Get the Look: Our Backyard from Day to Night
I joke that it’s like “turning off the big light.” The sun sets, and suddenly the backyard is all glowy. The lights come on, the string lights over the pool sway in the breeze, the path lights start to glow, and the trees light up from below. It’s, hands-down, our favorite time of day out here. Creating this magic is about a few different things, and I’m sharing exactly how we pulled it off.
After we shared a new reel on Instagram, many of you asked the same question: “How do we get our backyard to look like that at night?” The honest answer is that it isn’t one single fixture. It’s layers. A backyard that glows the way ours does is really a handful of different light sources, each doing one job, all set to the same warm temperature. That way, the whole space feels cohesive instead of patchy.
Our Rule: Warm, Layered, and a “Glow” not a “Spotlight”
Before we get into the sourcing, here’s the philosophy that ties it all together. We always go for warmer light temperatures — somewhere around 2750–3000K — and we layer lots of small sources rather than relying on a few bright ones. The goal is a soft, even glow that flatters faces and tabletops, never a harsh spotlight. If you take nothing else from this post, take this: match your color temperatures across every fixture, and your whole yard will read as intentional. (If you want to nerd out on bulbs, our light bulb guide goes deep.)
Now, let’s walk through the backyard, light by light.
String Lights over the Pool
These are the showstopper! They’re the canopy of lights that everyone asks about. We have waterproof string lights strung over the pool, and they instantly make the whole space feel like a party (even when it’s just us). We did a ton of research before settling on these: we wanted 2700K warm-white LED bulbs that were energy-efficient and rated for the outdoors, and they’ve held up beautifully.
If you’ve never hung string lights before, don’t be intimidated. We wrote a full How to Hang String Lights tutorial that walks through anchoring, spacing, and keeping the swag even.
Shop: String Lights
Pool Lights (Built-in + Floating)
The pool itself is a light source. Ours has built-in color-changing lights — the girls love cycling through the colors (the “disco” setting is a favorite around here). Most in-ground and above-ground pools can be fitted with color-changing LEDs, and they make the water glow from within after dark.
We also love floating pool lights. You just toss them in, and they bob around the surface — they look incredible alongside the string lights overhead and require zero installation.
Floating Pool Lights
Night swims just got more fun with these solar-powered floating lanterns.
Perimeter & Up Lights
This is the layer most people forget, and it’s the one that adds real drama. We had an electrician install small up lights that shine up onto our green giant trees and a few of the prominent oaks, plus along the brick wall. At night, lighting the trees from below makes the whole perimeter feel mysterious and dimensional, like the yard keeps going forever. We also have small deck-style lights tucked along the edge of the outdoor kitchen counter for a wash of ambience.
For a no-wiring version of this look, these solar-powered outdoor lights deliver a warm perimeter glow.
Speaking of solar, one of our most recent additions to the backyard are these rechargeable umbrella lights from Amazon. They give off Mediterranean summer nights in the best way.
Shop: Hardwired Spot Lighting | Solar-Powered Spot Lighting | Umbrella Lights
The fire pit
Every backyard needs a fire feature — it’s equal parts light source and gathering spot, and it works in every season. Ours is a built-in gas fire pit, and the area around it has small deck lights worked in for extra ambience. But you don’t need anything built-in to get the glow: a portable Solo Stove, a classic stone fire pit, or even a cluster of citronella torches will throw beautiful flickering light (and keep the bugs away).
Pro tip: keep a s’mores basket stocked for spontaneous summer nights. (Our blackberry campfire s’more is non-negotiable.)
Solar Table Lamps
This is my secret weapon for intimate evenings. I have little solar-powered tabletop lamps scattered around our seating area, and they’re perfect for close conversations. That soft light on a side table makes everything feel cozier. Because they’re solar, there are no cords to hide and nothing to plug in; they charge all day and glow all evening.
Shop: Solar Lamp
Path lights
Path lights do double duty. They help keep everyone safe on the steps and walkways, and they add that low, ambient glow that makes a yard feel finished. We had path lights installed on either side of our brick stairs and lining the planter beds that follow the natural walkway.
If you’d rather skip the wiring, solar path lights are a fantastic DIY option — and we actually tested more than 14 of them over two years to find the best. Our 2026 winner was the Better Homes & Gardens Elijah Light (Set of 4, Walmart, ~$57): smooth glass shade, a clean, even glow with no distracting starburst on the ground, the highest lumen output of anything we tested, and a 2-year warranty. The runner-up was a Brown Low Voltage set from Wayfair (Set of 6, ~$56) with a pretty bronze finish.
Better Homes & Gardens Elijah Solar Powered Path Light
The winner of our solar path lights test is under $15/light when you buy a pack of 4.
The Whole Formula
If you want the whole day-to-night effect, here’s the layered recipe: string lights overhead, solar lamps on the tables, path lights along the walkways, up lights on the trees and perimeter, glowing pool lights in the water, and a fire feature to gather around — all set to the same warm temperature. Start with one or two layers and build from there. You don’t need everything at once for it to feel magical.
Shop the Lighting Plan
Want even more? You can shop our whole backyard, room by room, on our Backyard Sources page, and see how all these pieces come together in our Steal the Look: Backyard Formula post.
