdoor space. Let’s run through a few ideas to improve the visibility of your front doors.
1. Welcoming Front Door Illumination
Front door lights and lanterns highlight the best features of your home. It not only makes guests feel welcome but lets you feel safe coming home late at night. These lights ensure better visibility when you need it most.
2. Elegant Porch Ceiling Fixtures
Simple lighting allows you to extend your outdoor living space and make them more practical for everyday use. Elegant porch ceiling fixtures let you get full use of the space so that you can comfortably use it throughout the year. It’s useful for families and those who love to sit outside in the evening to relax and unwind.
3. Path Lighting for Safe Navigation
Outdoor lighting ideas for the front of house is not only practical for safety but also provide a decorative feel. Pathway lighting lets you highlight potential hazards and obstacles that are hard to see in the dark. It means guests and visitors are less likely to injure themselves on your property. Path lights also give you an affordable way to decorate the exterior of the home.
4. Landscape Uplighting for Front Yard
Often underestimated, landscape uplighting is one of the best outdoor lighting ideas of this century. It’s practical and functional and can help add depth to your yard. You can highlight certain features, like architectural features or plants.
5. Driveway Bollard Lighting
Stylish and aesthetically pleasing, driveway bollard lighting can prove a hit for extensive driveways and walkways. While bigger than traditional path lights, bollard lighting provides excellent light coverage. It means your property is illuminated safely for your family and increases the overall curb appeal.
6. Garage Accent Lighting
It’s easy to underestimate accent lighting, especially in a garage. While this is often used to highlight features within a home, it does wonders to enhance visibility outside. This is a perfect solution for those who want to eradicate blind spots around the property, especially in dimly lit areas. It also makes the journey to and from the garage less hazardous.
7. Subtle Ground Lighting
You can’t go wrong with subtle ground lighting. This is one of the best lighting ideas you can install at home without breaking the bank. You can highlight certain features of the front yard and improve safety. Subtle ground lights can let you illuminate all exterior entrance ways or exits with ease. It reduces falls and trips and can help you make your home safer for your family.
8. Security-Focused Floodlights
Big and bold, these lights act as a useful deterrent against unwanted intruders and would-be burglars. Security-focused floodlights are a perfect addition to any home as they extend light out into the driveway, pathway, and garage area. It reduces potential hiding spots and may help reduce break-ins.
Bonus: The eufy smart floodlights enhance your home security by integrating with cameras to detect motion and unfamiliar individuals, sending you alerts simultaneously.
12 Outdoor Garden and Backyard Lighting Ideas
Now let’s explore what lighting ideas you can incorporate into other exterior spaces at home.
1. Highlight Trees with String Lights
You can never go wrong with wrapping string lights around tree branches - it creates a magical ambiance that transforms your garden into a whimsical retreat. The soft glow of string lights enhances the natural beauty of the trees, which makes them focal points during evening gatherings.
2. Use Path Lights to Illuminate Garden
Solar path lights illuminate walkways, providing safety and guidance for guests navigating your garden at night. Their eco-friendly design means they charge during the day and require no wiring. The warm light creates an inviting atmosphere, making evening strolls enjoyable and secure.
3. Outdoor Table Lighting Ideas with Lanterns
Placing lanterns on outdoor dining tables adds charm and warmth to your meals and self-time. They create a cozy setting for family dinners or gatherings with friends, enhancing the overall dining experience. The flickering light from lanterns fosters a sense of intimacy and relaxation.
4. Mason Jar Lights to Decor Garden
Mason jar lights add a personal touch to your garden decor while providing soft illumination. Hanging them from trees or placing them along pathways creates a charming, rustic vibe that invites guests to explore your outdoor space. This whimsical lighting makes any gathering feel special.
5. Outdoor Patio Lighting with Tiki Torches
Tiki torches not only light up patios but also create a festive atmosphere reminiscent of tropical getaways. They can help keep insects away when filled with citronella fuel, allowing you to enjoy your outdoor space comfortably. The flickering flames evoke a sense of adventure and relaxation.
6. Fairy Light Tree Decor Ideas for Magical Ambiance
Wrapping fairy lights around trees creates an enchanting glow that transforms your garden into a fairy tale setting. This lighting idea enhances the beauty of your landscape and makes evening gatherings feel magical and intimate, fostering connection among friends and family.
7. Wall-Mounted Sconce Ideas for Outdoor Living Areas
Installing wall-mounted sconces in outdoor living areas provides ambient lighting that enhances the overall atmosphere. These fixtures add sophistication while creating cozy nooks for relaxation or conversation, making evenings spent outside feel luxurious.
8. Landscape Highlighting Ideas with Spotlights
Using spotlights to highlight specific features in your garden, such as sculptures or beautiful flower beds, draws attention to their beauty while improving safety at night. This dramatic effect enhances the overall aesthetic of your landscape, making it feel more inviting and visually appealing.
9. Decorative Edge Lighting Ideas with Rope Lights
Rope lights can be creatively used to outline steps or garden beds, providing subtle illumination that enhances safety without overwhelming the space. Their flexible design allows for unique placements, which creates a welcoming environment that encourages exploration after dark.
10. Outdoor Dining Area Lighting Ideas with Hanging Pendant Lights
Hanging pendant lights over outdoor dining areas also create an inviting atmosphere for meals under the stars. You can use this to provide ample light while adding style to your decor. It makes your dinner feel like a special occasion and encourages memorable gatherings.
