Cool DIY Outdoor Lighting Project That Anyone Can Do

Illuminating the outdoor areas is just as important as having a well-lit home interior and while you might not think there are a lot of options in terms of fixtures and design strategies, you actually have more freedom than you think. There are tons of cool outdoor lighting ideas that you can try and could be a great opportunity to actually start planning your next DIY project. We’ve selected some of our own favorite projects involving backyard lights and other similar concepts for you to browse through and to find inspiration in.

Simple candle mason jars

Turning an old watering can into an outdoor light fixture is a brilliant idea. Using string lights as part of the design is even more clever. The idea here is to fill the watering can with string lights and to push them up and out of the spout after removing the shower head section. When you put the watering can back together, the lights will hang down and they’ll look like a stream of glistening water. This is a surprisingly easy and rewarding project and if you need more details about it you can head over to smartschoolhouse.

Simple candle mason jars

If you want to add some accent lights to your deck or your patio you can check out jojotastic where you’ll find out how these beautiful macrame cafe lights were made. This is the list of supplies that you’re going to need: cafe lights, macrame cord, some duct tape, embroidery tape, bells and scissors. It’s a lovely design, a bit bohemian and definitely elegant.

Simple candle mason jars

Tiki torches are fairly easy to make and you can make them look more interesting by choosing a specific type of bottle. These ones were made using Lucky Buddha beer bottles and they look really cool. In addition to the actual bottles, this project also requires a few more important items including Tiki torch fuel, replacement wicks, copper coupling and sealing tape. You can find the instructions on adventures-in-making.

Simple candle mason jars

An obvious option is also to use solar lights. They’re pretty inexpensive and quite versatile but they don’t always have a fitting look. You can change that by upgrading them with a little bit of wood. You can create posts that you can place along your pathway and you can stain or paint the wood so it matches your landscape. Be sure to check out build-basic to find out all the details of this project.

Simple candle mason jars

Outdoor wall lights can look rather lovely on a patio or next to the entrance and while there are plenty of ready-made fixtures in stores you can also quite easily put one together yourself. A key component in this particular design is the glass jar. It gives the sconce a rustic vibe and it also makes the project quite easy. You can find out more details about it on instructables.

Simple candle mason jars

These DIY outdoor lights are meant to be subtle even though they actually take up plenty of space. The wooden frame covers up the light bulb but allows the light to shine through the slender slots creating a nice effect at night. The lights also gets reflected off the top and looks increasingly bright as it gets darker. If you’re interested in the details of this project, check out instructables for more info.

Simple candle mason jars

You can also make some cool-looking outdoor lights using tin cans. You can keep the labels on if you want to or you can paint them. Using vintage cans can also look interesting if this is a style that you’re interested in. You’re also going to need a bunch more supplies including wiring, a light switch, eye hooks and the actual pendant lighting kits. Make sure all the part are suitable for outdoor use. All the instructions can be found on heatherednest.

Simple candle mason jars

It’s also possible to make a chandelier which you can hang outside on the porch or even in the garden. In fact, this right here is a light globe which you can either hang or place on the floor. The trick is to use two hanging wire baskets. You can connect them using wire. After that you wrap string lights around the globe and that’s basically it. It’s a pretty cool way of repurposing old Christmas lights and the idea comes from thegardenglove.

Simple candle mason jars

Something else that could fit nicely in a garden or even out on a patio is a fire pit. \it would make the space feel super cozy and it would also serve as a source of light. Making a fire pit is not exactly simple but it’s definitely an achievable DIY project, as demonstrated by this tutorial from theartofdoingstuff.

Simple candle mason jars

One of our all time favorite projects comes from theartofdoingstuff. It’s a really cool and also really simple project and all you need for it is some old glass shades and some outdoor Christmas lights. Just fill the globes with the string lights and place them around the garden, at the base of a tree, on the lawn or on your porch. They’ll look magical.

Simple candle mason jars

A nice way to light up your walkway is with solar powered lights. You can embed these into the ground and you can also tweak the design a bit. Actually, this project from instructables involves more than just a few small changes. The result however is quite spectacular and we think these colored light blocks has lots of potential. You can do some really cool landscaping with them and all you need is a bit of creativity.

Simple candle mason jars

A large marquee letter could also potentially become a source of light for outdoor areas such as patios, decks and terraces. Making it is actually not that difficult, although there are some differences based on the actual letter than you choose to use. In any case, the project is generally straight-forward and you can find all the details you need to know in this tutorial from tatertotsandjello.

Simple candle mason jars

We must also not forget about candles. They’re pretty old school but they can definitely be incorporated into some really awesome projects like this DIY outdoor chandelier featured on erineverafter for example. This chandelier is basically a hanging shelf filled with potted plants and pillar candles inside glass jars. It really looks amazing and it’s a very simple project that anyone can do.