All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Stylish, useful garden lights for summer evenings
A well lit garden can be a thing of beauty, making long evenings outdoors an effortless prospect, and with the additional advantage that they make a night-time garden beautiful to look at from indoors. Sometimes garden lights are absolutely essential – if you want to mark out a driveway or path, for example, or illuminate the space outside your garage – and sometimes they're more decorative. If you have a permanent outdoor dining area, we love the idea of installing wall lights or pendant lights so that it feels like a real dining room; this can be particularly lovely if you have a loggia or veranda where you frequently sit. Otherwise, more temporary, portable kinds of lamp can be very helpful, like LED lights that you can simply pick up and take around the garden with you, or solar hurricane lanterns that look stylish sitting on a table.
Anders Gramer1/17- ‘Soft S/30’ outdoor aluminium and silicone pendant light (ochre), by Danos Salgados, €348, from Bover.
- ‘Starliter’ copper hanging lights, £190 each for large, from John Cullen Lighting.
- ‘Scallop Edge’ hanging lantern (antique brass), £1,284, from Hector Finch.
- ‘Asi’ bamboo and glass lantern (natural), by House Doctor, £69, from Made.
- ‘Tasis’ iron and glass wall lantern (gold leaf), €1,586, from Officina Ciani.
- ‘Richmond’ external IP44 brass and glass wall lantern (brass), £727 for small, from Vaughan.
- ‘Nans Portable M/49/R’ outdoor metal, teak and polythene fibre lamp (graphite brown/red), by Joana Bover, €588, from Bover.
- ‘Caret MF1’ iron, polycarbonate and ABS portable lamp (dark burgundy), by Matteo Fogale for &Tradition, £180, from Monologue.
- ‘Torch’ bamboo sticks (from left: linen, terracotta, walnut), £11 each, from Broste Copenhagen.
- ‘Bysted’ garden aluminium bollard (corten), by Peter Bysted for Louis Poulsen, £340, from Chaplins.
- ‘Sahara’ polyester panoramic wallcovering (sable), by Laurence Mosneron Dupin, £1,712 for 2 x 300 x 140cm drops, from Pierre Frey.
- ‘Tuli’ (nectar), linen, £184 a metre, from de Le Cuona.
- ‘Onyx Nouveau Amber Gloss’ porcelain tiles, £88.80 a square metre, from Mandarin Stone.
- ‘Pinched Waist’ travertine table, £450, from Monument.
- ‘Small Stepped’ travertine plinth, £540, from M.A.H Gallery
Anders Gramer2/17- ‘Mariner’ outdoor powder-coated steel light (lily white), £95, from Garden Trading.
- ‘Fresnel’ aluminium wall light (black), by Oluce, £198, from Holloways of Ludlow.
- ‘Press’ glass and stainless steel surface light, £380, from Tom Dixon.
- ‘Bellhop’ aluminium wall light (white), by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby for Flos, £360, from SCP.
- ‘Micro Spot’ industrial cast aluminium, glass and brass wall light trio, £222, from Loomlight.
- ‘Compton’ bathroom/outdoor brass and glass wall light (nickel), £220.50, from Jim Lawrence.
- ‘Elis Twin’ brass wall light (black), by Astro, £133, from Holloways of Ludlow.
- ‘Moke Cone’ bathroom or outdoor metal wall light (black), £90, from La Redoute.
- ‘The Muse’ aluminium, brass and borosilicate glass portable lamps (candlenut white, hackles black), by Tala x Farrow & Ball, £275 each, from Tala.
- ‘Amelia’ brass rechargeable table lamp (antiqued silver), £115; ‘20cm Empire’ cotton lampshade (black and white ikat), by Matthew Williamson, £50; both from Pooky.
- ‘Obello’ steel, glass and ABS rechargeable lamp, by Bill Curry, £249, from Gubi.
- ‘Muse’ outdoor lacquered metal and acrylic lanterns (white), by Contardi, £935 for medium, and £750 for small, from Chaplins.
- ‘Everest’ vinyl panoramic wallcovering, £463 for 3 x 300 x 68cm drops, from Casamance.
- ‘Pureté Limpide’, viscose/linen, £232 a metre, from Élitis.
