Skip to content

Top Navigation

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAYS
  • ENTERTAINING
  • HOME
  • GARDENING
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING
  • WEDDINGS
  • SHOP
  • DIY
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS
  • LIFE
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG

Profile Menu

Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Subscribe
Save Pin FB

Explore Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 35 One-Pan Meals Just Right for Dinner Tonight

      One pan, pot, skillet, or Instant Pot is all you need to for these no-fuss family dinners, including salmon, pasta, pot roast, chili, and so much more. Read More Next
    • The Best 2021 Bedroom Paint Colors

      Explore the best 2021 bedroom paint colors, according to paint experts. Read More Next
    • The Ultimate Guide to Household Cleaning: What You Should Be Cleaning When

      Our printable checklists will tell you what you should be doing every day, week, month, season—or every once in a while—to keep your home in ship-shape year round. Read More Next
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD

    Quick, Easy, and Delicious Pasta Recipes Ideal for Weeknight Dinners

    When you need a comforting meal but don't have a lot of time, whip up one of these fast pasta recipes. All can be made in 45 minutes or less.
    • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Cooking How-Tos
    • Baking
    • Menu Planning
    • Food News & Trends
    • Wine
    • Mastering the Holiday Meal
    • What's for Dinner
    • All Recipes
  • HOLIDAYS

    HOLIDAYS

    See All HOLIDAYS

    25 Heart-Shaped Treats to Send to Your Valentine

    Sure, flowers are nice, but homemade food gifts are the sweetest tokens of affection—especially when they're heart-shaped.
    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patricks Day
    • Passover
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • New Year's Eve
  • ENTERTAINING

    ENTERTAINING

    See All ENTERTAINING

    The Best Front Porch Decorating Ideas for Every Month of the Year

    Get inspired to make your porch your new favorite living space with these ideas designed to add a refined look to any outdoor space.
    • Seasonal Entertaining & Decorating
    • Baby Shower Ideas
    • Dinner Party Ideas
    • You're Invited
  • HOME

    HOME

    See All HOME

    How to Disinfect Your Kitchen and Your Food During the Coronavirus Outbreak, According to Experts

    Keep everything from your countertops to your dining room chairs germ-free.
    • Home Design & Decor
    • Paint Colors & Palettes
    • DIY Home Projects
  • GARDENING

    GARDENING

    See All GARDENING

    How to Keep Your Houseplants Happy in the Winter

    Help them thrive even when the temperature drops.
    • Container Gardening
    • Flower Gardens
    • Houseplants
    • Landscaping
    • Vegetable Gardens
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    How to Wash Your Hands Properly, According to a Doctor

    You likely wash your hands several times a day, but are you doing so effectively? Learn how to minimize the spread of germs with an extra few seconds of scrubbing.
    • Cleaning
    • Storage & Organization
    • Laundry & Linens
  • WEDDINGS

    WEDDINGS

    See All WEDDINGS

    How to Plan a Beautiful, Meaningful Micro Wedding So That You Can Celebrate Your Postponed Nuptials Right Now

    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Party
    • Wedding Planning & Advice
    • Wedding Ceremony & Reception
    • Wedding Jewelry
    • Dresses & Style
    • Wedding Beauty & Wellness
    • Wedding Registry
    • Wedding Showers & Parties
    • Love & Marriage
    • Wedding Travel
  • SHOP
  • DIY

    DIY

    See All DIY

    How to Knit: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide

    Learn how to knit your own mittens, hats, scarves, and more. We'll take you through the step-by-step instructions and teach you how to cast on, knit, purl, and cast off.
    • Dyeing
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Kids' Crafts
    • Knitting
    • Paper Crafts
    • Sewing
    • Rescue & Revamp
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    Six Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health While You Work from Home

    Start by carving out a designated work area in your space.
    • Beauty
    • Health & Wellness
  • LIFE

    LIFE

    See All LIFE

    How to Start a Virtual Book Club

    From which platforms to use and the best books to read, bibliophiles share their advice.
    • Family
    • Pets
    • Travel
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. marthastewart.com
  2. Home
  3. Home Design & Decor
  4. Lighting
  5. 20 of Our Favorite Outdoor Lighting Ideas to Brighten Up Your Space

