We recently moved into our new (to us) home. One of the many things we absolutely love about this new house is the huge deck in the backyard. It is the ultimate party deck!
We can easy fit several dozen people on the deck. We bring out a bunch of chairs, a few coolers with drinks, turn on the bbq grill and it’s an instant party. Once the sun goes down though the deck and backyard are almost impossible to enjoy.
The main issue is that there simply isn’t enough lighting. Here’s what our deck looks like with the porch light that came with the house.
Who wants to sit out there in practically pitch black? Hardly anyone. I knew something needed to be done by a Worthing Electrician so I hit up my local True Value and their online shop to see what type of outdoor mood lighting they had. The results are literally jaw-dropping.
I added a few strands of string lights and a trio of lanterns to create this custom outdoor lighting. It’s an instant party in our backyard now.
Our favorite local restaurant has marquee-style string lights on their outdoor deck and I just love the ambiance they create, so I recreated the look at our house.
My favorite part are the hanging lanterns. They are so chic looking and were a cinch to install. The lanterns are LED and solar powered so they required no cables to bury and no power to connect. And they turn themselves on every night without me even having to think about it.
Outdoor mood lighting is inexpensive to purchase and easy to install. It literally added square footage to our home by turning an unusable outdoor space into an extension of our family room.
Now if only we could turn the AC on out back! These 100 degree days are killing me.
Looks so much better! Hmmm maybe I need to make a trip to True Value and see what may work for my deck which is also very dark.
It looks great! We did a similar thing with our patio, installing string lights, but your low hanging lanterns are a really nice addition we hadn’t considered.
Wow! Looks great! Awesome idea! :0)
Yep, huge difference.
I think I am going to have to do something about our sad deck; this might be the perfect solution!
Your back patio looks great! The lighting adds the perfect amount of ambiance. And I love how much space you have out there! It puts my little apartment patio to shame 😉
I love the lights and those trees, what kind of trees are they??
Rhiannon,
They are Oak. Not sure exactly what variety though.
OMG this is amazing!
I wish I had large trees to do this in my yard!
I didn’t see your lights on the link you provided. Sold out???
Sue,
So sorry! They must be sold out. I found some very similar at another store. Try these:
http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-clear-globe-lights-25ct/-/A-12958843#prodSlot=medium_1_1
I’m coming over for a drink and backyard party!
Also showing this pic to my husband as a reason we need string lights on our deck:)
Jessica
Are the string lights the kind you have to plug in? Did you just run it up the wall? Thinking about doing this in my daughter’s room but don’t want a big green cord running up the wall
I ran an extension cord up the side of the house and plugged them in just under the roof line. I have a white extension cord running down the side of the house all the way to the plug outlet. We just plug them in at night when we use them.
Wow, it looks really great!
Love the before and after, what a huge difference. We also have lights on our patio cover. They look a lot like yours, we bought ours at Target. They do not have replacement bulbs and I am having trouble finding them on line. Do you have any idea where I would find them? Thanks.
When I bought ours I bought an extra box of lights solely to use as replacement bulbs. So much cheaper than buying each bulb individually.
Also, here is the direct link to the bulbs at Target: http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-clear-globe-lights-25ct/-/A-12958843#prodSlot=medium_1_1
LOVE this Allison! Can’t believe what a difference it makes to your outdoor space. Makes it another living space!!
I’m in the mood for …. oh no, that song will be stuck in my head all day now! The lighting makes such an amazing difference!
Kelly
Oh yeah, this is a huge difference! Believe it or not, I have 5 strands of clear bulbed lights sitting in my dining room right now just waiting for me to get outside and do this same thing. It adds SO much ambiance to an outdoor space. Love it!
I love those lights! I’ve been wanting some for our back patio too!
Now that’s what I call good mood lighting! It’s amazing how the lights converted a pitch black pariah (at night anyway) into a relaxing place that you can enjoy at any time of the day. Great choice on the patio lamps too.
Great job, love it! Got tired of changing out colored lights on our trees, small cottage and garage in our backyard every holiday, so have only used mini white lights for the last 20 years. Timers on all are a must!
And don’t forget the candles (with built in timers) for the patio.
How did you secure the lights to your trees?
I used a staple gun, but make sure you don’t staple through the wire!
We just built a big deck off our old farmhouse so we want to do the same thing that you have done. You did a great job with your deck. can you share where you got the lanterns? are they really bright or just to help with knowing there is an end on the deck?