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String lights make a great addition to any home; whether they are to be used indoors or outdoors they really will turn the space that you live in from a generic cold interior (or exterior) into a place that radiates warmth and that you will want to spend time in.

The Importance of Lighting

You may have noticed from many of our other posts that we believe that interior lighting really can make a house a home. Regardless of the type or condition of the interior of your home if you get the lighting right it will hide a multitude of sins. The best way to get the right lighting is to use multiple light sources and in today world it has never been easier.

String lights used to be reserved for just Christmas and festive periods but this isn’t the case any longer. Whether they are wrapped around a bunch of willow in the corner of a room or all bundled up in a bowl, string lights look great all year round.

What sort of interior style are you trying to create?

It’s unlikely that if you are trying to create ultimate bachelor pad that string lights will feature in your lighting scheme. If you are female however and are trying to create the ultimate sanctuary string lights should be up there on your list of home accessories. Whether you own your home, rent a home or even just have your own bedroom in a place, there is no reason why you shouldn’t try to put your own stamp on it. Sting lights are the perfect way to do this, wonderfully feminine, string lights are the way to add some elegance, grace and warmth in to a room.

String lights also add a strong point of interest in a room, so if you are renting a place and can’t put things on the wall then you could try the methods that I mentioned before – let me recap on them and also add some new ideas.

How to use string lights to add interest to a room.

Many home stores now sell bunches of willow, by getting some string lights that have transparent cables you can weave them unobtrusively through the willow. When night falls and you switch on the string lights the light will bounce off the willow and will give the corner of your room a wonderful warm glow.

A plain glass vase and some battery operated string lights are all that you need to create a ‘wow’ focal point. Try and find some sting lights that are about 5 ft long and with a transparent cord. Stuff the lights in to the vase (making sure that you can get easy access to the on/off switch) and your done. The sting lights look fantastic at night particularly if you find some with a transparent cord as the light refracts through the cord creating a great spectacle.

Similar to the ‘bunches of willow’ tip is that of careful weaving some battery operated string lights through a plant. Instead of creating a warming glow you should get a slightly greenish tinge in the light from the plants foliage.

All three of these ideas are a beautiful way to use string lights to improve the appearance of your home.

Solar patio lighting is a lighting and design option for the outside of the home.  When you come home late even if you have a garage, it is more inviting to have some outside lighting.  You can take a look around and check things out before you enter the garage. 

Well, what are the options for decorating the outside with lights?  You can use electrical lighting or you can use the upright lights that resemble street lights.  However, the most feasible option not only for the decor and the simplicity, but also for the eco-friendly approach, is solar lighting.

Solar lighting is basically turning sunlight into energy that provides illumination.  This can be done passively or actively.  The passive method of using the sunlight to convert to illumination does not require any additional assistance.  However, the active method does.  The active method is quite a bit more expensive because of the additional accessories required.  As society moves forward, though, it will become more and more of a viable option with the decrease in costs as efficiency is perfected.

In the meantime, you can still choose to use passive solar patio lighting as a design and illumination feature for your home.  There are several types of designs for solar lighting that are available, and can even get patio umbrella lights.   This particular form of lighting can be obtained by using magnetic lights that attach to an umbrella.  Weatherproof and durable, they attach to awnings, canopies, or the patio umbrellas that come with patio furniture.  Charging even in cloudy weather, the top has a panel that is crystalline.  The bottom portion of the panel has 4 super LED lights that will run for up to five hours with a complete charge.

The LED term means that light can be emitted in the most safe, efficient, and eco-friendly way.  When charged electrically, the diode that serves as a semi-conductor gives light out incoherently.  There is little or no heat generated and it is safe to touch.  The magnitude of such efficiency boasts that a bulb can last more than 100,000 hours continuously.  These lights contain no mercury and that significantly decreases the carbon dioxide released.

This eco-friendly solar lighting is another option.  With today’s cultural focus on improving the environment and using natural resources more efficiently to meet our needs, the eco-friendly choices are increasing. A central solar panel is placed in the best place to optimize the energy of the sun and the lights themselves are placed strategically around your property to illuminate and decorate.  There are different designs for the cover of the bulbs including square or round. 