20 of Our Favorite Outdoor Lighting Ideas to Brighten Up Your Space

By Emily Goldman
Updated May 07, 2020
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Getty / M_a_y_a
Find simple and creative ways to illuminate your outdoor oasis.
Start Slideshow

1 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Credit: Getty / M_a_y_a

Outdoor lighting is an imperative aspect of any nighttime gathering, whether it's an open-air dinner for two or a party for dozens. Whether you're guiding guests to your front door or are illuminating a beautifully decorated dinner table, the possibilities to light up your surroundings are seemingly endless. Ahead, we're showing you some of our favorite creative outdoor lighting ideas that are guaranteed to elevate your backyard living space.

Lighting can take many forms—from candles to hanging lanterns, you have a number of options to choose from. But before you start picking and choosing what you do and don't like, it's important to take the area you're trying to illuminate into consideration. Porches, backyards, and gardens all need different types of lighting. If you're on the hunt for functional and decorative lighting ideas for outdoor entertaining spaces, we have plenty—some of which you can even make yourself. Line the perimeter of your backyard with our tiki torch anchors that we're teaching you how to make. Or for a smaller craft, create our Easy Sand Candles and watch as your backyard glows through the night. They're the perfect addition to your Fourth of July table.

If you prefer to purchase your lighting instead of crafting, we have plenty of options that are just a click away. Hang an outdoor pendant that looks as great suspended from your front porch ceiling as it does on your backyard patio. It's made of rattan and is just the thing to round out your outdoor décor. You could also opt for a minimalistic lantern, forged from metal that works as a way to illuminate the path to your front door, or as a table centerpiece. No matter what style you're looking for, you'll find a wide array of great outdoor lighting ideas here.

1 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Rattan Pendant

Credit: Serena & Lily

A hanging rattan pendant makes for an aesthetically pleasing outdoor lighting idea no matter the time of day.

Shop Now: Serena & Lily "Pacifica" Outdoor Pendant, $248, serenaandlily.com.

2 of 21

3 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Modern Lanterns

Credit: Courtesy of West Elm

Adding a lantern is a beautiful and cost-effective way to lighten up an outdoor space. Simple black metal ones look great grouped together on a pathway or on their own as a table centerpiece.

Shop Now: Petaluma Black Large Metal Lantern, $99.95, crateandbarrel.com.

3 of 21

Advertisement

4 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Solar Garden Lights

Credit: Courtesy of QVC

The perfect way to illuminate a pathway, like your driveway, is with a sustainable solar light.

Shop Now: Martha Stewart "Skylands" Landscape Solar Lights, $60 for four, qvc.com.

4 of 21

5 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Tiki Torches

Add festive lighting to any part of your yard with tiki torches. Anchor them in gravel-filled, galvanized-steel flower buckets ($36.99, wayfair.com), and have yourself a tropical night. To anchor the torches, position flower buckets on level ground for stability. Hold one torch upright in each bucket and fill the bucket with garden gravel to about three inches from the rim. The containers are then heavy enough to support the lit torches safely as they burn. Both the buckets and gravel are available at garden-supply centers; torches can be purchased at home-supply stores.

5 of 21

6 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Easy Sand Candles

Get the Easy Sand Candles How-To

Colored bands of sand dress up votive candles to make flickering lights that are cheerful and fun.

6 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Leather-Trimmed Lantern

Credit: Lennart Weibull
Get the Leather-Trimmed Lantern How-To

Place these decorative leather-trimmed lanterns upon a table as an instant centerpiece that doubles as a light source. Plus, they're easy to make with five simple steps.

7 of 21

8 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Outdoor Lamp

Credit: Courtesy of Kenroy Home

What might be considered as an indoor-only fixture, outdoor lamps are a simple way to add light to any area.

Shop Now: Kenroy "Egress" Outdoor Lamp, $239.40, target.com.

8 of 21

9 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Terra-Cotta Candleholders

Credit: Addie Juell
Get the Terra-Cotta Candleholders How-To

A rustic touch to any space, terra-cotta candlestick holders are not only beautiful, but they hold up well outdoors.

