Winter Outdoor Lighting Tips to Ward Away the Winter Blues
As the days grow shorter and the nights stretch longer, it’s easy to feel the weight of the winter blues settling in. However, your outdoor spaces can continue to be a source of joy and warmth with the right lighting solutions. Thoughtfully designed outdoor lighting not only enhances your home’s curb appeal but also creates a welcoming, cozy atmosphere that can lift your spirits during the darker months. Here are some outdoor lighting ideas for a warming winter glow to help keep your spirits bright.
The uplifting impact of outdoor lighting
Outdoor lighting greatly affects mood, especially in winter’s dark hours. Well-designed systems ensure light, comfort, and security when days are short. Arriving home when it’s already dark at 4:30 in the afternoon is a discouraging way to start the evening, but when you pull into your driveway and see a warm, well-lit exterior leading you inside, the home feels welcoming. Good lighting transforms a dark, cold entry into a comforting moment. Thoughtful lighting on paths, porches, and driveways boosts safety and creates warmth, so winter evenings feel like an invitation to get cozy in the shelter and warmth of your home.
Even when you’re stuck inside on cold, dark winter nights, you can enjoy the look of your outdoor spaces with thoughtful outdoor lighting design. Well-placed lights in your yard, garden, or patio seen from your windows create a calm, uplifting vibe. And outdoor lighting adds a magical touch to snowy scenes in St. Louis winters. Your home feels more welcoming and peaceful. It increases curb appeal, giving your home a tidy, inviting look that stands out.
In winter, outdoor lights bring a festive, cheerful atmosphere. Whether you’re inside enjoying the view or proud of your home’s shine in the neighborhood, outdoor lighting adds joy and warmth, improving both mood and home beauty.
Outdoor lighting ideas to light up winter
Pathway lighting
For pathway lighting, use soft, warm lights for safety and beauty. Warm tones create a welcoming atmosphere for dark evenings.
Winter lighting tip: Safety should be a priority during winter, when snow and ice can make walking hazardous, and early darkness hinders visibility. Pay attention to the brightness of path lighting and ensure you have enough fixtures along your normal walkways.
Tree lighting
Wrap lights around trees to create a little more magic in your yard or along the property line, all winter long. For large feature trees, landscape uplighting is a great choice. Focus on evergreens during the winter season.
Winter lighting tip: Using uplighting on deciduous trees during the winter can also be a dramatic and lovely focal point for your yard. The bare branches, lit by carefully angled uplights, form a complex structural lighting design. Combined with string lights around the trunks of a few nearby trees, it’s a striking visual and magical when viewing from inside the home.
Architectural lighting
Highlight your home’s features with warm white uplighting. Not only does uplighting boost curb appeal, but it also creates a uniform glow across your home’s front-facing exterior for a polished and warm look.
Winter lighting tip: If you already have uplighting installed, check the color temperature. If it’s set on a cooler tone, change it to a warm tone for winter.
Deck and patio lighting
The winter season is a great time to pay attention to those neglected areas in your outdoor spaces. Look into under-rail or stair lighting for functionality and charm. Bistro lights can add ambiance to any outdoor space, controllable via app so you can adjust the brightness or color anytime.
Winter lighting tip: Stairs can be especially treacherous in winter, so pay attention to lighting here. Wash lights are unobtrusive and provide the beam of light on the stair itself, where you need it. Lighting on rails provides another visual guide.
Color-changing roofline LEDs
For a big win, look into our roofline LED systems that have customizable colors and all sorts of fun options you can manage from your phone. Easily switch from festive to calming hues.
Winter lighting tip: If you’ve been relying on solar lights, winter is a good time to make the upgrade to energy-efficient LEDs. You won’t be left in the dark when there’s just not enough sun to keep the solar fixtures powered up. In the warmer months with plenty of sun, combine both systems.
Fire Features with integrated lighting
Combine a fire pit or fireplace with lighting for a cozy, functional focal point. Use pathway lights to lead to an outdoor fire pit area or designate a perimeter. Bistro lights hanging nearby make the setup both inviting and striking.
Winter lighting tip: If you don’t have the space for a large fire pit in your yard (or you’d rather not deal with the hassle), look into the smaller, self-contained fire pits you can use in smaller outdoor spaces. Set up a cozy corner of the patio or deck with some bistro lights to set it off, a couple of outdoor chairs, and plenty of blankets.