Patio String Lights For An Awesome Outdoor Environment

Patio string lights make outdoor spaces more enjoyable. String lighting is a low-voltage accent lighting used to create a warm, intimate atmosphere ideal for entertaining guest. There are many differences in their design and functionality.

Patio String Lights

If you’re thinking about changing your patio space, let us show how to string lighting would be a good idea. We’ll show you examples of string lighting layouts and how they’re beneficial. 

Illuminating patios, gardens, decks, and other outdoor areas is an effective way to make your home a welcoming environment. Let’s explore how string lighting is versatile and flexible.

Reasons Why Patio String Lights Are Beneficial

Here are a few in which string lights are useful. 

Spotlights

Types of Patio String Lights

Spotlighting is a standard-voltage landscape light source. Intensity beams upward, to highlight a plant or attractive feature. You might place it at or above ground level beneath tall trees or a lawn decoration to give them a statuesque appearance.


String lights

String lights can be hung everywhere there is activity—on the eaves of a house to illuminate an outside kitchen, or from the pillars of an outdoor gazebo to shed some lights on your outdoor entertainment area.

It’s best to choose lights that are solar or battery-powered, rechargeable, and which have a waterproof rating. These lights eliminate the need for extension cables across the yard, permit lighting in areas lacking electrical outlets, and ensure that lights remain on safely even when spattered with rain.


Floodlights

Security lighting is the brightest type of backyard lighting. It’s used to illuminate larger areas and deter would-be intruders and wildlife.

The greatest option for security is motion-activated flood lights that mount to the external siding or walls. Their bright light attracts prowlers and may trick them into believing you are home and vigilant even when you are not.


Step Lights

Step lighting is a type of lighting with different intensities, meant to assist people in ascending, descending, and traversing the deck at night while minimizing tripping hazards and visual clutter. It also serves to highlight nearby garden features.


Path Lights

Path lighting is a combination of gentle and bright safety and offers an outdoor landscape illumination source that is designed to assist you in navigating sidewalks while also showcasing them visually. 

You should install it along both sides of key walks from your back entrance to your fence door, along with stepping stones connecting the main route to a backyard feature. 


Best Outdoor String Lights

Choosing outdoor lighting fixtures requires understanding the differences in design and functionality of the different choices.

Power Source

How to Choose Outdoor String Lighting

Solar patio lights are by far the most cost-effective and energy-efficient outdoor lighting option. They function by storing energy from the sun in a built battery, which turns on come night. This means they may be placed wherever and forgotten about; great for low-maintenance outdoor lighting.

Battery-powered outdoor lighting is an excellent alternative for outdoor events because it is highly portable and ideal for informal, short-term use. Battery lighting is available in a variety of shapes and sizes.

If you want to install illumination near your property, mains-powered outdoor lighting is the best option. This sort of lighting will require professional installation.


Functionality

Outdoor lighting serves a few purposes.

  • Shrub lights – for trees, hedges, shrubs, flower beds, and garden borders, give lovely ambient illumination. 
  • Bollard lights – are placed at regular intervals along driveways and walks to give even, practical lighting where it is most needed.
  • Wall lights – are wonderful all-arounders that may be used for a variety of purposes. 
  • Flood lights – are also effective as security lighting because they are extremely bright and cast a wide range of light over a vast region.

Style

If you’re looking for a specific look and feel, you find lights for what you want.

  • Traditional – is great if you want to give your home or business’s exterior a more classic vibe.
  • Modern/minimal – when you want to create a contemporary design for the exteriors of your home or company, you’ll want to choose lighting choices with a modern edge. 

What Is The Best Patio Lighting?

Are Patio String Lights Waterproof?

Consider how the space will be used and design the outdoor lighting accordingly. 

Entertainment Purposes

What Type of Lighting Is Best for a Patio?

Consider pendants for outdoor use. The selection of outdoor fixtures is growing, with more varieties and styles than ever. The trick here is to obtain just enough lighting without going overboard. 

Wall sconces can contribute to the mood. Use up and down lights rather than lights that are pointed out into space. 

Security 

Congregational areas such as front entrances, side doors, or breezeways—anywhere you may need to take a moment and find your keys—should have sufficient ambient illumination. 

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

Outside areas accessed at night should have easily accessible lighting. A storage room for garbage and recycling bins is an example of a spot where a well-placed wall sconce may offer a sense of comfort and security. 

While massive floodlights are good at inducing shock, placed accent lighting is more effective at deterring unwelcome guests.

Solar Outdoor Lights Vs Electric

Solar Outdoor Lights vs. Electric

With outdoor lighting, the battle has always been between solar and wired lighting.

Costs

Solar lighting is cheaper due to its simplicity and how it doesn’t need rely on electrical power sources. The cost of operating the light varies between the two options. Solar lighting has no operating costs because it is powered by the sun and automatically turns on at nightfall. 

Installation

Solar lights do not require wiring, installation is simple. All you need are few screws to secure the outdoor string lights. 

Endurance

Garden lights should be rated at least IP43 to ensure their safety and durability outside. Due to the fact that wired lights are connected to the mains power, they have a better rating than wireless lights because no risk can be taken when you’re dealing with electricity. 

20 Ways To Hang Outdoor String Lights 

The following list was created by our team of backyard specialists. You’ll find plenty of inspiration from at least of the ideas featured here.

Preparation

Prep and Plan - installing the string ligths

If you’re planning to hang multiple strings, you might find it easier to do if you remove the bulbs. Also, consider the power source. Check out thecreativityexchange for useful tips.

