Stylish Yet Functional Lighting Essentials for Your Backyard Oasis
Your backyard is more than another box to check off your chore list. It’s an inviting place to spend a lazy summer Sunday afternoon. A backyard means family games, entertainment, and a welcoming landscape meant to increase the enjoyment value of your home.
However, the green grass, seating areas, and gardens are only part of the picture. You want to bring a glow to your backyard so you can enjoy the area after dark. Lights not only make everything brighter but also accent the features of your outdoor space. If you need stylish yet functional lighting ideas for your backyard oasis, look no further.
Power Bank Flashlights
You might be thinking flashlights aren’t going to add too much pizazz. But you couldn’t be more wrong. Flashlights come in sleek designs with built-in power banks to keep the lights on well into the night. The devices’ exteriors aren’t limited to darker colors, either.
Your choices are more varied than you think. Pick an LED flashlight in purple, blue, orange, or pink. Your device won’t be standing out for the wrong reasons with a smaller design that you can take with you. Yet, these flashlights aren’t short on power.
Depending on the mode you use, the flashlight will stay on between six to 15 hours. Also, use the built-in power bank to charge other devices like your smartphone from the USB ports. The light beams extend from five to 25 meters, giving you plenty of illumination.
String Lights
String lights take less than an afternoon to put up. Plus, you can find a variety of sets at most home improvement stores, mass market retailers, and digital storefronts. Whether you want traditional white bulbs or something more unique, you can probably find designs to suit your style.
Try stringing a set along a railing, in a pergola, and on your backyard trees or shrubs. Fences and stairwells are additional prime locations. Worried about tangled extension cords and trip hazards? You don’t have to be if you go solar.
String lights do come in solar varieties, so you can save electricity and keep your backyard tidy. Depending on which seasons you use your outdoor space, you may want to take down string lights in the winter. Since these lights don’t take a ton of effort to put up and remove, storing them can extend their life. If you live in a milder climate, keep them up for a year-round backyard glow.
Light-Filled Mason Jars
Thinking of adding a classic look to your backyard, but want to skip the lanterns? Try using mason jars instead. Although mason jars got their start as canning containers, people have expanded their use. Mason jars serve as drinking glasses, DIY snow globes, gifts, and outdoor lighting fixtures.
Simply fill the jars with fairy lights or other battery-powered lights, such as tea light flameless candles. Fashion a handle to attach to both sides of the jar so you can hang it. Once you have sturdy handles attached, you can hang the jars from trees, bushes, and ground stakes.
Mason jars can outline backyard pathways and perimeters. You can put them alongside garden beds and the edges of patios. If you don’t want to hang the jars, you can set them along the inside perimeter of a deck. Patios also provide a steady surface for this setup. Get as creative as you’d like.
Fire Pits
Nothing says oasis quite like a fire pit. When there’s a chill in the air, fire pits bring warmth to an outdoor seating area in multiple ways. You get a light and heat source in one.
But, understandably, you may have concerns about fire danger, especially if you have little ones. Thankfully, there are electric fire pit options to ease those concerns. Some fire pits use natural gas, but these fixtures may also cause anxiety. If you have kids and pets, you want to enjoy the fire pit without fear of potential injuries.
Modern fire pits come in multiple styles and shapes, many of them portable. Features such as lava rocks add additional ambiance to the fire’s glow. Fire pits can come in the shape of bowls, rectangles, and wicker table designs. You can also find round tabletop designs with screen covers to contain flames.
Globe Lights
Globe lights are fixtures you place in gardens, rock beds, and underneath trees. These light sources usually run on solar power while adding a decorative touch to your landscaping. True to their name, these lights are shaped like a globe.
When lit up, globe lights tend to take on the mystical aura of the moon. Some globe lights sit directly on the ground. Others sit on top of or hang from other decorations like garden statues.
Similar to pathway lights, you can place the globes in separate areas. Highlight certain features of your backyard. Illuminate the edges of a garden, waterfall, landscaping wall, jacuzzi, or pool. You can place globe lights at the bottom edges of a deck stairwell to enhance safety. Placement and design are only limited by your imagination.
Backyard Lighting Essentials
You want your backyard to be a place to unwind. Creating an outdoor oasis is about enjoying good company, warm weather, and nature’s mysteries. Stylish yet functional lighting is part of making your backyard shine, whether it’s for family or groups of friends. No matter which fixtures you choose, you can make your outdoor space as warm and inviting as possible.
