Pool Lighting Design Ideas, Inspiration, & Considerations

The proper lighting can really bring your swimming pool to life, especially in the evenings. There are many different options when it comes to pool lighting, so we’ll cover each of them in this post, the benefits of drawbacks of certain types of pool lights, and get into some design inspiration and installation tips.

Ready? Let’s get started.

Main Benefits

Let’s kick it off with some of the main “pros” of lighting in and around your pool area.

Ambiance

The proper lighting can set the mood, whether you’re looking to have a casual night with the family or entertain several guests. I would encourage you to think about lighting in two areas for style – within the pool and around the pool deck. In my opinion, both are really necessary to get the right feel for whatever backyard vibe you’re going for.

Safety

At night, pool lights are an essential safety feature, so you and your kids know where the ledge is and your surroundings. Without them, you could risk your kids tripping over something into the pool.

Security

If you have motion-triggered lights, your pool lights can provide a nice security feature to deter burglars. The bright lights can alert you inside, and you can react a lot quicker.

Watch Outs

The only real negative or “watch out” with pool lights is the added cost of your electricity bill. You’ll also want to consider the potential cost of pool light troubleshooting and maintenance down the road. However, the extra monthly cost of pool lights shouldn’t be too concerning if you’re investing in a swimming pool.

Types of Pool Lighting

You can choose from a few different bulb types for lights in your pool and around your deck. The same applies to replacement bulbs or other pool lights that may be floating around your pool.

LED Lights

LED lights are very cheap to run and can provide a lot of color variety, depending on your style. Remember, if you’re running a commercial pool, you might be required to run white lights according to your code.

Halogen Lights

Halogen lights have many more limited color options, but the bulbs are generally easier to replace than LED lights. They also use more energy (and thus are costlier to run) than LED lights.

Fiber Optic Lights

Fiber optic pool lights are very versatile, but are not as energy efficient as LED lights, so they may only last a few years.

Pool Lighting Design Ideas

Walkway lights around the pool deck are a must to be able to see at night. Here is an example of some I installed for a customer several years ago.

Here is a nice basic setup between the pool and the surrounding deck. The pool wall lights highlight the water nicely, and the pool deck lights are right up against the fence, illuminating the surrounding area.

These in-pool lights are much higher on the wall than in my previous example, which produces a slightly different effect on the water’s surface. I also like how the lights on the surrounding deck highlight the landscaping.

Here, a lot of light comes from the house at different angles and colors. This produces a unique effect on the pool.

Another option for pool deck lighting is putting lights in a recess along the outer wall. It produces a very cool “halo” effect around your pool area, illuminating some cool features. I also like the pool lights along the stairs.

If you have a spa or hot tub area, you can use the lighting in that area pretty strategically to help light up the larger pool area.

Installing Pool Lighting

For pool lights along your pool walls, you really need to think about those during the initial design phase of your pool. I would encourage the same timing for lighting around your pool deck. However, you could design and install those if your pool is already built. I just think the lighting around your pool affects your broader backyard environment and energy so much that it is worth thinking about ahead of time if you can.

Typically, your primary pool contractor can install lighting with no problem. They may subcontract it to a specialist depending on your design preferences, so be sure to ask them about their lighting game plan during the initial design phase to ensure you can get an accurate cost quote.

Alright, that’s about it for pool lights. Questions about them? Let me know.