For some of us, the great outdoors means heading to the mountains or beach, especially as the weather cools down in autumn. For the rest of us, we’re content to relax at home on our patio or deck. A fully furnished patio with comfy seating makes our downtime even more special.
The days get longer up until the first day of summer, and then it’s all downhill from there. It doesn’t seem fair that the days started to get shorter just as the weather warmed up!
However, that doesn’t mean you have to sit in the dark at night. Illuminate your patio with a set of decorative string lights and some lanterns. There’s just something about candlelight that sets a mood.
Curated Collection
I like to group lanterns together for the biggest impact. Choose a variety of styles and sizes in the same colorway. This mismatched collection of bronze lanterns looks collected.
Designer tip: Collections look best in groups of odd numbers, so keep that in mind as you search for lanterns. Some lanterns come with battery-powered lights and others use traditional candles.
If you opt for candles, look for lanterns with glass sides to prevent a breeze from blowing out the flame. Always be sure to extinguish the candle before you leave the patio. Never leave a lit candle unattended.
Get Creative
I love accessories that have more than one purpose. For example, I removed the glass sides from these wood lanterns and spray painted one navy and another white.
I then filled them with flowers from my yard. A little metal one painted red and paired with a candle completes my red, white and blue centerpiece, and I’m ready for a Fourth of July celebration next year.
As a bonus, I can reuse the red and white lanterns indoors for Christmas or Valentine’s Day.
Fill with Fairy Lights
There’s more than one way to light up your patio. Fill up any style of lantern with mini LED string lights. Place them on tables and deck railings to create your own midsummer night’s dream.
You’ll get a little fairy dusting of light and won’t have to worry about open flames around kids and pets. When paired with a comfortable couch and a place to kick up your feet, lantern lighting makes it easier to enjoy your patio.
I don’t know about you, but I wanted my summer to last as long as possible!
Merri Cvetan is a Wisconsin interior designer and a patio furniture and accessories aficionado in her own right. Merri writes on patio accessory design for The Home Depot. To review a wide assortment of patio furniture and accessories, you can visit the Home Depot website here.
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