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.