Speaking of different designs, programmable color solar lights are available that attach to the outside elements such as the fence, the shrubs or even the edge of your house.  The flexibility that is a part of these programmable lights offers you the opportunity to twist the lights around the item you choose.

Solar string lights are a great design for the outside.  Since they do not require an outlet, the placement options are endless.  Your design is only limited by your imagination.  Some of the string solar lights can last up to eight hours with a complete charge.  The string solar lights emit a brighter light and you can take advantage of this feature and have a solar powered garden lights with the versatility.

Many of the these options for the solar patio lighting are reasonably priced.  You can review the different choices with a residential store associate.  After settling on  a design for your patio and garden, you can speak to the residential store associate to compare choices and costs.  In order to choose the best type of solar patio lighting for your home, you want to consider the size.  If your home is very large, you may have the option of putting different types of solar lighting in different places.  For instance, you may consider decorating using patio string lights around the fence or through your garden.  You may consider the round or square holders along the walkway.  The magnetic solar lights may be more effective around the patio area with the tables and chairs.

There are plenty of options for you to choose from.  Pricing can range from around twenty dollars to well over several hundred dollars.  Your choice of design and where you would like to use your solar lighting will influence the total cost.  You can also price your choices at different residential stores and choose the best price that way.

Solar powered garden lights are with out doubt one of the easiest ways to add some interest in to your garden when the sun sets. LiveIn|LiveOut have done some research in to solar powered garden lighting and would like to share with you five very good reasons why solar power garden lights are quite possibly the next best thing to sliced bread…

1. Solar powered garden lights can be positioned any where

The real beauty of solar powered lights comes in the fact that you have absolute freedom to position them wherever you want to. You don’t have to worry about getting power to them; all you have to worry about is that the solar panel can see some sun light every day. This flexibility in where you can position the lights gives rise to a wealth of opportunities and all you need to do is think creatively as to where and how you position them. Some types of solar garden lighting will in fact come with a remote solar panel and this gives you even more flexibility as to where you can place them. Having a remote solar panel means that you can position the lights in areas that do not get direct sunlight – such as under hedges or the eaves of your shed – but you can position the solar panel in an area that gets a maximum amount of sunlight every day. This flexibility of where you can position the lights gives rise to the next great thing about solar powered garden lights…

2. Solar lights cost little (if anything) to install

The very fact that solar lights have no power cables means that there is no expensive or exhausting landscaping work to carry out. There is simply no cable to bury and this means no expensive armored cabling or digging trenches across your lawn. Even if you decide to opt for a solar power garden light that has a remote solar panel (which will have a cable running between the light and panel) the cable does not necessarily have to be buried. It is only from an aesthetic point of view that you may want to hide it – from a safety point of view, the cable offers no threat of electrocution has the voltage and current needed to run a small solar powered led garden light is very small.

3. Most normal garden lights you can get as a solar powered version

Solar powered garden lights also come in a variety of different formats and this is good news for anyone that is designing their lighting scheme for their garden. Outdoor lighting design should – like interior lighting – revolve around having multiple light sources which give many different focal points and creates usable and ambient lighting. Solar outdoor lighting comes in the form of lanterns, string lights, post lights, pond lights, patio umbrella lights and bury in the ground lights. You pretty much have all the options that you would do if you were using regular mains voltage powered garden lights. However, unless you spend a significant sum of money it is unlikely that you will get a high powered spot light as these require larger and more sophisticated solar panels.

Another point to bear in mind when choosing a solar powered light is that some of the cheaper lights will emit a very cold (almost light blue) light, in some cases this may work well, but we tend to prefer the warmer white type lights. This type of light is more akin to traditional incandescent light bulbs and gives a much warmer feeling.

