Light Up Your Life With These Bright Ideas for Outdoor Lighting

To create these striking orbs, the homeowner wrapped string lights around rattan spheres. Just about any round object will work as a base, though. These decorations are especially atmospheric for the holidays, but act as a light source and a conversation piece year-round.

Here’s a novel take on path lighting: candles inside hurricane lamp globes. The sand and any ornaments you might want to toss in with the candles add to the rustic, beachy effect, but they also help keep the candle upright and weigh down the glass to make each lantern more stable. The safest option of all: Use battery-powered lights instead of candlesticks.

Small clusters of tea lights strewn all over the yard create a sparkling star-field effect that can be absolutely enchanting. The secret is to place your little candles in holders that have a stake attached to the bottom to anchor them in place. This way, every flower pot becomes a firefly nest–with no chance of actual fire.

Wrap string lights tightly around a branch or rafter for a striking effect—if your branch is forked enough, the fixture will look almost like lightning overhead. This one is dripping with Tilandsia for added magic. 

What fences and railings do during the day—define party perimeters and suggest safe walking paths—can be enhanced with rows of lights for your nighttime gatherings. Wrap strings of bulbs around your railings to keep everyone corralled without them even realizing it. Christmas lights will do, but the bigger the bulb, the fewer additional light sources you need to provide.

Do you have a string of hopelessly tangled lights? Stuff them, knots and all, under a glass cloche for an enchanting effect. You can get creative with both the lights and the bells, as the sizes are not critical. Comb thrift stores or yard sales for old hurricane lamps or other interesting glass fixtures sturdy enough to stand upright in your yard.

No need to install awnings or supports for lights if nature supplies a post for you. Wrap lights around tree trunks and run the strings out to the edge of your outdoor space. The effect is like having a diaphanous circus tent in the backyard with minimal investment and no center-pole installation.

Make your centerpiece do double-duty as both decoration and light source. Clusters of greenery make an attractive feature in the center of your outdoor table. Now stud the boughs with tea lights and watch the atmosphere turn magical. Use common sense, though, with candles this close to potential kindling. Enclose flames in glass holders, or for maximum safety, use battery-powered flickering lights instead of real candles.

The owners of this home felt dwarfed by the tall trees in their yard. So they strung lights overhead, anchoring them part of the way up each tree trunk. When enough strands crisscrossed, the lights suggested a ceiling for the outdoor room, making the area feel more appropriately scaled and cozy.

No heat comes off this bonfire, which consists of logs draped in harmless string lights. What you lose in s’mores-making capability you gain in safety and convenience—no smoke, no burns, and you can just switch the fire off when the party’s over.

Installing lights underneath seating and pointing them downward might seem counter-intuitive. So might hanging tea lights from sconces at or above eye-level. But outdoors, at night, both work to create a warm glow that lights the area without blinding or creating spooky shadows.

• Get the glow: Campania birdbath available from Potted ($89; 323/665-3801)

Float tea candles in a water-filled birdbath to create a mini firepit. On windy days, set tea lights in clear glass votive holders in a dry birdbath so they won’t wobble.

Illuminate your garden with a globe-light Christmas wreath. To give some of the bulbs a frosty look, as pictured, apply frosted-glass spray before you begin. Then tightly group a strand of lights to cover a section of a wire wreath frame, attaching the strands with zip ties on the back side. Add as many strands as you need to cover the wreath form; we used three strands of 25-count lights to cover a 12-inch frame. Plug your wreath into an extension cord. Lights: $12 strand; target.com. Ashland wire wreath frame: $3; michaels.com. Frosted-glass spray: $5; onlinefabricstore.net.

If your gardening to-do list includes pruning deciduous shrubs and trees, recycling some of the clippings to make a twinkling natural chandelier.

More: How to make a rustic outdoor chandelier

String light strands along the roof perimeter of an outdoor room to accent party space. Here, lights glow against the redwood slats of an outdoor bar in a backyard retreat.

More: 11 Ways to Decorate with Outdoor String Lights

Under the arbor, round string lights and a vintage pendant on a dimmer illuminate the soothing dining space.

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Turn old hacienda tile into a gorgeous sconce for your entry or backyard with this easy project.

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The pendant lamps are hung on tension wires, one high and one low, to achieve a random pattern above the redwood table. The lamps are outfitted with halogen bulbs outdoors that will last for years, even outside.

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Create outdoor chandeliers by wrapping lights around old wine-barrel hoops, then suspending them from the branches of
a large tree. Even easier: Rest one globe each atop two large planters flanking the front door. Hoops: From $49/3-hoop orb; etsy.com/shop/PurpleThumbNotions. Battery-powered LED copper-wire lights: $10 each (use 2/globe); amazon.com.

The Polynesian-style bark-cloth-wrapped lantern that hangs from the ceiling inside the pavilion is a custom piece from Oceanic Arts Tropical Decor (oceanicarts.net).

Each tiny teardrop terrarium decking this tree contains a cluster of battery-powered LED copper wire lights. Gently stuff a light string into the terrarium through the hole in the back, then use twine and small s-hooks to secure the mini lanterns to the branches. Conserve battery life by turning them off in the day, and turning them on as dusk falls. Terrarium, $9; amazon.com. LED copper wire lights, $10; amazon.com.

Low-voltage fixtures set the wall and fence aglow, helped by votives hung from the fence and Indian lanterns in the schefflera tree.

More: How to Create an All-Family Outdoor Lounge

Neon numbers light the porch aglow and make it easy to find the house at night.

For this small dining area, a simple candle chandelier from Ikea is more functional than pillar candles.

Tin luminarias look as good during the day as they do when lit at night. They’re available by mail from Tin-Art New Mexico FolkArt by Celeste (505/345-7231).

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For a festive ambience, hang little white string lights from arbors or suspend an outdoor chandelier over a patio table. This one was made by hanging vintage canning jars, beads, and toys from a wagon wheel.

More: South-of-the-border style inspires a California garden

Put your own spin on the classic luminaria using battery-run tap lights. These simple fixtures ― flat, battery-operated lights that turn on when tapped on top ― are sold in packages of six for about $20 at hardware stores and general merchandise stores.

Add your own embellishment by wrapping a piece of translucent rice paper around the base and taping the ends of the paper together with double-sided tape to form a cylinder.

Hanging lanterns that hold candles illuminate without the expense of wiring. Tall candlesticks, set on the ground, add romance in the evening.

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In keeping with his rear deck’s tropical feel, Joe Rivers Altieri strung Christmas lights in bamboo covers from Target under the bamboo awning.

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Create romantic lighting for an outdoor dinner party by suspending votives (we used mini recycled-glass tea light lanterns) at varying heights from low-hanging branches. Use clear fishing line and be sure to keep candles a safe distance from the leaves.

Cover chandelier lanterns with tissue paper to create a soft glow.

Supplies
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Tissue paper
• Small foam brush
• Yasutomo Nori or similar paste
• Glass lanterns or jars

Step-by-step guide
1. Measure and cut tissue paper into desired shapes and sizes (we used long strips for easy application).
2. Dip foam brush into paste. Holding a piece of tissue paper against the outsideof the lantern, paint an even coat of paste onto tissue paper and adhere to glass.
3. Repeat until lantern is covered. Let dry overnight, then hang. Tip: Keep lanterns away from moisture.

For a soft glow at night, wrap tree trunks and branches with strands of white lights. Define borders by placing small candles in glass holders along mow strips, walls, and walkways.

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