Festoon lights
Festoon lights are instantly uplifting. There are the default decor choice of festival goers and glampers and with good reason. They’re easy to install and offer oodles of feelgood factor. You can hang them in trees, drape over hedges or even use on an existing washing line or those old-fashioned drying frames that are set into cement. This string by Garden Trading comprises 20 clear bulbs copper wire, in a warm white, and will make you wish for the evenings to start closing in. The 12.5m long set costs about €99, ex delivery, from Browsers on William Street in Limerick city. Browsers.ie
Lunar fairy lights
The paper lanterns on these lunar fairy lights create a beautifully simple diffused light that mimics moonlight. The 1.9m string of 20, about €20, and Porto duo lantern set, about €40, are part of the Iberian summer collection at Lights 4 Us, a UK-based company that has some really lovely and affordable illumination ideas. Not pictured, but also worth taking a look at, is some of its novelty strings which include firefly, bee and butterfly shapes, all about €20 each. The LED rechargeable solar battery-operated fireflies are especially sweet and could also be used in a child’s room as a nightlight, if you wind them up and set in a goldfish bowl or clear glass vase. Lightsforfun.co.uk
Visual feast
Wild flower gardens and grasslands are trending and outside of the heat wave of these past few weeks, offer a visual feast the eyes. They can cover a space for less than it costs to gravel it and will make it look far more lush. Add these Syphasera light sticks into the mix and you will be able to enjoy the magic into the night.
It has a thin brass stem with a luminious top made of opaline glass and when set within the grasses will almost appear to sway in the wind, as the grasses do. The design, by Catellani & Smith comes in three different sizes; small, 60cm high, €190; medium, 90cm high, €20 - and tall, 120cm high, €210. These prices are ex VAT and installation. The Italian design also comes in different versions for use in pots, the ground or in water and can be ordered through Bray-based Wink Lighting. Wink.ie; Catellanismith.com
Roof-top lighting
Lighting designer Sanjit Bahra of London-based Design Plus Light worked with landscape designer Stephen Woodhams and interior designer Joanna Wood on this roof-top project. Key details include edge-lit glass balustrades, invisible during the day, but at night the illuminated edges create an architectural feature that makes the glass appear to float, Bahra explains. The same materials have been used inside and out, for example, the stone pad set into the terrace, where the outdoor dining table is, is the same material as used in the interior kitchen worktops. Concealed strip lights in the roof terrace planting and mirrors help to provide reflected light to the space. Designpluslight.com; Joannawood.com; Stephenwoodhams.com
Light for every space
Swedish behemoth Ikea offers some of the best-designed, affordable outdoor lighting. But it is how it styles its creations at its headquarters in Almhult, Sweden, visualising every type of abode - from those that only have a small yard to vast open spaces, that puts it head and shoulders above the competition. Its weatherproof woven orange and blue Solvinden pendant (€50) is durably made and will add pops of colour to the smallest back yard. Another option in the Solvinden range is the globe LED pendants, which come in two sizes and two-tone colours; the small beige and pink, €6 and the beige and orange, €8. The design also comes in a tube shape, €8. Ikea.com
Greek inspired
Inspired by lanterns found on Greek fishing boats, the Santorini by Sputnik Estudio for Marset is an outdoor light that be hung from a ceiling or wall hook, feeding and arranging the cable across several hooks if you wish to create a unique spot light display. It has a blown, pressed glass diffuser that is attached to a polycarbonate structure that comes in three colour options; mustard, grey or white. Normally priced €258, it is currently on sale for €232, ex delivery, from UK-based Nest. The retailer also sells a very cool outdoor version of its giant-size Anglepoise that can be wall-mounted. It too is reduced from €3,518 to €2,990. The sale ends mid-August. Nest.co.uk
Carriage light
If you want something really pared back in terms of your outdoor lighting then the Messina 0866 by Astro Lighting might be just the thing. It’s a very contemporary take on the carriage light. This particular style has a black powder coated steel frame and the back is also black to better help to create contrast with the warm light of the bulb. The design is dimmable and also comes in a bronze or polished nickel version. It normally costs €296, ex VAT, through Light Plan, a sister company to Medlock electrical distributors, with shops in Dublin, on Richmond Road in Dublin 3 and Kinsale Road Industrial Estate, Cork, but is currently reduced to €267. Lightplan.ie
Walkabout
This Balad design is the work of Tristan Lohner for French firm Fermob and can go walkabout with you. The lamp part has a nutmeg-coloured handle that you can carry in your hand and set down wherever you want to stay after sunset. The lamp part costs about €70 while the upright stand, about 157cm tall, costs an additional €149, ex delivery from French-based etailer Nedgis. The LED light is impact-resistance, dimmable and the handle comes in five different colours. Nedgis.com