4. Solar lights cost nothing to run

Although solar lights may cost a little more than conventional lights you will easily and quickly recoup the cost in what they don’t cost you in terms of electrical power. So, not only will your solar powered lights cost you nothing to install they will also cost you absolutely nothing to run, what more could you want. There is one final point that this leads on to very nicely…

5. Solar powered garden lights turn themselves off

As all of the power that the solar panels have gained in the day slowly dies out throughout the night and so your lights will turn themselves off. This is one great – often overlooked – feature of solar powered garden lights, it means that at the end of the evening when you just want to go to bed you can do just that, you don’t need to traipse around the garden switching off all the lights individually or turning of plug sockets in the house.

Hopefully these five points will have inspired you to get out and buy some solar powered lights for your garden. Garden lights will enhance your garden greatly and make it a real pleasure to spend time in long after the sun has set.

If you are like us at LiveIn|LiveOut, you will no doubt appreciate the finer things in life. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to spend the earth on finishing details but it really just does come down to having the right ‘eye’ for things and shopping correctly. Lighting clearly ‘makes’ a place special, inviting and calming. We want you to relax in your space when you finish a long week at work whether it is during the summer months or in the cosy winter ones.

Your house is your home – meaning that you need to be able to relax there, and by choosing the correct lighting you will be able to achieve this with no problems and at very little cost. Outside lighting is just as important as getting your inside lighting right, especially if you like to spend as much of your time as you can outside, gardening or simply just relaxing on your hammock with a beer. Creating the correct ambiance with lighting is simple, and depending on your taste I hope that we have come up with some solutions for you below.

Think about the space you have outside and what may lend itself to being decorated with some sort of lighting feature. Do you have a tree that could act as the focus of your outside space or alternatively, do you have a patio decked with a set of tables and chairs? Patio umbrella lights are ideal to keep the warm, cosy feeling of the hot sun going through into the evening.

If we focus on the patio umbrella as an option for you, we’ll take you through a few options you may like to try.

Your Options for a Lighted Patio Umbrella

Before you start deciding on what style or type of patio umbrella lighting you require, you will need to measure your space in order to get the correct size of umbrella. This may sound obvious, but if you need the umbrella to go up underneath some sort of awning or pagoda, then you will need to know the height you will require as well as the circumference. Lighted patio umbrellas can come as a set – Built in lighting into the actual umbrella unit will help to take away any of the unnecessary faffing with wiring etc. A patio umbrella with lights can come in many forms.

• A patio umbrella light is an umbrella with a single built in light situated on top of the ‘spokes’ of the erected umbrella. These lights can be solar powered, which is really useful in terms of fixing and ascertaining where the wire or plug will have to go, not to mention the hazards of trailing wires. Thegreenhead.com have on sale a solar powered example like this. It works by recharging the tiny LED light from drawing power in from the solar panels that are positioned on the top of the weather proof upper side of the umbrella.
• An umbrella with heater units fixed to the underside of the umbrella. This again is solving more than one problem. The heated units are perfect for keeping off the chill when you have more breezy evenings. This type of unit will work as a umbrella to shade during the day and keep you warm at night, together with decorating your space with attractive lighting. Try researching into this type of umbrella with a built in patio heater. 
• An umbrella with a line of small battery operated lights which are positioned on all of the underside spokes.  This is a really nice option, because of the rechargeable factor.
• An alternative is to decorate your already existing patio umbrella with a set of lights. You can now buy battery operated string lights which you can twist and place where you like. These can be suitable for outdoor use, but be sure to check this before you buy. If you are able to safely store a wire (perhaps under your patio itself) then you may want to bear in mind more permanent options – The only thing I would say about this, is that if the wire needs replacing for example, it may be a bit of a headache to fix problems.
• Think about different colours to change the mood of your surroundings. There are so many different options for you to experiment with, just be careful to give all of things a thought so that you choose the right set for you and your family.

We hope this has been helpful to you, and has given you some extra ideas as to what to do in your outside space. We believe it is all about the lighting so even during the winter we make sure the garden has some sort of accent lighting to brighten it up and make it look more inviting and inspiring!

