A cozy evening on the balcony or in the garden not only includes wine, snacks and best friends, but also subtle lighting. Here are four creative ideas – from fairy lights to pedestal lights.
In case you didn’t know, couch potatoes are a dying species. After two years of the pandemic, many people are drawn outside. In the garden, on the terrace, on the balcony or in the park. Since Easter at the latest, there has been a lot of celebration again there. Gladly also up to the dolls with friends, with a keg of beer, a wine spritzer and with small snacks.
Night owls who want to continue partying after sunset and want to see what they are drinking and eating can grab a flashlight or smartphone. But that’s not comfortable. Garden lighting with LED or solar solutions is not only visually appealing, but also more flexible and energy-efficient. In the following article we present four creative lighting solutions for the terrace, front yard or gazebo.
1. Solar String Lights
Solar fairy lights are among the most popular garden lights. Hardly any lighting can be used as flexibly as the chain of lights with ten or more LEDs that do not require a power source. Typically, the light-emitting diodes are powered by a small solar panel that needs to be placed nearby. The fairy lights cut a fine figure in bushes, potted plants on railings or the roof ridge of the gazebo. During the day, the panel collects and stores the energy that the LEDs light up in the evening. A built-in twilight sensor turns on the light as soon as darkness falls. Make sure that the fairy lights are at least protected against splashing water, i.e. are marked with the code IPX4. Here is a solar light chain with LEDs in mini bulbs.
2. Solar ground lights
Just as popular as fairy lights and a real trend this summer are decorative solar lights in various shapes. If a spherical lamp is too boring for you, you can also put a shell or a snail on the terrace or balcony. The decorative elements are made of weatherproof and unbreakable plastic. The solar panel is integrated and not visible from the outside. Like the solar light chains, the floor lights also switch on as soon as the sun has quit. As a rule, the solar lights are equipped with a replaceable battery. The highlight of some lights: A permanent color change can be activated via a switch. Great fun especially for children. They can easily set their favorite color as a long-running favorite. A frog in turquoise, a pink snail… whatever you like is allowed. Alternatively, these floor lights can also be sunk into the ground. Here’s a set of 4 in stone look.
3. LED table lamps
Without solar energy, but with energy-saving LEDs, stylish table lamps (here a black model from Nino Leuchten) bring a cozy atmosphere to the summery terrace. A socket is not necessary, because the LED modules are usually supplied with energy by lithium-ion batteries. These usually provide several hours of light. More or less warm white depending on the light source. On some models, the light can be dimmed in several stages. Here’s a stylish outdoor table lamp with a dimming function
4. LED path lights
In the dark and late at night, the garden can become a stumbling block. To ensure that the trip to the toilet does not end with a painful slip, path lights can be a sensible purchase. They are usually simply stuck into the ground, sunk in a gravel bed or firmly anchored with screws. They are available both as a solar and as an LED version with a rechargeable battery and switch on like their related table and chain colleagues as soon as it gets dark. Here is a high-quality solar path light from Steinel. Here, too, care should be taken to ensure that the lamps are at least marked with the protection code IPX4 and are therefore protected against splashing water.
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