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Let there be light: How to make your own DIY solar lighthouse

12 Mar 2025

Transform your garden into a coastal-inspired retreat with these charming DIY solar lighthouses! Made from stacked terracotta pots and painted in classic nautical Resene hues, these glowing beacons will add a touch of seaside magic to your outdoor space. With a few simple steps and a solar garden light, you can create a stylish and functional décor piece that brightens up your evenings – no shoreline required!

You will need:


Step 1:For this project, to make one lighthouse, you’ll need three terracotta pots of three different sizes so that when upside-down they stack on top of each other. Also check that the smallest pot has a hole that is big enough to fit the solar light into it.

Start by painting all the pots inside and out with one coat of Resene Aquapel & Terracotta Sealer. Allow to dry.


Step 2:Choose your favourite nautical themed testpot colours for your lighthouses. For the blue lighthouse, Fleur painted the main part of her pots with Resene Half Black White and the lip with Resene Madison. For the red lighthouse, she painted the lip of the pots with Resene Half Black White and the main part of the pot with Resene Bright Red. Apply two coats, allowing for the first coat to dry before applying the second coat.


Step 3:Embellish your lighthouses by painting on doors and windows in your chosen colours. Fleur used Resene Black and Resene Pirate Gold.


Step 4:Stack the pots on top of each other and insert a solar garden light into the hole of the top pot. Enjoy.

project and images Fleur Thorpe

Published: 12 Mar 2025