People treat candle lanterns and string lights as alternatives, but they really do different things. One is intimate; the other is ambient. The best outdoor spaces use both. Knowing which to reach for first — and which to buy first if budget matters — comes down to what you're trying to make the space feel like.
Candle Lanterns: Intimate, Slow, Specific
A candle lantern lights a small radius. Three feet, maybe four. The light flickers, the metal or glass throws shadow on the wall behind it, and the eye is drawn to it the way it's drawn to a fire. Candle lanterns are point sources — you place them where you want attention.
They're slow. You light a match, the wick catches, the lantern warms. You blow it out when the night ends. The slowness is part of the appeal: a candle lantern marks time the way a clock doesn't.
Best for:
- Tables (one at the center, votives at intervals)
- Corners that need anchoring
- Anywhere the light is the point — entrances, low walls, beside a chair
- Wind-protected spots; even glass-enclosed lanterns struggle in real gusts
The Antique Cutout Iron Candle Lantern is built for this. The cutout pattern throws light against whatever surface is behind it — a wall, a fence, the back of a chair. The Iron & Glass Floor Storm Lantern handles more wind because of the glass enclosure, useful for terraces near open ground.
String Lights: Ambient, Wide, Constant
String lights light a space. Run them above a patio and the whole area becomes legible — you can see the table, the chairs, the steps down to the garden. They're constant in a way candles aren't: flip a switch, the whole area is lit until you flip it off. No flicker, no flame, no babysitting.
The right string lights are warm — 2700K to 3000K. Cool whites look like a parking lot. Globe lights spread the light wider than fairy lights (which look better but illuminate less).
Best for:
- Overhead canopies — single line, zig-zag, or X-pattern across an area
- Pergolas, awnings, between trees
- Anywhere you need to see rather than feel intimate
- All-night events where you can't keep relighting candles
Our Warm White Globe String Lights are weatherproof (IP44) and run on a standard outlet. Put them up once and they handle the rain.
The Rule: Both, Layered
A space with only string lights feels lit but flat — like a café where someone forgot to dim the overhead. A space with only candles feels romantic but hard to navigate, especially with food and wine in your hands.
Layer them. Run string lights for ambient. Place candle lanterns at the table and at perimeter anchors. The string lights handle "I can see"; the candle lanterns handle "this is where to look."
If You Have to Pick One First
Pick by use case. If you mostly host dinners — string lights first. You'll get value out of them every time you're outside after dark. If you mostly sit alone with a book on the terrace — candle lanterns first. The slowness suits the activity.
If you don't know yet, the Terrace Dinner Set bundles both — string lights, two hanging lanterns, plus a waterproof blanket — at 10% off the components. It's a setup, not a piece.