Pergolas are the ideal canvas for interesting outdoor lighting. The roofline gives a visually striking backdrop to hang pergola lights from, and the open-roof structure allows natural light to filter through, complimenting the planned lighting.
This interplay results in a whole lot of atmosphere, and with a little creativity, can make the pergola a magical place in the evening — and during the day!
Pergola Lighting Ideas
Here is some pergola lighting inspiration from around the web, and some ideas for products that can be used to achieve a similar look to these designs, without breaking the bank.
1. Pergola with Fairy Lights
Starting us off is a simple design of fairy lights wrapped around the outer portion of a beautiful rustic wooden pergola. This classic look is very easy to achieve, and the outdoor pergola lights provide a mild glow and a welcoming ambiance to those both inside and outside of the pergola space.
All you need to do is tack the lights up onto the pergola beams, or wrap them around the rafters to suspend them in the air.
These fairy curtain lights are ambient and do not supply a huge amount of light. You will likely want to supplement them with additional lighting sources if you plan on using your pergola during the night time.
Get the Look
To achieve this look, pick up some warm white LED curtain lights like the Kohree LED curtain lights with remote control. These are pretty slick, easy to install, and have a handy remote to turn them on and off without having to fiddle with unplugging and plugging in the cords.
These lights feature 8 different lighting modes, and multiple strands can be connected together.
Be sure to protect the transformer from heavy rain or snow.
Last update on 2024-08-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
2. String Lights and Hanging Candles
If the fairy lights are little too ambient for your tastes, you could go in the direction shown in this photo. By combining pendant candles for graceful accents, ambient lighting, and overall coolness, with string lights for twinkly light that may be bright enough to read or converse by, you get the best of both worlds.
Ambiance and delicate lighting at once.
You’ll need to be sure your pergola is tall enough that people don’t bump into the suspended lights while walking around — keep them out of the path of travel, and ideally suspend them over a dining table or other object where people are unlikely to walk.
Get the Look
To achieve this look, you’ll need to start with some string lights. We review outdoor string lights here, but our favorite design is the Proxy Lighting Outdoor String Lights system.
For the candles, there are several hanging candle holders available on Amazon.com. One of our favorites is this H Potter hanging candle lantern. These large candle lanterns are beautiful and will set the perfect mood.
The candle shown is not included, but the hand blown glass and the black metal chain are included.
Last update on 2024-08-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
3. Pergola with Hanging Lanterns
This stunning modern pergola space features several colored Turkish-style candle lanterns suspended from different heights, with a color accent that matches the pillows of the outdoor sofa.
The multiple lantern height design results in an absolutely beautiful backdrop. It helps to define the “inside” of the pergola from the “outside”, even without walls.
Hanging lights on a pergola also creates a focal point between the roof and the furniture space beneath.
As with anything hanging that has a flame, be sure that the hanging lights are situated outside the travel paths of the pergola. Over a table, or above fixed furniture are good locations for these pieces.
Get the Look
There are several lanterns available that mimic this look, but our favorite is the PhatTommy collection of mosaic glass lanterns. These stunning pieces work with candles or LED candle lights, and are a great option for beautiful outdoor illumination.
For another similar style that won’t break the bank, check out the Gallery of Light Moroccan Lantern Candleholders. These candle lanterns are quite pretty, with intricate metalwork, and are available in a wide variety of color options. These are made in China but are quite inexpensive so it is possible to get several without breaking the bank.
Last update on 2024-08-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
4. Pergola With Fire Pit
Using a fire pit or ethanol fireplace to illuminate your pergola, and give it a visual focal point, is a great idea!
Fire pits supply so much atmosphere, with visual stimulation, temperature regulation, sound, etc. all playing a role in the experience.
In this beautiful modern setup, it appears the fire pit is either a built-in propane fire pit or an ethanol fire pit.
Get the Look
To achieve a look like this, we suggest using an environmentally-friendly ethanol burning fireplace insert that would go into a table, bench, or other frame.
You could also go with a tabletop version if you don’t want to deal with a frame at all, or choose a fire pit table as an all-in-one option.
