Creative Ways to Use Outdoor Wall Lights in Your Garden Design

A wall-light design outdoor space can be used to enhance visibility, accent a seating area, and bring a pleasing aesthetic to your garden. 

Entryways and pathways

Entryways and pathways are the most important places for creative outdoor wall lighting ideas. When the natural light disappears, and everyone has enjoyed a beautiful sunset, the right outdoor wall lights can ensure that your space is still usable. 

You can enhance visibility and add a welcoming glow to your garden paths or entry areas.

• A simple wall light design outdoors can welcome your guests through any of the doors you have with double lighting and one wall-mounted light on either side of a door frame. Not only is this pleasing to the eye with its symmetrical beauty but it can also be enhanced throughout the season by placing things like small trees or other potted plants directly underneath.
• Frame any windows you have with boxed lanterns. Boxed light designs are very similar to railway lanterns, so they’re perfect for older homes. While most people think of framing outdoor wall lights around a door, you can put them around an outdoor garden bed, a barbecue or seating area, or on either side of windows on an exterior wall.
• Consider an overhanging light as a feature above a gate or any type of door that has a lock or a combination. Backyard gates leading to garden areas might have locks that you have to reach over and finagle, and having the right amount of light can make this much easier. You can combine swan neck outdoor wall light options so that they hang down where you need the light.

Accentuating garden features

Outdoor wall lights don’t just have to provide ambient lighting. They can be a great resource for accent lighting, positioned on a wall in such a way as to cast downward light on architectural features, sculptures, or special plants.

• Outdoor wall lights don’t have to be the main attraction. While magazines and TV shows often portray outdoor wall lights as the most important part of a functional or social space, you can use simple spotlights in a garden zone to create ambiance. Subtle lighting that illuminates just the zone where you socialize or eat can help guests feel more at ease.
• Some of the best outdoor wall lighting ideas don’t need to be over the top. The existing wall-mounted lights you have can be revamped when you invest in weatherproof lamp shades. Lamp shades come in many forms, such as patterned designs, wood, or other natural modifications.
• Invest in directional lighting. The style of outdoor wall lighting you choose can include spotlights that draw focus and attention to a seating area. These can be placed around your patio, making it easy for anyone to go out in the evening and cook up a rustic barbecue dinner. They can also add depth to your garden by highlighting landscape features.

Creating depth and dimension

When you utilize outdoor wall lights, get creative with depth and dimension. Placing lights at various heights and positions can create depth and interest in your garden landscape.

For example:

• Consider combining smaller lamps along the perimeter of a footpath that runs parallel to your home with sconces on either side of a door and around a seating area, and then some hanging lanterns that are rested on various hooks throughout the garden space along different walls. This will allow you and your guests to safely walk to your outdoor space, enjoy the garden, and take a quick walk to explore how things are growing or what new water feature you installed.
• Consider a transportable wall light design outdoors with hanging solutions. Instead of mounting the lights to an outdoor wall, you can mount hooks where things like solar-powered lights can be hung. This means you can move the lights around your yard with you as necessary and hang them on the hooks in respective social areas.
• Don’t think of the same horizontal lines in all cases. While a traditional, modern landscape might need outdoor wall lights that are mounted parallel to one another, a cottage or farmhouse could do better with a more playful installation along an exterior wall that is uneven, offering different steps and illumination points in an alternating or zigzag pattern.
• Group two different types of lights together in your outdoor space. Have lights installed for entryways and guidance along a path or to a door and overhead lights for an outdoor seating area. You can increase the brightness, control the ambiance, and mix and match different outdoor lights that fit with your aesthetic.
• Consider mixing garden mirrors directly underneath your wall lights to increase the amount of light you get in the area. Wall lights can reflect light downward, and strategically placed mirrors in your garden beds or along the walls can bounce the light out, giving more depth and space.