Get Ready for Summer 2018 with Patio String Lights
Springtime is here. Birds are out, the flowers have sprung, and you are beginning to emerge from your winter confinement to enjoy the outdoors once more. In other words, you are stuck restoring your yard to its former summer-time glory. Adding some creative lighting to areas like covered patios and courtyards can ensure that you enjoy the fruits of your labor in a comfortable setting.
Decks and Covered Porches
You’ve gotten everything painted or stained, bought new chair cushions and even that new drink maker you have been eyeing at the store. But once the sun is down, the party moves inside. Well, it doesn’t have to! Here are a few suggestions for adding in some outdoor light:
Hang patio string lights from overhead beams. Make sure to take a look at our patio light kits that include bulbs. We have several with LED filament bulbs that produce a warm glow for a vintage look.
Wrap rope light around columns or support posts.
Bring out color in décor or decorate for events by using Christmas string lights.
Use battery operated candles on tables at night. They can set a romantic mood, and you don’t have to worry about fire if they get knocked over.
Make steps or stairs more visible in the dark with step lights or tape light.
Courtyards, Garden Areas, and Backyards
If you don’t have a set area like a deck or porch, then you can easily pick a spot in your backyard to create a cozy sitting area. Courtyards and gardens can be ideal locations as well. The openness of these areas allows for a lot of creativity when planning out lighting. Below are just a few ideas to get you started:
Suspend patio string lights around the yard or drape them along fences. For hanging long runs of patio lights, make sure that you provide added support with a guy-wire. Here’s an article with diagrams for how to hang patio lights for large areas such as open backyards.
Hang Christmas lights from garden stakes or shepherd’s hooks to create a perimeter fence around flower and vegetable beds.
Draw attention to paths or special landscaping with solar pathway lights. They are quick to pop in and don’t require any wiring.
Around Homes and Businesses
Wait! You have done all this work to the yard, but have neglected the most important thing: the exterior walls of your home. Decorative outdoor wall sconces add to the overall look of your home can also provide an additional layer to your security lighting. Dress up hedges and shrubs for a celebration or year-round with nestled net lights.
Don’t feel left out if you have a business. All of the above mentioned suggestions can be adapted to work for you. Plus, we have a wide range of solar landscape lights. Solar wall lanterns come in a variety of looks and can easily match your current decor, and solar post top lamps make for a classy lighting fixture. Patio lights or commercial-grade Christmas lights are good choices for restaurants as well. They can be attached to canopies or awnings over seating areas.
Things to Remember
There are a few things to keep in mind when you are putting your lighting together. Lighting for covered decks and patios should be damp location rated. For permanent installations where the lighting may come in direct contact with water, the lighting needs to be wet location rated. Lights that are rated for indoor or damp locations should be taken down immediately when you are done. Some bulbs will short out immediately when making contact with water, others may seem like everything is fine, but water getting inside the components will eventually shorten the lifespan of bulbs that aren’t wet location rated. If you are using various strands of Christmas lighting in your yard, make sure that your connections are protected. We carry an assortment of sealed protectors for single connections and weatherproof receptacle covers that fit power strips.
Have any ideas or suggestions that you would like to add? Let us know in a comment. Feel free to share pictures of your outdoor sitting areas as well. You can also connect with us on our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pinterest pages for more spring lighting ideas.
