bistro lights

May 28, 2016



In one afternoon my son and husband strung 200 feet of cafe lights on our back patio.  I'm amazed at not only how well they illuminate, but the lights add such a beautiful, twinkly ambience, it's hard to believe it's my old house!  I feel like I'm in an upscale continental outdoor cafe!  As an added bonus, the lights finally unite the three patios that form our backyard entertaining area. 

In the forefront of the picture above is the patio off our family room nearest to the vegetable garden.  This is a cozy place for a smallish group.  Here we get the cross breezes and is one of the cooler spots in the back garden. The patio wraps around our kitchen where two bistro tables with chairs flank the kitchen's 70 year old dutch door. Next is the large patio off our living room which has an oversized wicker sofa with matching chairs and ottomans. This is often the warmest and sunniest spot and we tend to sit there in the cooler months.  On the far right is the patio off our bedroom where we have placed the dining tables and chairs. All three patios are distinct and separate outdoor rooms, but the brick floor and tongue and groove ceiling throughout, and now the cafe lights and matching pillows, all help to unify them, not to mention seriously amping up the ambience.  This is definitely one of the less expensive and easier projects we've ever done, yet it has made a huge impact.

We work pretty hard in our garden and it's nice to have a spot to sit in the evening to enjoy looking at the beauty of all that work!

Most of our furniture was purchased years ago,
but below are notes on the newer pieces with sources.

Catalina seating from OSH on the patio off the family room.

The cafe lights are also from OSH, but couldn't find them online.  
They are at my local store now.  We purchased 9 strands of the 20 ft. length.
Priced at $14 per 20 ft. strand--I thought it was a terrific bargain.

The red and orange pillows are also from Costco and are in stock now at my local store.
I couldn't find these on their site either.  They are made from indoor/outdoor fabric and 
priced at an incredible $15 for a pack of two.













This is the patio off our bedroom and needs some decoration.  I'm thinking of painting that far wall.  A friend suggested a mural, but I know I'm not up for that.  Perhaps some painted stripes?  My husband suggested hanging some inexpensive artwork.  Any ideas??





To make a comment, please click here.



Follow 
Knitionary

You Might Also Like

6 Comments

  1. Just love this! I have been wanting lights like those. As always, you have such beautiful style.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I think it's one of the less expensive and quickie projects we've done, but one that added so much punch!

      Delete
  2. Beautiful! You and your family's can-do spirit is a constant inspiration, Kristin. Chloe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm lucky that my son will pop over for an hour or two and do some heavy manual labor, bless him!

      Delete
  3. Love the lights and new furniture. Looks terrific!

    Carole

    ReplyDelete

You make my day when you make a comment!

Labels

afghan Alana Dakos ally pally ambassador Amy Herzog Ankestrick Arte Italica baby Baby Cocktails bakelite baking berry picking Best Friday of the Month best of Ravelry Big Sur blue transferware book review books boutique brook cables California candy child children children's activities Christmas Christmas crafts Christmas knitting cleaning collections cookie cutters cookies cooking craft Crafts crochet cross-stitch day trip decluttering decorating designer spotlight discount diy dog dolls Easter eau de vie Elizabeth Bradley Elizabeth Zimmerman embroidery entertaining Facebook fall fall decorating fall garden family featured first car fit flower arranging flowers free pattern Friday night party group friends funny Fur garden gardening Giants Gifted Hostess give-away giveaway gluten free gourmet group Halloween herbs holiday home how to set up a party group jewelry Kaffe Fassett KAL Kim Hargreaves kitting Knit Picks knitting laundry Le Jacquard Francais Little French Knits Los Altos lunch Mailbu Making Things Marie Wallin Martin Storey menu minimalism money talk mosaic movies my house my patterns my town nails needlepoint needles October challenge Octoberfest ollalie organizing original design outdoor seating owl party prep pear peg dolls pies pomegranates poncho preview quilting recipe recycling redwork review roses Rowan San Francisco Sarah Hatton sewing shawl shopping shower social media softie spring spring garden stash Stitches West summer summer garden summer knitting Sunday Morning Swans Island table setting test test knit Thanksgiving Three Irish Girls TNNA tomatoes top 10 list toys travel tutorial twinning ufo Uncommon Threads vacation Valentine vegetable garden videos wedding winter garden wip Woolfolk yarn yarn for sale Ysolda