Plus, as a bonus, you can bring these units inside when you’re done with the outdoor space! You can see our guides to ethanol fireplace inserts, tabletop fireplaces, and fire pits for more information on these systems.
Last update on 2024-08-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
5. Post-Mounted Lanterns
You can use the posts and beams of your pergola as a location for hanging lanterns to be installed, as is shown in this delightful lighting setup from Western Timber Frame.
The lanterns here are simple, and hold candles, but achieve a similar visual effect to having lights surrounding a front door on a house.
Get the Look
You can attempt to capture this look by simply purchasing a wall mounted hook (for clothes, bags, etc.) from your local Home Improvement Store, and hanging any lantern from that hook.
You’ll have to deal with slight color mismatches, or else you’ll need to paint the lantern and the hook in order to get them to match.
Alternately, you can find several wall-mounted sconce lights that aim for a similar feel with a uniform look. Our favorite is the PlushBrentwood set of two candle sconces. These units have a simple, classic modern look, and very little excess adornment.
These outdoor lights for pergola are strictly for accents, and you’ll probably want more task lighting than this on your pergola.
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6. An Outdoor LED Chandelier
You could just go ahead and install a regular chandelier with wiring and all that, but you’ll need an electrician to run the wiring, you’ll need outdoor-rated electrical boxes, switches, etc., and there’s a bit of a hassle involved with all of that.
Also, most standard lights rated for indoor use will not work outside, so you’ll have to pick out exterior lighting chandeliers, which are more expensive, and have a lower selection.
There is another option, though, and that is to get a battery operated LED chandelier rated for outdoor use. There are not a ton of these on the market yet, but they are coming, and some of them are fairly attractive.
They need no wiring, and are designed to be used outdoors (though taken in when the weather is questionable).
Get the Look
The outdoor chandelier we are most fond of at the moment is the Sunjoy Chatham LED chandelier.
This outdoor chandelier provides the look of several candles on platforms, and looks reasonably nice. While it doesn’t cast a ton of light, it provides a wonderful ambiance that can be supplemented by string lights, spotlights, etc.
Last update on 2024-08-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
7. Pergola Lights with Chiminea
Chimineas also work well in pergolas, and their (usually) directional field of view may make them a more sensible option for pergola lighting than fire pits are.
Fire pits are usually viewed from 360′, which is a nice plus, but if a light source is needed in a corner, the 360′ view may be wasted.
Chimineas usually aren’t viewed in 360′, but rather have a door, often screened, where the fire is seen.
It looks like the chiminea in this photo here is made of clay (and burning a bit high fairly close to the curtains!), but we would suggest one of the chimineas on this list of modern chimineas if you’re aiming for a more contemporary look.
Get the Look
We are quite partial to the ultra-stylish Alto chiminea by Red Ember, and highly recommend its look for use in a pergola. The Alto has sleek mid-century lines, and will really pop against a wooden pergola.
You almost certainly don’t want to use a chiminea as your sole source of outdoor pergola lighting, so you may want to supplement the chiminea with some string lights or another lighting option.
Last update on 2024-08-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
8. Pergola with Candle Chandelier
This stunning modern Japanese style pergola has a simple hanging candle chandelier above the table, with a matching sconce lantern on the wall. The simplicity of this design is lovely and is quite striking.
The size of the chandelier in this image is fairly large, and the frame of the lantern is eye-catching, though with only one candle for light, this pergola light would not put out much illumination at all.
It is strictly for accent purposes and is probably more visually interesting during the day than during the night.
Get the Look
To take this idea and run with it, we would suggest using a large candle holder lantern like this Candle Holder Lantern.
With room for 2-3 candles or LEDs, this pendant will supply a little bit of light, though still largely ambient light. It will also feel a little more substantial than a single candlelight, as is shown in the photo from DecorPad.
Last update on 2024-08-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Conclusion: Outdoor Pergola Lights
If you have a pergola or other shade structure in your yard, you are lucky enough to have a great focal point to use for stunning lighting. From string lights to hanging lanterns to exotic lighting, with a little bit of effort and a spark of creativity, you’ll amp up your outdoor mood, and beautify your outdoor space!
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