Outdoor Floor and Table Lamps Light up Patios and Decks
Monday, June 11th, 2007
When people talk about outdoor lighting, they’re often thinking of security lighting or landscape lighting–stuff that makes the yard safe to walk through at night while enhancing gardens, water features, etc. But for those who like to entertain outdoors, you’ll want to consider lamps that brighten up your patio, deck, etc. in the evenings.
These Solebury lamps from Smith & Hawken look and work much as indoor floor and table lamps you’ve seen. Plug them in, flick the switch, and you’ve got light. Unlike your living room lamps, these ones are rated to withstand the weather. “Lamp bulbs are encased in protective glass covers and cords are weather sealed for safety.”
You might not want to leave them outside in a hurricane, but they should be fine for your regular summer weather. It’s $200 for a table lamp and $275 for a floor lamp.
Outdoor lighting is important if you plan on doing any evening entertaining (or just don’t want to trip over something suspicious on your lawn when you’re taking the dog out to potty at night…). Most of the lanterns I’ve run across are meant to be mounted to the wall or on a post permanently inserted into the ground. These Northstar lanterns from Outdoor Digs are nice because the stands can be moved from spot to spot, just as with indoor floor lamps.
I like the idea of solar lighting–anything that uses the sun’s energy for power is okay in my book… and you don’t have to lay any complicated underground wiring for solar lamps either–but there seem to be a lot of… let’s just say… tacky lights on the market this year. Case in point: the solar toadstool.
If you don’t want to contribute to all the light pollution in your city, you might want to check into outdoor lamps that have been certified as night sky friendly. This means they don’t cast stray light up into the night sky and they don’t shine over into your neighbor’s bedroom (which would probably annoy him if he’s trying to sleep…).
Most backyard decks have posts, and the tops or “caps” of these posts make great places to install lighting. If you do a lot of outdoor entertaining extra lighting in the evening is particularly important, especially if you have people going up and down stairs to the yard/swimming pool/garden/hot tub etc. etc. etc. This deck post light from Kichler is one of the classier lamps I’ve seen (meaning it’s too good for our backyard…), but it could go well in an elegant setting. Expect to pay $100-$150 a piece for something like this, which doesn’t include installation. These aren’t solar lights, so you’ll have to run some wiring. Still, they’ll provide a lot better illumination than a solar lamp does.
You’ve doubtlessly seen those strings of round paper lanterns hanging outside in people’s yards for parties (if not on person, then at least on television). Well, these are the same idea, only they’re colored orange and brown for autumn entertaining. Throw a few big pumpkins around the deck, and you’ll have the perfect Halloween or Thanksgiving setting. (This is assuming you live somewhere warm enough to loiter outside in the fall.) 
This is one of the neater looking outdoor lamps I’ve come across lately. I’m guessing from the name (French Conductor Lantern) that it’s styled after something they used to carry on the trains (locomotives?) back in ye olden days, before electricity was standard. Even if that guess is wrong, the lamp definitely reminds me of times gone by. This is a modern version, however, and it uses a light bulb instead of a candle. The lantern is meant to install on your deck or patio, to provide lighting while you entertain. Or it could work in the front of the house, too, to brighten the way for nocturnal visitors. Either way, the lantern is available for $565.00 from 
Here’s a lantern that was inspired by bare winter branches. It seems like it would be an appropriate outdoor wall sconce now that autumn is here (not that I change out my lighting fixtures based on what time of year it is, though there probably are people in the world who are that assiduous with their decorating). This lamp is made from steel finished in a weathered bronze tone, and it sports a seeded glass shade (no, I don’t know what “seeded” means in this context either). It takes two 60 watt candle bulbs. Available from Smith and Hawken, the outdoor wall sconce will run you $139.
I’m not sure I really get the whole garden gnome thing, but it’s doubtlessly a shortcoming on my part. If you’re a gardener, and you’d like a way to brighten up your garden after the sun sets, these little gnomes can do it. They’re charged during the day by the sun’s energy, and then at night they have little bulbs that light up their faces. I don’t think they’d have enough power to light up walkways so you can walk without tripping, but it’d be akin to having fireflies in your backyard. Just a little something to add character after dark. The solar garden gnomes are available from the Gardener’s Supply Company for $40. You can get the “mystic gnome” or the “hiking gnome” (or, if you’re really gnome crazy, both).
Want to add some snazzy lighting to your backyard? Think fiber optic. These ropes of fiber lighting do a great job highlighting this swimming pool. You can line pool coping, steps, walkways, water features, gardens, or any other outdoor route or structure you want to emphasize after dark. I think the swimming pool edge lighting looks particularly dramatic since it reflects off the water. Now, I just need a pool of my own, so I can install some cool lighting too…