Outdoor String Lights For Posts

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

If there are no trees that you can attach the lights to or if you want to arrange them in a specific pattern then you could secure them to a series of posts which you can put in place for this purpose.

Check out oldsaltfarm to find out how to build and install the posts.

Cover Patio String Lights

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

A covered deck or patio provides you with a setup for hanging lights. D ring clips and of course the lights which should be suited for outdoor use so go with a heavy-duty design.

First, measure the space. After, screw the eye hooks into place and then you connect the string lights using D ring clips. You can find more details about this entire process on loveourreallife.

Trees

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

String lights create a pleasant ambiance. Two trees spaced apart just right hold a hammock and their canopies intertwine to provide shade. 

The hanging lights above the hammock create a pleasant and cozy ambiance. Add a side table or bar cart for drinks and snacks for the ideal setup. This idea is from bystephanielynn.

Illuminate Furniture 

Illuminate Furniture with Outdoor String Lights

Use outdoor string lights to decorate existing structures such as fences, pergolas or even a garden gate. It’s a simple project which is described in detail in a tutorial featured on kojo-designs.

Fire Pit Lights

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

If you like the idea of backyard string lights but you’re not sure that installing permanent posts would be a wise idea, consider different options. Use them to surround the fire pit, hanging lights  around this area. Check out brooklynlimestone for more details.

Small Patio

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

A string of lights can really change the look of a small patio and hanging them is pretty easy, if you can attach the hooks to the side of the house. Find more inspiration on blesserhouse.

Pergola Lights 

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

String lights and pergolas go hand in hand. Hanging the lights is easy and you can get creative with all sorts of different patterns and combinations. You can also hang lanterns and other different things, including decorations. 

Ambient Lighting

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

Hanging outdoor string lights in the backyard or on your patio doesn’t change the ambiance in that particular outdoor area but also inside the house. At the same time, they could improve your home’s curb appeal. {nativesondesignstudio}.

Simple Lights

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

You don’t need to overcomplicate things or to try to hang your patio lights in a perfectly straight line or a symmetrical pattern. They’re casual-looking so they’ll look great even if you hang them in a more or less random manner.  (chelseadc}.

Trees And Structures

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

When hanging outdoor string lights out in the yard or the garden you can use the existing landscape in your favor. Hang the lights on trees, shrubs, fence posts and use structures such as the pergola or a cantilevered roof in a similar manner.  (nnarchitecture}.

Night Time String Lights

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

Outdoor string lights are attached to the side of the house and stretch across the yard where there’s wrapped around a tree or a post. {carleymontgomery}.

Outdoor Terrace String Lights 

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

It’s not the patio and the backyard that can benefit from hanging string lights but also balconies and terraces. {urbanangles}.

Quality String Lights

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

There are a few things to consider when choosing patio string lights. You might also want to pick a popular type or brand in case you’ll need replacement bulbs or if you’ll want to add some lights at some point. {yardscapesnorthwest}.

Magical String Lights

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

One of the coolest things about outdoor string lights is that they look bohemian, almost magical. These ones, for example, look like little stars and compliment this little patio in the most wonderful way. The fence acts as a support for the outdoor string lights. {robcampbellphotography}.

Circle Patio Outdoor String Lights

Drape and Wrap Patio String Lights

There are many ways you can hang string lights. Instead of draping the lights across the patio you can choose to wrap them around a post or to hang them on walls.

Enchanted String Light Garden

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

Use string lights to make a simple wood deck look stunning or hang them in your garden to make it look fantastic.

Fire Pit Lights

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

The string lights kind of extend the warmth of the fire pit on the adjacent outdoor kitchen and dining area and that’s a good use for them. 

Choose Different Bulbs

Choose Different Bulbs for Patio

String lights emit enough light even if they don’t seem like it. Illuminate a deck, patio, terrace, or balcony.

Ultra Modern String Lights

Ultra Modern String Lights

Check out how stylish these string lights look on this roof terrace. If anything they draw more attention to the space.

Mediterranean Patio With String Lights 

Mediterranean Style Patio with String Lights 

Here’s another great patio that shows how well pergolas and string lights complement each other.

Airstream String Lights

Outdoor kitchen patio decorated with string lights

You can energize any space with string lights, even a temporary like your mobile home.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

Can You Light A Patio Without Electricity?

Enclosed flame, battery-powered, and solar-powered lights are all alternatives to electric illumination. By utilizing any of these lighting options, you and your family may enjoy outdoor family time even at night and even if there is no way to connect the lights to an electricity source.

Do Outside Lights Need Electricity?

Numerous common, modern landscape lighting systems incorporate LED bulbs, which are 15 percent more efficient compared to halogen or incandescent bulbs. Also, LED bulbs last longer than regular incandescent bulbs. 

Are Patio String Lights Waterproof?

The Ingress Protection (IP) certification is a metric indicating the degree to which electrical components are shielded against dirt and moisture. With IP numbers, the first digit denotes the device’s resistance to dust, while the following one indicates its resistance to wetness. The higher the grade, the better the lights are suited for outdoor use. IP65-rated LED lights offer adequate protection against foreign objects.

Patio String Lights Conclusion

Installing outdoor string lights in your backyard patio is fun and easy. The lights enliven outdoor spaces, and create a memorable backyard atmosphere. What makes string light even better is how LED patio lights are inexpensive energy savers, unlike traditional light bulbs.

When you hang outdoor tiki string lights, for example, in your outdoor space, the area becomes more inviting. For larger spaces, you’ll want the most durable outdoor string lights available.