Combine different kinds of outdoor lighting, such as lanterns, string lights, and other kinds, to create an inviting setting that is also secure and meets your needs.
Backyard activities like swimming and barbecue don't have to be disrupted just because it's getting dark out. You can keep the party going well into the night by adding backyard lighting, which will also improve the atmosphere outside and secure your property from intruders who cannot be seen.
There are three primary kind of illumination that can be utilized in a backyard: safety lighting, landscape lighting, and accent lighting. Safety lighting is utilized to discourage intruders and improve navigation, while landscape lighting is utilized to highlight garden elements. In the end, you would want all three types in your backyard to reach varying illumination levels in order to meet different objectives, and there is a number of lighting options available within each of these categories. Therefore, allow us to shed some light on the greatest lighting alternatives for your backyard so that you will know what to incorporate into your outdoor space.
1. Lighting for Safety and Security
Safety lighting, often known as security lighting, is the type of yard lighting that is typically the brightest. Its purpose is to illuminate broad areas while also discouraging would-be thieves or harmful animals. This lighting, which is powered by a conventional current of 120 Volts, is installed in high places such as the eaves or above a garage to send wide beams of light down onto main walkways or the entry to the backyard fence.
Motion-sensing floodlights are your best choice for security. These floodlights mount to the surface of outside siding or walls and feature two- or three-bulb housing units that turn on only when built-in sensors detect activity in the area. Your best bet for security is to invest in motion-sensing floodlights. Their bright light deters burglars and may even lead them astray by making them believe you are at home and on guard when in fact you are not.
Our Recommendation for Safety Lights Is: Ring's motion-sensing floodlight comes in either black or white, is weather resistant, and can be connected to a Ring doorbell, other Ring lights, and even Amazon Alexa. The device also has weather resistance. It can detect motion from a distance of up to 70 feet away and its two optical LED lights emit a powerful 2000 lumens to light up your environment as brightly as day.
CONNECTED: A Buyer's Guide to the Very Best Outdoor Motion Sensor Lights That We Have Tested This Year
2. Illumination of the Path
Path lighting is safety and landscape lighting that is designed to help you negotiate sidewalks while also beautifully highlighting them. Path lighting can range from dim to quite bright. Install it on the ground along both sides of key walks leading from the back entrance to your fence door, along stepping stones leading from the main walkway to a backyard feature such as a fountain, and/or around flower beds to highlight the curves of their shapes.
Path lighting is typically offered in low-voltage (12 to 15 V) and solar LED alternatives. These types of lighting typically consist of a decorative bulb housing unit that is attached to a short stake that is driven into the ground. If you choose with energy-efficient solar versions, there is no need to run any additional wires. On the other hand, if you go with low-voltage path lights, you will need to use a transformer to lower the 120-volt house current to 12 volts. Even if your walkways are in the shade, these lights will continue to shine brightly for several hours after dusk since they are powered by a solar rechargeable battery or a remote solar panel that you have installed someplace else in your yard where it receives direct sunlight.
The visual effects of outdoor lighting will 🔅 brighten 🔅 up your home year-round! pic.twitter.com/9hKLCxFNI6
— DallasLandscapeLight (@DallasLandLight) April 11, 2023
The Best Path Lights, According to Us: This stylish 6-pack of solar path lights by Signature Garden comes with a stainless steel finish with cylindrical panes, and it has received great ratings from customers who purchased it on Amazon. In addition to their LED lamps, crystalline solar panel, and power switch that can be set to automatically turn on and off, the lights are water resistant as well. In addition to having an inviting light of a warm white color, they are quite simple to set up.
CONNECTED: A Buyer's Guide to the Finest Solar Path Lights We Evaluated This Year
3. Lighting with Strings
String lighting is a type of subtle accent lighting that operates on a low voltage and is used to create a warm and intimate atmosphere. This type of lighting is particularly useful for social gatherings. A home's eaves can be used to illuminate an outdoor kitchen, and the posts of a pavilion or gazebo can be used to illuminate patio furniture when outdoor string lights are hung from them.
Look for solar string lights that are not only waterproof but also rechargeable, traditional battery-powered, or solar (they typically come with a remote solar panel), and choose those that have long-lasting LED bulbs if possible. These lights eliminate the need to string extension cords across the yard, make it possible to illuminate remote areas of the yard that do not have electrical outlets, and guarantee that the lights will continue to function in a risk-free manner even if they become wet.
The Best Option for String Lights Is: You can bask in the comfortable glow of 15 indoor-outdoor bulbs cast by the Brightech Ambience Pro waterproof string lights when you suspend them at a length of 48 feet over a patio table or beneath a pergola. Not only are these light bulbs designed in the style of Thomas Edison fashionable in a dated sort of way, but they also save a lot of energy. These light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have a lifespan that is significantly longer than that of standard incandescent bulbs, and their operational expenses are also significantly lower.
