Create a festive mood with outdoor lighting in your yard, garden, deck or patio and show off your hostess with the mostess skills.

Keep these simple design tips in mind and your outdoor lighting will serve multiple occasions and make your garden parties the envy of the neighborhood.

String Lights for Different Moods

Commercial string lights are heavy-duty and weatherproof. They can be hung in many different patterns to add drama, movement and character. String them from wall hooks to posts or nearby trees to evoke the feel of a Mediterranean café or drape them from ceilings to light covered spaces. String lights along rails and steps to accent them and add an extra measure of both design and safety. Nothing ruins a party quicker than you or a guest taking a header coming off the deck or stumbling on a paving stone.

Choose Bulbs to Set the Mood

If you’re using high-voltage commercial lights, there is plenty of variety that can be chosen to suit your party mood. Old-fashioned bare Edison-style bulbs work nicely for an energetic café-type ambience, and softer globes or candle bulbs add to a fine-dining experience. You can get many styles with high-efficiency LED bulbs, too.

Keep Eyes Moving

Instead of flooding the entire yard with light, place lights where they will create interest. Break planes by arranging lights at different levels and in different spaces to keep your guests’ eyes entertained. Try to have at least three different light sources to keep things interesting. Even a cramped urban patio or courtyard can seem larger with creative use of vertical space and well-placed lights to draw the eye to the edges of the space.

Use Lighting to Accent Features

Garden lighting brings your plantings and architectural features to life at night. Highlighting them subtly in place with soft accents adds depth to your yard by drawing the eye to it while hiding other areas that may not be so attractive.

Be Creative

Use your crafting skills to bring unusual objects to light. Decorate cupcake liners, small paper bags, birthday hats or homemade origami and use them as shades for string lights. Stuff string lights into mason jars, beer and wine bottles or perforated cans. Use inexpensive baskets or pots as shades for hanging lights or containers for up lights. Just be sure to use low-wattage lights that burn cool for fire protection if your decorations are combustible. LED’s are a perfect choice and they save on electricity, too.

Outdoor lighting adds both ambience and beauty for summer entertaining. Visit these websites to buy outdoor lighting and get some great ideas in the process:
World Market
Pottery Barn
Restoration Hardware
Crate & Barrel
Pier One
…as well as most home improvement and big-box stores and online retailers like Amazon and Lights.com.

Allstar Electrical is Ready to Help

When hanging outdoor lighting, don’t create a trip and fall incident running a cord from the garage to the patio. Call on the professionals—Allstar Electrical Services to be sure you’re your outdoor lighting is safe and up to code. We’re happy to offer a free estimate for the system that will work best for you. Allstar Electrical has served the Front Range since 2000. We are proud to have been recognized by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Independent Electrical Contractors Association with numerous meritorious service awards, and we recently were honored with a 2013 Super Service Award by Angie’s List.

The pros at Allstar Electrical are ready to discuss your needs and help you determine the best solution for your home project. Just give us a call at (303) 399-7420 or use our handy on-line forms to request an estimate or set up an appointment. Simply go to our Residential Services page or drop an email to us at estimating@allstarelectrical.com for complete details.