Friday, May 20, 2011

Lighting the deck: making it glow!

I LOVE our deck...my husband is truly amazing and worked so hard to make a beautiful deck {along with several friends who came over from time to time}.  But, I have really enjoyed decorating our deck, especially at night!  

Daytime on the deck

Evening is so dramatic on the deck

Every year I seem to do more to make it prettier - truly like an outdoor room.  My husband has not had enough time to do phase 3 of the deck - Phase 1 was the actual deck, Phase 2 was the outdoor kitchen.  Phase 3 is to build a roof - along with sprayers and outdoor ceiling fans {well, that's what I want} and built-in heater!



So, we use a 10 x 20 pop-up tent for about 6-9 months of the year.  Remember, we live in Southern California {no snow} so we can do that - plus that deck gets HOT in the summer as it is west-facing.  I absolutely can NOT grow any flowery, frilly plants on the deck either.  So, I grow succulents.  



I have decorated this pop-up tent with beautiful string lights and, recently, I've found using Ikea solar lanterns are also a great way to add a little more evening romance!






At night they light up beautifully!



Any outdoor space will look beautiful at night with just a few pretty lights!  I even got these really cool RESIN candles.  The deck gets too hot to leave a wax candle out there, plus lighting them with the wind can be a hassle.  So, I found resin candles that feel like wax.  You can even put them on a timer to go off at the same time everyday and stay on for five hours.  

Have you got any lights on your porch, deck, or outside space?  Share it with me and I might feature you on my Facebook page!





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