- ‘Chiltern Grey Outdoor’ porcelain tiles, £50.40 a square metre, from Mandarin Stone.
- ‘Selina’ jesmonite and steel side table, by Viola Lanari for Porta Romana, £2,196, from Porta Romana.
- ‘Plaster Duo 1’ square plinth, by Duelle Studio, £450, from M.A.H Gallery
Anders Gramer3/17- ‘Calypso SO XL’ outdoor glass and polyester light (martinique yellow), by Servomuto, £1,430, from Contardi.
- ‘Nature Collection Sisine’ wicker hanging light, by Newgarden, £110, from Amara.
- ‘Sheraton’ polished brass and glass wall light, £346, from The Soho Lighting Company.
- ‘Balad’ aluminium and polyethylene lamp (honey), £166; steel offset stand (honey), £242; both from Fermob.
- ‘Weatherproof Ship’s Double’ glass and brass wall light (polished brass), £785, from Original BTC.
- ‘Globi’ iron and polycarbonate wall light (english green), €1,147, from Officina Ciani.
- ‘JWDA’ glass, steel and brass portable lamp, by Jonas Wagell for Menu, £150, from The Conran Shop.
- Brass and aluminium exterior wall lantern (dark green), £1,800, from Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler.
- ‘Mini Orb’ brass and alabaster lamp (antique brass), £1,580, from Collier Webb.
- ‘PC Portable’ ABS and polypropylene lamp (ocean green), by Pierre Charpin, £89, from Hay.
- ‘Ciel Tropical’ velvet panoramic wallcovering (bright midnight), £2,899 for 4 x 300 x 130cm panels, from Arte.
- ‘Lin Leger’ (forest), linen, £98 a metre, from Rubelli.
- ‘Amazon Green’ porcelain tiles (matt), £86.40 a square metre, from Mandarin Stone.
- Wooden plinths, small, £200 for a pair, and round, £660, from M.A.H Gallery.
4/17Dalby Solar Lantern, £19.99 from Lights 4 Fun.
Easy to transport around, these look great on the floor around a seating area, or down the middle of a dining table as an informal centrepiece.
5/17Brass Portreath Adjustable Pillar Light, bronze, £77 from Pooky.
Stumbling around a darkened driveway or garden path at night is never an enjoyable experience, but stake or floor lights can be obtrusive in daylight. A few of these along a garden wall would be understated enough not to show up your planting, whilst still doing the job at hand.
6/17Wickham Outdoor Wall Light, £45 from John Lewis.
A classic fisherman's style light, this is an affordable, classic option from John Lewis.
7/17Wrath Recessed Decking Light, £46 from Pooky.
For truly subtle path or driveway lighting, these recessed lights are an elegant way to go.
8/17Discus Brass Bulkhead Round Outdoor Light, plain brass, £52 from Brootzo.
9/17Ulan Indoor/Outdoor Wall Light, £71.50 from La Redoute.
If you're wiring in lights around an outdoor seating area, these boxy modern lights are a stylish option.
10/17Garden Trading Swan Neck Outdoor Light, carbon, £67.50 from Black By Design.
11/17Astro Mast Outdoor Wall Light, antique brass, £59.99, from Lighting Direct.
12/17New York Lighting Collection Vandalia Lantern, £297 at The Lighting Company.
This traditional porch lantern is the ideal style to welcome guests to your house.
13/17St Ives Bay Pendant Light, £100 from Garden Trading.
These pendants would look fantastic installed over a permanent dining table in a loggia or veranda.
14/17Captain Flint Outdoor Floor Lamp, by Michael Anastassiades for Flos, £1,412.10 from Made in Design.
Floor lamps aren't traditionally associated with the outdoors, but this design would make evenings reading outside a sheer delight.
15/17Zinc Thora Outdoor Box Wall Lantern, £40 from B&Q.
16/17Blomus LED Lamp, £109 from Amara.
Endlessly versatile, these LED lamps can be picked up and carried wherever you need a bit of extra light.
17/17Coastal Anchor Outdoor Wall Light, £79.99 from Lighting Direct.
A classic wall light to cast its triangular glow over outdoor dining areas or pathways.