4. Wall Lighting for Outdoor Use
Wall lighting is a low-voltage, moderately bright form of safety and accent lighting that is used primarily to illuminate and aid navigation in small recessed sections of the yard where shadows lurk. This type of lighting is known as outdoor wall lighting. You are able to place them on any vertical surface, such as throughout the interior of your pergola, above stairways, and all around sunken dining areas, pools, and other low-lying spots.
The most effective lighting for recessed spaces is provided by wall sconces that have an open-bottomed design (i.e., the bottom of the bulb housing is exposed). Instead of flush-mount sconces, in which the entire fixture is flat against the wall, you might want to choose semi-flush-mount sconces, in which the light is attached to a narrow arm that mounts to a plate on the wall. This is a better option if you have limited room on the external walls of your home.
Our Recommendation for Outdoor Sconces The market for indoor wall sconces is broad and filled with a variety of possibilities, and the same can be said for your choices for outdoor wall lighting. There is a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and metal finishes available. For example, the Lora outdoor sconce is available in seven different finishes, ranging from a brilliant red to an oil-rubbed bronze. The shallow fixture directs light from an incandescent or LED bulb downward toward the activity taking place below, while the clean lines of the design make it easy to blend in with any other lighting you might have have installed around the exterior of your home.
5. Lanterns
Accent lighting for a small portion of an outdoor wall can be achieved with lanterns by employing soft, low-voltage light to draw attention to architectural details or decorative elements. In order to draw attention to a transom window, arch, or elaborate wreath atop the back entrance, they are frequently mounted in the area surrounding the door. The majority of lanterns have a semi-flush mount, which consists of an exterior made of glass and metal that is attached to an arm that is fastened to a plate on the wall. Tabletop lanterns powered by batteries, on the other hand, bring the same visual intrigue to eye level while subtly illuminating objects that you would reach for when socializing outside, such as bowls of snacks, beverages, board games, and more. Choose lanterns with a translucent glass covering as opposed to a clear glass covering to achieve diffuse, glare-free lighting at night that does not compete with other light fixtures in the backyard.
Our Recommendation for Lanterns While there are dozens of variants on the typical wall-mounted lantern, with its sharp corners and boxy appearance, feel free to think beyond the box when selecting a lantern for your home. If you have more of a farmhouse or coastal aesthetic to your sense of style, you could be drawn to the modern matte black caged lamp that Globe Electric offers. Customers consistently rave about how impressed they are with the quality of this cheap fixture and its seeded glass shade.
6. Deck Lighting
Deck lighting is low- to high-voltage, moderate- to high-intensity lighting that is designed to help people walk up, down, and across the deck at night while avoiding tripping hazards and visual clutter, and to also highlight neighboring garden features. Deck lighting is designed to help people get up, down, and across the deck.
It is installed as a sequence of LED lights that are recessed into grooves in the surface, making it possible for you to walk over them securely without even sensing them underfoot. Deck lights should also be installed along the perimeter of the deck surface, in the spaces between the stairs' individual steps, and/or along the railings that run along the deck's stairs.
Our Recommendation for Deck Lights Is: It is vital to illuminate the border of your deck as well as its steps in order to prevent trips and falls when it is dark outside. When planning the construction of a new structure or making improvements to an existing one, you should take into consideration the recessed LED deck lights offered by SMY Lighting. The lights have a diameter of little more than 2 inches and a depth of roughly 3/4 of an inch. They are long-lasting enough to survive the elements as well as foot activity, and they continue to shine uniformly while remaining cost-effective. When spaced three feet apart, the six-piece set ought to provide sufficient illumination for a few deck steps.
7. Point-Source Illumination
Spot lighting, often known as "up-lighting" or simply landscape lighting, is a type of landscaping lighting that uses standard-voltage and is used to cast narrow beams of moderate to high intensity upwards. This is typically done to highlight a plant or ornamental element in the landscape. Installing it at or above ground level below tall trees or a lawn decoration might give the impression that they are more statuesque when viewed from a distance.
Choose lights in the shape of bullets that are mounted on bases that have stakes that can be driven into the ground to illuminate taller things such as trees. Bullet lights have a head that is adjustable and stands above the ground. They cast strong pins of light over extended distances in the direction of your choice at an angle that you choose. Try using well lights, which are spherical bulbs that are placed into the ground to cast light upwards over shorter distances. Well lights are ideal for shorter features, such as shrubs. Due to the fact that they are buried in the earth, they allow more subtle aspects of the garden to take center stage.
Our Choice to Shine the Spotlight On: LED low-voltage spot lights from hykolity will shine a light of a warm white color on the valued area of landscaping that you have around the patio or on the front lawn. These spot lights are available in sets of four and have an IP65 classification, which means that they are acceptable for wet settings. The user-friendly installation process allows you to connect them to your 12-volt low-voltage lighting system in a matter of minutes. Because the LED bulb is totally integrated into the light fixture, it is not only very energy efficient but also requires no maintenance at all. They are an excellent addition to your yard because they allow you to “set it and forget it.”