Outdoor string light ideas – 12 easy ways to make your garden sparkle this summer If you’re looking for easy ways to give your garden a glow-up this summer, then outdoor string light ideas are the answer. With so many styles and options available, it’s never been easier to illuminate your garden, and best of all, outdoor string lights will add instant impact without costing a fortune. Focusing on outdoor dining spaces and seating areas is the simplest way to start when it comes to garden lighting ideas. Festoon and string lights suspended overhead will illuminate the area and create a magical mood that’s lovely on summer evenings or when entertaining family and friends outdoors. In addition to key gathering spaces, adding illumination in other areas of the garden is a fabulous way of creating extra mood and ambience. Whether stringing lights from trees and fences or lighting up summer houses and pergolas with sparkly festoon strings. Outdoor string light ideas While hanging festoons and string lights is a super-simple way of adding atmosphere outdoors and giving the garden a festival vibe, easy installation is another plus point. All that’s required is a couple of fixing points, which can be the side of a house or a tree, post or garden structure. While power can be supplied by an outside socket or via solar-powered string lights. Take inspiration from our round-up of the best outdoor string light ideas, from colourful festoons and fairy lights, to sparkly strings and clusters that will compliment outdoor wall lighting ideas and bathe your outdoor space in light. 1. Suspend string lights above a patio Image credit: Cox & Cox Pretty by day but magical at night, use string lights in your patio lighting ideas strung across a terrace to light up the space after dark. Festoon lights will give a subtle ambient glow that will provide just enough illumination for night-time dining or relaxed gatherings, without being too harsh or overly bright. ‘Festoon lights provide an easy and inexpensive way of adding magic to any outdoor space,’ says Dani Taylor, Creative and Product Director at Cox & Cox. ‘If you have a large outdoor area to illuminate, decorate with connectable string lights and daisy-chain multiple sets together from a singular power source,’ says Claire Bassett, Senior Product Manager at Lights4fun. ‘This simple but effective design will enable you to light up any area of your garden as you can connect up to 200 metres of lights.’ ‘Start by wrapping the string lights around your garden trees, moving from base of the tree trunk up towards the branches. There are many accessories such as 3-way connectors which enable you to create an even glow throughout your display with ease. Zig-zag the strings of lights overhead on your decking or pergola to create a twinkly canopy to compliment the night sky.’ Buy now: Fabulous extendable globe festoon lights, £60, Cox & Cox 2. Create extra sparkle for garden parties Image credit: Lights4fun Put the focus on your garden table ideas to create atmosphere and ambience for dinner parties and outdoor gatherings. Zig-zag strings of lights above the table, using a generous amount and varying the length and height of each string to create an informal display. As with indoor dining table lighting, make sure that string lights are high enough so that they don’t block the view across the table and so that diners won’t hit their heads on them. ‘For the perfect finishing touch, adorn your outdoor space with warm white connectable festoon lights overhead,’ adds Claire. ‘Swag each string above your alfresco area and attach to surrounding trees and bushes. Add outdoor micro fairy lights, wrapping around nearby trees and surrounding foliage for an idyllic garden feature.’ 3. Decorate a garden pergola Image credit: Future PLC/Joanna Henderson As well as providing extra illumination outdoors, overhead lighting is a good way of drawing attention to different areas of the garden and making gathering points or seating spots more obvious to guests. Decorate a garden pergola with strings of lights to provide subtle background lighting for any garden seating ideas. Twinkling lights will help pretty-up a plain garden structure, such as a pergola, arch or arbor, and if greenery is already established, lights can be nestled in amongst the foliage for added ambience. 4. Set the mood with low-key lighting Image credit: Lights4fun Well-lit paths, steps and boundaries are essential when it comes to safety outdoors. But for seating areas and gathering spaces where the mood is more convivial and relaxed, look to low-level lighting ideas to help create a more laidback mood. Integrated lights into your garden fence ideas by suspending string lights along fence panels, hedges and nestled in amongst greenery. This will help to create a subtle, softly-lit backdrop for a seating area. Supplement with table top candles, lanterns and night lights if extra illumination is required after dark. 5. Double-up with extra-sparkly strings Image credit: Sparkle Lights Go a little overboard if it’s a special occasion and you’re entertaining outdoors. Cluster-style string lights, doubled-up and suspended low above a dining table will twinkle extra brightly and create an enchanting atmosphere after dark. Add an extra string of lights on the dining table, weaved in amongst candles, serving platters and glassware to make the tabletop sparkle and add an extra sense of occasion. 6. Frame a doorway with lights Image credit: Lights4fun Use light strings to frame an outdoor structure, such as a porch, verandah or summer house. Suspend lights from overhead beams or rafters, loosely draping the strings in arc shapes across the width of the area, rather than pulling them taut. When suspending lights from a wooden structure, it’s easy to secure strings by wrapping them around beams or uprights. Alternatively, screw-in hooks can be used as fixing points, strategically positioned all along the display area. Buy now: Core Connect festoon light, £26.99, Lights4fun 7. Get the garden party started Image credit: Iconic Lights Create a holiday vibe outdoors by…

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