String lights transform a space. They turn plain, boring and uninteresting into a magical atmosphere. They are easy to install, cheap to run and look fantastic in whatever way you chose to use them. They were once reserved for Christmas and festive use but they have proved so popular that they are now used year round. LiveIn|LiveOut have taken a look at how you can get some string lights in to your home.

Four ideas for string lights in your home

1. Think of any dark corner in any room that needs a bit of a lift and perhaps place them into a large, tall glass vase. This adds instant glamour because you will find that in a glass the light tends to reflect around the material and looks simply stunning. It is best to use battery operated string lights for this purpose, as you will not be able to see the power source quite so easily once the string is bundled into the vase. Not having a cable going to an illuminated vase only enhances its beauty.
2. Why not add them to a bunch of willow? This looks amazing propped up in a corner adding interest to a porch, bathroom or bare corner of a living room. If where you choose to use them does not have a power point near by such as in the bathroom the battery powered option would be better.
3. Another way you could display your string lights is in your houseplants. This will require some of you more hardy plants and nothing too weak. Even though LED string lights are lighter in weight you will have to concentrate the majority of the weight around the ‘trunk’ or ‘stalk’ of the plant just so it doesn’t add too much strain on them.
4. String lights are great idea to add some fun into your child’s room. Children are visual and highly sensory beings when they are young. They learn and respond to lighting, so a simple and relatively cheap way of adding some creativity into their lives is to place some string lights around the room. The lights will create shapes on the walls giving your child hours of enjoyment and a sense of wonder … LED string lights are low heat so they are safer around small people. You can get them in a myriad of colours and they also come in a colour changing option. Great to stimulate those senses and relax the baby at night so you can have a better nights sleep. Do bare in mind though that any type of cord or string is a potential hazard for young children, so do make sure that they a fixed safely and securely out of reach.
   

Four ideas for string lights in your garden

1. For outdoor use you simply cannot beat solar string lights. The fact that they do not need to be plugged in, or have batteries gives you instant flexibility on where you can place them.Like inside the home, string lights look great in a feature plant or tree out of the front of your home and will add a bit of interest not only to the front of your home but also the entire street. Solar lighting does tend to take on more of a white/blue light as opposed to a more ambient warmer white light – but these can be purchased if you specifically require them but you will find that they cost a little more than the wired versions.
2. Another great place to put some string lighting is around your patio area. It is somewhere you like to sit and enjoy your garden so why not create more of an ambiance by some beautiful lighting solutions. Patio string lights like all types of outdoor lighting would be specifically for outdoor purposes and these are a little more expensive as they need to be of a certain IP rating (an IP rating general dictates how waterproof an electrical product is). You could perhaps wrap these around your table umbrella in order to create a perfect setting for those cosy summer nights watching the sun go down – you can even get dedicated patio umbrella lights.
3. The third place that you could put outdoor string lights would be in a pergola or archway. Delicate paper lantern type string lights do not have to cost a fortune and really enhance your garden.
4. Willow and reed screens have become very popular in recent years but at night their beauty is lost. If you can get small enough string lights you can poke them in between the willow sticks from behind so that they create a beautiful starry effect at night. This is possibly may favourite use of outdoor string lights.

Ideas for different types of string lights

Now that you have some ideas of how you might use string lights in and around your home, lets take a look at the different types of string lights there are available. You may or may not be aware that there is a multitude of different shapes, sizes, lengths and looks of string lighting on today’s market that are suitable for both indoor and outdoor usage.

I know that if you were looking at creating a Japanese feel into your garden you may want to get some paper lantern string lights – obviously if they are to be used outdoors look for the plastic/ paper look material! These are great – they look colourful and stylish adding sophistication into your space. I recently went to a home show and saw a fairly new design that looked like a string of lit leaves; they were beautiful and came in a fair few colours to match any interior.

If you are looking for a softer option for your bedroom, feathered string lights are in fashion. They look feminine and pretty and simply look at home draped over your mirror. Tube rope light is another option taking on a spaceier feel. The tubing is less unobtrusive during the day as it is clear rather that having lengths of wire cluttering up your home – at night they come to life casting a rather spectacular glow around the room.