As the warmer weather comes, you will probably want to spend more time outside with family and friends. Perhaps relaxing with a refreshing drink or having dinner outside is how you enjoy your time in your pergola.
As the sun goes down, it’s nice, and quite important for safety, to have nearby sources of lighting. Attractive light sources to light up your pergola and surrounding backyard can add beauty while enhancing safety.
Let’s consider what you already have in your pergola and how you plan to use it. Oftentimes, furniture and other items are considered prior to lighting, then the lighting has to fit into the design. If this is the case you’ll already have an idea of how you want to use your pergola. For instance, if you have a dining table in your pergola you will have a need for down lighting. This would be a large light specifically placed for the table. This type of lighting is great for dinners or socializing with friends around the table into the night.
Do you plan to entertain guests or will it be used mainly for relaxation with yourself and a partner? Is your pergola fairly large, making it possible to have more than one function? You’ll want to create more than one type of ambiance in that case so don’t limit yourself. The possibilities are almost endless.
Include lighting in your initial decorating plan so as to create the perfect match of lighting with your decor’s purpose. The right kind of lighting is capable of enhancing your outdoor space to a magical degree.
Outdoor Lighting Specifications
It’s usually fine to use outdoor lighting indoors. However, not the other way around. Outdoor lighting fixtures and bulbs require something called a UL (Underwriter’s Laboratory) rating. These are listed as dry locations (for indoors), damp locations, (bathrooms, any room where there is a lot of condensation, or a patio completely protected from the elements), and wet locations (this would be fine for outdoors in a pergola or unprotected patio). For outdoor lighting look for a UL specification of wet location.
Downlighting and Uplighting
Downlighting and uplighting can both be used to create a welcoming and interesting atmosphere.
Downlights:
- Downlights are more narrowed and focused than ambient uplights since the light is focused downward towards furniture and the ground.
- They are better for security and safety.
- They create a warm, welcoming feeling and so are great for get- togethers.
Uplights:
Exterior up lights are very bright and are generally installed on or slightly above the ground.
- They emphasize the landscape, architecture and trees
- They create shadows to add depth
- Since the light shines upwards to the sky, they tend to make things look larger and more grand.
These lighting options are opposite to one another but using both adds complexity and interest. Uplights for diffuse, ambient lighting and downlights for focused, directed lighting.
Specific Lighting Options
Pendant Lighting
Do you want to illuminate a large area, perhaps a dining table? One or two large pendant lights, in any style and material of your choosing is available, from a rustic design to contemporary. Choose between bronze, silver, brass, glass, woven resin and more, and any shape and size. Outdoor lighting is built to stand up to the elements.
Chandelier Lighting
Add a little elegance to your pergola with a shiny chandelier. Again, it’s beautiful over a dining table or seating area. It will add soft lighting. These days all shapes and sizes are available – crystal chandeliers make a formal statement while a more industrial type will give off a more relaxed vibe. Try adding a dimmer switch to create the perfect ambience.
String Lights
String lights offer a dreamy, glowing quality to your pergola and are an affordable choice. They are quite easy to install as well. Attach them to the beams of your pergola in rows or just along the perimeter for more subtle lighting.
Examples of String lighting:
- Fairy string lights
- Star LED String lights
- Edison bulb string lights
- Colored string lights
- Festoon globe string lights
- Curtain lights
Create a wall of lights with curtain lights. These attach to the perimeter beam at the top of the pergola. Strands of LED lights should be spaced about a foot apart. These then hang down like curtains towards the floor.
Decorative LED Table Lighting
Have some lighting right on a table top. Choosing from solar, electric or battery powered, these lovely decorative table lamps offer subtle lighting for conversations. Sold in many styles and designs, some are brightly colored and beautifully crafted. Perfect for an intimate gathering.
Landscape lighting
Not all your lighting needs to be inside your pergola. It’s nice to indirectly light your pergola by adding landscape lighting to the garden area. This will also provide safety for you and guests. Accent the beauty of your surroundings by uplighting your trees or shrubs. Using LED lights is best because they are 75 percent more efficient to run and last longer than incandescent bulbs.
Stairway Lighting
Consider adding lighting to the steps if your pergola is elevated. They will set the mood for the evening and avoid any accidental tripping.
An inexpensive option to use are LED strip lights which come on a roll with adhesive backing. LED is a popular choice, but there are also incandescent, halogen, xenon, and fluorescent step lights as well.
Finding the outdoor lighting for your pergola that suits your personal style should be easy with so many choices out there. Enjoy evenings with family and friends outdoors in the glow of your pergola lights.
