The spring weather may be characteristically ‘playful’, but there is no denying that the worst of winter is behind us. And it won’t be long until we all start to think about spending a little more time outdoors. But with work and family consuming our time, it’s often the evenings when we find ourselves most at our leisure. So, if you’re going to spend time in your garden, you need to think about lighting. And the first thing to consider is your deck or patio area.
Five Ways to Light Up Your Deck or Patio This Summer
Low-cost deck and plinth lighting
When we think of installing outdoor lights, most of us have pound signs rolling through our minds. Because high-quality outdoor lighting is expensive, isn’t it? Actually, if you shop around, it’s possible to install plinth or deck lights for a very purse-friendly price point. For a set of eight basic plug-and-play deck lights, you can spend as little as £12.99. That’s enough to illuminate a small deck. Add in a wall light for the same sort of price, and that’s your outdoor ambience sorted. Even for a larger deck, a set of 20 lights will only cost between £20 and £30, which isn’t a lot for the use they’ll have. There are deck and plinth light kits available for every space and every budget.
Colour-change lighting
Colour-change lighting can bring a real sense of interest to your garden, and help you to see the ordinary in new and exciting ways. And the good news is that it’s very easily achievable. Electric colour-change lights can be used instead of, or integrated alongside, your regular white deck or plinth lights. Or, if you’re looking for a fuss-free colour pop, a couple of Assisi solar standing lights work wonderfully well in a plant pot, drawing attention to a feature specimen.
Electric spike lights
If you have a patio, or your deck hasn’t been created to accommodate integrated uplights, then spike lights hold a lot of potential. Whether you insert them into the ground or use them in your containers, electric spike lights, such as the Blaze light, provide a lot of illumination. If you’re not too worried about keeping your lights on over winter, there also are plenty of solar alternatives to choose from.
Wall lights
There are outdoor wall lights available in just about every aesthetic you can imagine. From the ultra-modern Endon Canon, to the more nostalgic Konstsmide Firenze. And every style in between. Both functional and beautiful, they can also provide ambience, or simply make an outdoor space useable in the darkest hours of the night.
Festoon party lighting
Party lighting is no longer just for parties! If you want to make your outdoor space truly welcoming when evening falls, a festoon party light kit is the only real option. Available in a range of colours – including colour-change – these lights can hang in clusters above your seating area, be arrayed around an arbour, or strung through your shrubs and trees. Joyful and appealing, there’s no better way to bring your night-time garden to life.
With our living spaces getting smaller, our gardens are more important than ever before. Finding ways to maximise the value of the space can make a real difference to your sense of home satisfaction. And your lighting contributes to that.
