Outdoor patio lights enhance long, leisurely, warm evenings, bringing a sense of peace and elegance to comfortable outdoor spaces. Nothing beats the glowing, soft light on a patio to encourage family and friends to relax and enjoy themselves. While installing outdoor patio lights may feel overwhelming, there are plenty of options that are both easy and inexpensive. Before committing to one type of outdoor patio lights, it's important to consider the types of lighting available, an overall design, and the best ways to install and display outdoor patio lights. The top three types outdoor patio lights include string lights, pendants and sconces, and landscape lights. Read on to discover more about these different kinds of outdoor patio lights.
Landscape lighting can be combined with string lights and pendants or sconces, and run the gamut when it comes to price. Landscape lighting is low-voltage and works best with perimeters or pathways. Landscape lighting can also be purchased in ropes or stakes, powered by solar or batteries.
Fortunately, not all outdoor patio lights need to be plugged in. String lights, pendants and sconces, and landscape lighting are available as LED, solar-powered, battery-powered, and electrically powered lights.
Outdoor patio lighting of different types comes in LED and incandescent bulbs. While LED bulbs last practically forever, they tend to be more sterile and may not give off the warm glow desired and achieved through incandescence. Solar-powered and battery-powered lights are often LED bulbs, which is something to take into consideration.
Lighting up a backyard patio can involve a combination of string lights, pendants and sconces, and landscape lighting. The first step is to make a rough sketch of the area, putting in where outdoor patio lighting is desired. Then decide whether string lights, sconces, or landscape lighting is best for those particular areas.
Common designs include a V, X, or W pattern, a square or grid along the space's perimeter, a tent or maypole with a central point, and a scalloped edge design. These designs can take into account fixed points, such as fences, posts, sheds, trees, and more.
This type of outdoor patio lights requires more commitment but provides more elegance. These lights tend to be hard-wired into the electrical system, which means there are no cords to mess with. They also match the exterior vibe of the house, and can be carefully placed to light up a perimeter or darker areas of the backyard.
Ideally, outlets would be located in different places outside the home, negating the need to run cords through open windows to the inside of the house. If there are no exterior outlets, homeowners may consider other power sources, such as battery-powered or solar-powered lights. Those who live in older homes may want to upgrade any exterior outlets, as they may not have the most current safety features, such as a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) and a weatherproof box cover.
String lighting is probably the most popular way to illuminate an outdoor area. String lights range in price from inexpensive to top of the line, are rated for the outdoors, and are easy to drape, scallop, and otherwise hang. String lights are easy to find, and those who don't mind LED can use simple clear Christmas lights for their outdoor patio lighting needs. String lights can also be solar, battery-powered, or powered by electricity.