Over the past several years, more and more people have begun to add lights of one type or another to their garden for both accent and functionality.  You will find little strands of lights that twinkle, resembling tiny stars, solar lights that provide a clear, safe path for you to walk down or Tiki torches that provide a rustic yet romantic glow to the garden.  While these are all excellent ideas that work very well, you have another option that many people are simply overlook – the swag light.

Do you remember the swag lights from the 1970s?  You know, the ones that hung from a chain in the corner of a room, making it look cool and hip!  Today, you can put your creative juices to work and come up with all types of ideas that look great.  Using the swag light, you can create any type of mood you want while making your garden and patio a wonderful place to sit down and relax with family or friends.

Many of the swag lights still on the market or in thrift stores are colorful and bright, making them perfect choices to hang under a porch or deck beam to give character to your garden décor.  Just imagine having your swag light off in one corner with clematis or honeysuckle vines climbing around it, a nice garden bench below, a small water fountain or garden pond just a few feet away, and friends gathered around eating, drinking, and laughing.  This sounds good, right!

If you have an old swag light around the house, you can choose outdoor paint to spruce it up a bit, choosing a color that will enhance your garden.  For example, if your house is taupe or brown, a yellow or teal color would be gorgeous or if you have a white house, then you could easily go with red or orange.  Because you can control the height of the light, this makes the ideal choice for your patio.

Just remember that you want to make sure the light is placed in an area where it will not get wet or become a fire hazard.  Typically, choosing a covered area would be the best choice.  Some people will take the large, glass swag lights and paint them with Art Deco designs to add punch to the garden design.  If your garden tends to be whimsical, then you could go all out and choose something a little on the whacky side.

Another option for your swag light is to hang it from a tree.  If you choose to do this, be sure the light is covered, again so the electrical portion will not become wet and two, respect the tree, using hooks that will not harm the tree.  In fact, the swag light has become a very popular option for people with gazebos.  It adds just the right touch of light, adds character, and is definitely something your neighbors will probably not have.  With the right style and design, you can consider your swag light as a type of hanging art for your garden.