11. Fence Border Lighting Ideas with Fence-Mounted Lights
Mounting lights on fences not only enhances safety but also adds decorative flair to the borders of your backyard. This outdoor lighting allows you to create a warm welcome for guests while delineating spaces within your garden, and make it feel more cohesive and inviting.
For those who enjoy vibrant and lively fence lighting, eufy permanent outdoor lights are an excellent choice to illuminate your entire backyard and transform it into a magical space.
12. Festive Event Lighting Ideas with Paper Lanterns
Paper lanterns are perfect for special occasions when you want to create a soft illumination that adds charm to any event. While not weatherproof, they can be hung temporarily to create an enchanting atmosphere that fosters celebration and joy among guests.
7 Types of Outdoor Lighting to Choose
There are a few main types of outdoor lighting to consider for your home and garden, let’s see what they can offer you.
1. Spot Light
Spotlights are often used to illuminate specific outdoor areas. This landscape light can highlight architectural features or show where the pathway ends and the flowerbeds begin.
If you’re looking for a reliable spotlight to use, the eufy Spotlights can be a fantastic option. The extended wires allow the spotlights to be used across larger outdoor spaces for convenience and practicality. The color-changing aspects also make the lights more visually appealing and can be a welcomed addition for holidays.
2. Floodlight
People often ignore floodlights because they think they’re impractical for everyday residential use. However, these are some of the best outdoor lighting for home security specifically.
Floodlights emit a high-intensity beam to light larger spaces outdoors, and usually come with built-in motion sensor features, which makes them very useful to deter intruders.
3. Pathway Light/Garden Light
Pathway and garden lights are among the most popular outdoor lighting these days. These lights illuminate walkways and pathways leading into and out of the home easily. You can use these lights in front and back yards and ensure adequate lighting is available.
One of the best smart lights for pathways/gardens is the eufy Pathway Lights. You can adjust the brightness level to suit your lighting needs and can easily connect them to your eufy security cameras, scare off unwanted intruders and welcome guests at the touch of a button.
4. String Light
The best part about using string lights is that you can hang them anywhere, from trees to balconies, patios, terraces, and more. String lights create a relaxed mood in your outdoor spaces, and they are also functional lighting solutions when you want to make outdoor living possible.
If you want an efficient string light, the eufy String Lights allows you to enhance the visual aspect of the home with exceptional lighting experience. Thanks to its powerful AI feature, you can generate personal lighting themes for various occasions let alone holidays. It can also sync up with music so you can create a party atmosphere whenever you want.
5. Step Light
Outdoor step lights are designed to light up the immediate area around a home’s entrance or exit as well as the property’s exterior stairs. If you have a few steps outside your back door, a step light can be practical and necessary for safety and security.
6. Wall Light/Lantern
Wall lights can be beautiful decorative elements of any property. One of the best outdoor wall lighting can be lanterns. Wall lights are generally used to illuminate the front door area of the home.
7. Pendant Light
Pendant lights are a modern and functional lighting solution that focuses on an aesthetic appeal. When used outdoors, they are often found at doorways and porches, and they can also enhance the ambiance of outdoor dining spaces.
Factors to Consider When Planning Outdoor Lighting
Installing outdoor lighting isn’t as difficult as you think but takes some careful planning. Here are a few things you must think of when planning new outdoor lighting.
● The Purpose of the Lights
Do you want outdoor lights for decoration? Do you want to create a certain mood or atmosphere? Or are the lights for security? Knowing the purpose of the lights will ensure you pick the right type of lighting for your property.
● Durability
If you want lights that can remain outdoors throughout the year then they must be durable. The lights must be weatherproof, resistant to harmful UVs, and withstand stormy conditions. They’d better be purchased from untrusted brands, not all lights created equal.
● The Layout of the Lights
It’s important to think about the placement of the lights. You could center them around a focal point or highlight a water feature. Or you could simply stretch them across balcony railings if you wanted to add a bit of decoration. Knowing the layout will help you plan your outdoor lighting effectively.
● The Size of the Lights
The size of the lights you choose needs to be proportionate to the garden. Going with oversized light fixtures in cramped areas could cause the garden to look messy or cluttered.
● Adjustable Color Temperature
Being able to adjust the lights can be hugely important to create moods for different occasions. It’s important to choose lighting that comes with an adjustable color temperature. It will make the lights more suited for long-term use.
● The Costs
Budgeting is necessary when planning outdoor lighting, regardless of which outdoor lighting ideas you pick. You must, however, think about the overall costs. This includes the initial costs of purchasing the lights as well as operational costs.
Conclusion
Outdoor lighting ideas come in many forms. Choosing the right ones for your home comes down to why and where you need them, the type of lights you prefer, and using them effectively in your outdoor spaces. Hope this guide can help you decide how to brighten up your outdoor spaces.
FAQs
How do I Illuminate the outside of my house?
There are many ways to light up your outdoor spaces, including using eufy string lights, pathway lights, porches, and security lights. There are also many outdoor lighting ideas to consider to illuminate key features of your property.
Do outdoor lights use a lot of electricity?
Typically, more outdoor lights are LEDs which are energy efficient and don’t use a lot of power. This depends on the actual light chosen.
Are Outdoor LED lights worth it?
It’s worth buying outdoor LED lights as they’re affordable, have a longer lifespan, and are attractive.