Outdoor LED Lighting Ideas for Any Style Backyard

Interior decorating is a fun way to express yourself, but we also encourage you to think outside the box—or in this case, outside the walls. The exterior of your home is a whole new frontier for showing off your personal style and can give guests a great first impression when they pull into your driveway.

Beyond aesthetics, custom outdoor LED lighting can also be a great way to enhance your sense of security or add a new dimension to your landscaping, and it can make your home easy to spot (a feature first-time visitors will definitely appreciate!).

And with a range of smart outdoor lighting, there are tons of options at your fingertips. Below, you’ll find some of our favorite ways to make your yard shine.

Patio lighting

Adding string lights is an excellent way to turn your everyday patio into an enchanting place where your friends and family will want to spend their evenings. When you connect them to our Outdoor Smart Plug, you can schedule lights to turn on at the same time every evening. Experiencing a rain delay? You can run inside and control the lights from there, thanks to the Cync Smart Home App, powered by Savant.

Plus, our Outdoor Smart Plug goes beyond lighting. Connect your heater to it and warm up the space before guests arrive—while you stay cozy inside. Now you can feel comfortable entertaining all year round!  

Motion sensor lights

Whether you’re making sure your teen is in before curfew or helping keep unwanted visitors out, an outdoor motion sensor light is a great idea. Our LED+ Motion bulb turns any fixture into a motion detector, so your lights will automatically turn on (and stay on for five minutes) when they sense movement. You can even link several together to bolster your sense of security.

Motion sensor lights also help brighten up dark areas of your outdoor space, like walkways, garages, and dark porches. You’ll always get a warm welcome upon returning home. And perhaps the best benefit of all: these sudden bursts of light just may discourage curious critters from exploring the contents of your garbage bins and flower beds.  

Light sensing bulbs

Our LED+ Dusk to Dawn bulbs are an especially helpful option because they automatically turn on when the sun goes down and turn off with the early morning light. Now you can enjoy the warm glow of outdoor light bulbs without worrying about how all that extra shine will affect your energy bill.

Bonus feature: These bulbs can also serve as a great reminder to kids who might be playing outside that they should come in once the outdoor light turns on. Parenting made simpler!  

Flood lights

Flood lights are a simple solution for quickly covering a lot of space with brilliant illumination. With our outdoor LED flood lights, you can explore a ton of different types. Want one that really stands out? Try the Full Color Direct Connect Outdoor Smart Bulb.

These lights offer millions of color options, so there’s always a way to match your home to your mood. Not to mention, they make holiday decorating so much easier! You can install them in the warmer months and enjoy a classic, bright white glow for most of the year. Then, when you want to spread some festive cheer, you can adjust the lights! Pick an eerie color palette for Halloween or a wintry wonderland look once it gets colder.

Because you control the colors through the Cync App you can do all of this from the comfort of your home. No more scaling ladders in sub-zero temperatures!

Path lighting

Once your outdoor space is outfitted with all these cool looks, you’ll want to invite everyone over—so let path lighting guide the way! Our durable outdoor LED strip lights are coming soon, and you’ll be able to add the perfect accent to every walkway. Once they’re available, you can adhere them to the underside of deck stairs so everyone can see where they’re stepping or use them to line your driveway so guests know where to park. Once visitors officially arrive, our Outdoor Dynamic Effects Light Strips amp up the party even more! They will sync to your music for a vibrant, engaging light display. And you can choose from fun presets, like “Volcano” and “Fireworks,” that can help set the tone for your get-togethers.

We’re so excited to see how you expand on your space. Mix and match these ideas and be sure to send us pictures of your setup on social media (@GELighting). Here’s to brilliant outdoor living!