Festoons aren’t just for summer, they’re for life! Parties and events become so much more glamorous when garlands of glowing lights are strung up in your home, garden or at any function. A popular trend for both indoors and outdoor gatherings, they bring ambience and a practical lighting solution at the same time.
Though for a few reasons, this autumn might not be the best time to think about parties or décor, that doesn’t mean that you should keep your festoons festering in a box in the loft. Get them down, dust them off, and try these ideas out.
Let me be clear, we are not going through novelty Christmas lights, but more multipurpose festoons that can be used for any occasion.
1.) Where should I hang my festoon light?
Provided it is safe to do so, anywhere you like! Just make sure they are weatherproof for outdoor hanging (check you IP ratings) or safe and non-heating for indoor decorating. Hang them around the roof of your house or on the fencing of your garden (it’s nearly Christmas after all, and provided you’re social distancing and staying safe, carry on!). How about hanging them from your greenhouse or jazz up the garden shed, it could make a lovely backdrop for your support bubble socialising. Or on the branches of trees (make your own outdoor Christmas tree) or find some poles to attach the, to and make your own path lighting to guide people to you (true, socialising is not allowed at the time of this post, but hey, the postman and any couriers can appreciate your hard work!)
2.) IP ratings?
So, you are paying attention, it’s good to know someone is listening. An IP (or Ingress Protections) rating shows how effective an item is at blocking out foreign objects and particles. They are used on lots of different commodities but are very common on lighting. A typical rating will have a two-digit number (e.g. IP20) and are split into solid (dust) and liquid (water) ratings. In general, the higher the two numbers, the more protection, so for outdoor lighting, you need to look for ratings of at least IP65, especially if you are looking to leave them out for prolonged periods.
For more information on IP ratings, keep an eye out on this blog for an upcoming blog post.
3.) What colour should I go for?
That is entirely up to you, but here are a few ideas:
Nothing is classier than a bright white, whether it’s cool or warm, especially if you’re looking to use your festoon lights as a primary source of light. A yellowish white can bring a warm ambience to any space and help you create a cosy welcoming ambience. The cooler white can be quite cold and a harder light, but also bring a sparkle to your décor.
Coloured lights are a great way to accent your space too, most multi coloured festoons come with the traditional red yellow blue and green, so for parties (remember those?) and indoors these are great. Got a colour scheme? Change the light bulbs in your festoons to other colours. Play around, the light effects can be quite lovely.
Girard Sudron sell a gorgeous range of coloured bulbs in packs of 5 – check them out here
4.) Where should I hang them indoors?
Think about where accent lighting would have the most impact. They are a great way to brighten up a small room or a room with small windows. Why not try hanging them over beds or mirrors? A classy way to decorate your room, you could even hang them up in the corner of a room to make a pillar of lights to help spread the light further. If you have younger children, how about hanging them over a den or tent to make their playtime sparkle!
For reliability and energy efficiency, we do recommend LED lights. Halogen and incandescent lights may not be the most energy efficient and solar powered lighting can be a tad unreliable if the weather isn’t in your favour. That doesn’t mean to say that they can’t be just as good though.
We at Balcan Lighting are always looking to expand our range, so if you don’t see anything you like in our online shop, no worries. Just give us a call or email our office and we can help you out to get the festoons you want and to your specifications.
