Decorating & Design
10+ Outdoor Lighting Ideas To Illuminate Your Exterior This Summer
Updated on July 22, 2020
Now that summer is in full swing, our outdoor spaces have to function perfectly — and look great — during the sweltering-hot days and balmy nights. Great lighting can help take your space from day to night. Whether enjoying a glass of Pinot at the end of a long day or sharing a delicious BBQ meal with family, take inspiration from designers across Canada on how to create an enchanting outdoor oasis with lighting.
In this resort-style cottage backyard, homeowner Tanya Linton hung large string lights through the pergola-topped barbecue hut to add a fun, bar-like feel while the family enjoys a post-swim snack.
Choose versatile lighting that moves with you, like the Marset FollowMe table lamp! Regardless of size, your outdoor space will benefit from portable, rechargeable lighting, making it easy to transition from indoors to out without needing an outlet.
Small, camouflaged, black lights illuminate the stone pathway leading to the entrance of this tranquil lake house designed by Sloan Mauran.
Elte’s Ken and Renee Metrick topped their outdoor side tables with covered pillar candles, so guests can enjoy the views at any time of day.
Handheld tin lanterns are a great way to draw the eye to the dining table without having to worry about an open flame. Plus, the patinated finish adds a rustic touch.
These breezy light fixtures were inspired by a visit to Malibu Farm restaurant in California. “The outdoor eating area had amazing basket pendants, so I set about finding something similar yet affordable,” says photographer and homeowner Tracey Ayton. “These pendants were the perfect find.”
A slatted wooden lantern has organic charm and is the perfect portable light to bring outside when entertaining.
Landscape architect Wendy Berger opted for a cozy covered pavilion with a modern chandelier, fireplace and black-framed sconces to give evenings spent outside plenty of warmth and ambience. During the day, “it’s an escape from the sun and allows another viewpoint of this extraordinary garden,” says Wendy.
In the adjacent barbecue area, a pair of lantern sconces illuminate nighttime feasts.
Simple landscape lighting brightens up the walkway of this West Vancouver home at night, while during the day, they are completely invisible.
These homeowners opted for a generous fire bowl for their back deck. “They already had the gnomes; we just gave them a home,” says Julian Pattison of Considered Design. String lights in the trees complete the laid-back look.