16 Brilliant Backyard Lighting Ideas to Illuminate Your Outdoor Space

Creating a functional (and beautiful!) backyard space is all about versatility. After all, you want to ensure that whatever outdoor space you have available—whether it’s a small patio or sprawling acreage—can be enjoyed at all times. A great outdoor space pairs moments of fun with moments of relaxation. It's the perfect area to soak up the sun in the summer and cozy up in the winter. And, perhaps most of all, it's an enjoyable place to spend time around the clock, day or night.

A variety of backyard lighting ideas can help you illuminate your hangout zone and add a magical element to your space. Achieving a bright and glowy look is also easier than you think. From a charming string of well-placed bistro lights to pro landscaping solutions, these backyard lighting ideas will make your outdoor space the ideal place to spend time and enjoy the company of loved ones.

Highlight Architectural Elements 

Call attention to your home’s exterior in all the right ways with strategic lighting placement that highlights all the most stunning aspects of your abode’s architecture. Here, Toll Brothers builders used lighting to highlight specific architectural elements, like garden walls and the poolside pathway, to call attention to unique elements. (You can use lighting, for instance, to highlight a pergola, porch, or a railing.)

Add Light from Above

Hanging lights from a porch or pergola ceiling—or from branches of a tall tree—helps brighten up the space. (Just be sure that anything you hang is built for outdoors.)

String Twinkling Bistro Lights

One surefire way to create a fairytale-like atmosphere in your backyard? Outdoor string lights! The inexpensive addition never fails to up the charm of a space, allowing you to transform what was once a ho-hum backyard into a talked-about outdoor dining experience, like the one shown here by the creators behind Ciderpress Lane.

Hang an Arrangement of Paper Lanterns

For the feeling of a permanent fixture—and a stunning display over a dining table or lounge area—hang a collection of wispy paper lanterns together, as done here by Brooke Christen of Nesting With Grace. Not only will the look add a focal point to your outdoor zone, but it will deliver a soft glow overhead that will basically act as an IRL Instagram filter.

Add Some Candlelight

Candles have been a tried-and-true way to add a warm glow outdoors (and a little romance, too!). Just be sure to place candles in glass jars, hurricane lamps, or other structures that'll prevent a warm breeze from snuffing them out. (And don't be afraid to mix them in with electrical lighting, too.)

Take a Hint From Inside Your Home

When it comes to creating the same cozy atmosphere al fresco as you have indoors, look to mirror elements that work inside your home. Here, Steph Moore, the creator behind Renovation Bay-Bee turned to a duo of (outdoor-grade!) floor lamps to add a soft glow to her exterior lounge space. The result is a laid-back hangout zone similar to that of an indoor living room. 

Create a “Room” With String Lights

If you’re looking to up the intimacy in a sprawling backyard space, look no further than this genius idea from Jenna Sue Design. During her backyard makeover, she gave a cozy fire pit lounge area some much-needed prominence by creating a barrier of string lights around the nook. The area is “walled off” with tall cedar posts, which are then strung with outdoor bulbs around the perimeter to mimic the feel of a room, allowing you to create a vacation-worthy destination in your own backyard.

Tote Around A Table Lamp

For maximum flexibility—and a backyard lighting idea that will charm any guest—try out a rechargeable or battery-powered LED lamp, like the vintage-inspired style seen in the backyard of Jen Rothbury of Crack the Shutters, above. Not only will it add a soft, romantic glow to any space, but it’s a great option if you find yourself regularly moving around multiple spots in your backyard at night.

Add a Standout Chandelier 

There’s no better way to truly capture the essence of indoor/outdoor living than by hanging a traditionally indoor-exclusive lighting fixture outdoors. This standout chandelier from Hinkley Lighting adds some rustic charm to the covered outdoor living room in this backyard, and it would look equally as stunning over an al fresco dining table.

Stoke Some Flames

It’s no secret that outdoor fireplaces are a great way to up the cozy factor at home—but in our opinion, they can also be a great way to add a little (unconventional) backyard lighting to the equation, too! Take this stunning stone fireplace from Kim Demmon of Today’s Creative Life for example. When combined with a few sets of outdoor string lights and coaxed to its full, fiery potential, this scene is a great way to ensure your whole backyard is bathed in a welcoming glow any time company swings by.

Outline Your Deck

Pay homage to your outdoor living space—and keep visitors safe—by outlining the perimeter of your deck or patio with small lanterns or ground lights. At this Lake Arrowhead A-frame home, the glow of the interior lights (visible through floor-to-ceiling windows) combine with the deck lighting to create a one-of-a-kind outdoor atmosphere.

Shine a Spotlight on Nature

Using uplighting or subtle glow lights to highlight your favorite spots in your landscaping and add a glow throughout the yard. Here, Yardzen uses an uplight to feature a gorgeous old tree in the yard, along with a few key spots in the garden. You can also use string lights to trace the outline of a tree or weave into a favorite shrub to help brighten up dark spots.

Make Your Pool Glow

If you're lucky enough to have a pool, use lighting to highlight it—both waterproof lights in the water to make the pool glow, and exterior lights to frame it. (And you can use floating candles or lanterns to add light to the surface, too.)

Light Up Your Walls

Walls can make an outdoor space feel even darker at night. You can use lighting to brighten it up, whether you create a full wall of string lights, or add permanent wall sconces (like this Yardzen design) that let the light reflect off of the wall.

Make Use of Unplugged Lighting Options

These days, you'll find a lot of cool lighting that doesn't need to plugged in—including solar lighting and battery operated options. You can put a string of battery-operated lights into a glass jar for a cool light feature, or use it to wrap around a post or other element that's far from an outlet. Solar lights are useful for pathways, overhead lanterns, and other applications.

Layer Your Lighting

Throwing just a string of lights or just a chandelier up won't do the job. You'll want to combine several of these techniques to create an outdoor lighting setup that'll make your backyard welcoming for you and your guests all night long.