9 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Light Columns

Get the Light Columns How-To

Geometric "topiaries" inspired by the paper sculptures of Isamu Noguchi stand on both sides of this swimming pool. A few white plastic beach balls tied to weighted lines float in the pool like pearls cut loose from a giant strand (for safety, never cover the surface of a pool with a large number of balls).

10 of 21

11 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Hanging Lamps

Cast a warm glow from above. A midsummer night's meal is served on the lawn under tall maple trees strung with lanterns hanging on chains from strong branches. Small and large, these lamps hold ivory tapers, their bases disappearing in a thick layer of fresh, fragrant rose petals.

11 of 21

12 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Glowing Hurricane Vases

Hurricane vases are wrapped in layers of colored tissue paper for a glowing effect.

12 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Faux Lanterns

Overhead fixtures, strung from trees or a trellis, set the mood. Hanging solar lanterns that turn on automatically at dusk make alfresco dining elegant.

13 of 21

14 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Votive Place Cards

Your guests will love seeing their names in lights. These glowing place cards are votive holders wrapped in paper, inscribed on opposite sides. This way, others can read the names from across the table—helpful if people are meeting for the first time. Cut a piece of parchment to fit around a votive holder. With a ruler and pencil, mark two guides for the names, and then write them on with a felt-tip pen. Then erase pencil marks and wrap the paper around the votive, before securing with double-sided tape.

14 of 21

15 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Garden-Glow Lanterns

No need to bring the party indoors after the sun goes down, even if your yard isn't lit. String up lights to illuminate the festivities. Don't have a place to hang them? Wooden poles anchored in flower buckets filled with garden gravel can be set up anywhere there's level ground, and they help define an outdoor gathering place.

15 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Origami Lanterns

Credit: William Abranowicz / Helen Norman

These lanterns hanging from bamboo poles are origami "balloons" fashioned around battery-operated lights and finished with ribbons.

16 of 21

17 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Floating Candles

Get the Floating Candles How-To

Reflected in the liquid's shimmering surface, the flickers of a candle's flame appear doubly radiant and twice as beautiful. Floating candles add instant atmosphere to a casual summer table, and with our technique, you can create lots of them in only a couple of hours.

17 of 21

18 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Shaded String Lights

Holiday strands trace every slat of a porch trellis; the bulbs are covered in shades made from chartreuse and turquoise vellum. The table is lighted by pillar candles, each protected by two vases (one inside the other); blue-tinted water fills the space between glasses.

18 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Photo Centerpiece

Centerpiece How-To

If you're throwing a party for someone's anniversary or birthday, the guest of honor will shine with a set of photo frame lanterns. They consist of three hinged photo frames set around votive candles.

19 of 21

20 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Floating Candles

Add a touch of romance with outdoor lighting in the form of floating candles. Placed in small glass casings, they add enchanting flickers of light.

20 of 21

21 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Flower Votive Displays

Flowers and candlelight are nothing new, but together they create tabletop decorations fit for relaxed summer entertaining. Place votive candles in tall glass vessels, and attach a flower (dahlias are shown here) outside each, trimming the stem to fit and tying with raffia that matches the flower. Set each display in a saucer of water to keep the flowers fresh.

21 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Emily Goldman

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 21
2 of 21 Rattan Pendant
3 of 21 Modern Lanterns
4 of 21 Solar Garden Lights
5 of 21 Tiki Torches
6 of 21 Easy Sand Candles
7 of 21 Leather-Trimmed Lantern
8 of 21 Outdoor Lamp
9 of 21 Terra-Cotta Candleholders
10 of 21 Light Columns
11 of 21 Hanging Lamps
12 of 21 Glowing Hurricane Vases
13 of 21 Faux Lanterns
14 of 21 Votive Place Cards
15 of 21 Garden-Glow Lanterns
16 of 21 Origami Lanterns
17 of 21 Floating Candles
18 of 21 Shaded String Lights
19 of 21 Photo Centerpiece
20 of 21 Floating Candles
21 of 21 Flower Votive Displays

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Martha Stewart

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service
  • Media Kit
  • Sitemap
  • Martha's Blog
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing
  • FAQ
  • Corporate
  • International

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Martha Stewart is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.marthastewart.com

View image

20 of Our Favorite Outdoor Lighting Ideas to Brighten Up Your Space
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.