If you have been considering the purchase of decorative outdoor lighting, here are a few ideas and things to consider to get you started.
For those that want to light up a deck or patio, lighting sconces and lanterns can be a great decorative touch. Choosing lighting with a sleek metal finish can give your space an appealing look. Silver and gold finishes contribute to a more modernistic feel, but tend to stand out more and detract from the space. Gold can also be associated with being outdated. I would use these sparingly, and only if it directly matches the décor and hardware you already have. I would suggest going with brushed nickel, bronzes, copper, or a darker metal. These will give you a more of a tasteful look.

Lowes and Home Depot both offer many outdoor sconce options ranging mostly from $20.00 to $40.00. It is important to choose the best style of lighting to accommodate the style of your space. This means that you should analyze the space you are working on and decide whether it is contemporary, traditional, rustic, tropical, or any other style. Then, go through your garden lighting options with the knowledge of the style that you need. Many of these styles are categorized online for you. This can be a huge help.

If you think that lanterns would be a better idea, then you may want to keep the metal finish tips in mind, but also consider whether you want LED lighting, solar lighting, or low voltage lighting. LED lighting is becoming more and more popular.

Home Depot has rustic solar lanterns in a six pack for $69.00. Lowes and Home Depot both have several options for chain hung lanterns starting at around $60.00. These come in a variety of finishes to help suit your needs and can complement outdoor rugs and other accents.

A great touch that you can give your outdoor garden space is adding in some tropical cabana style. Lighting like tiki torches and string lighting can come in handy and make your area feel like a getaway, but can also lend its affect to other styles without changing to tone of your home. You can purchase real flame bamboo lighting (tiki) torches for very reasonable rates (a couple of dollars), or you can purchase bamboo solar torches, starting at $14.00 at local Home Depots. The solar torches are a safer choice for a home with children, and tend to last longer. You also do not have to worry about purchasing oil or wicks. Make sure that if you invest in the real flame tiki torches that keep them away from anything flammable, and that they stay safely away from your house.

You can also purchase metal patio torches with a circular top that are very nice and can be an alternative to the tropical style. Lowes has a couple of options starting at around $120.00. Walmart also has some glass options that you can order online. These start at around $50.00 for a set of two.

String lighting comes in many varieties. This can be rice paper lanterns, to old fashioned patio string lights. I recommend the rice paper lantern string lighting. I purchased some at Walmart a couple of months ago for around $8.00. These are very versatile, and for being made of paper they hold up extremely well. This can easy go with many different themes, but definitely lends it style towards a tropical escape.
Do your research before you buy, and try to get an idea of what your purchase would really look like in your space. Get online and look at pictures of what other people are doing, and how these choices look when they are actually in use.

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