While the past few months haven't supplied much sunny weather, it has given us lots of time to ponder over our garden plans - from outdoor kitchen ideas to new garden furniture, we're even more excited by the premise of a warm weekend than ever before. I believe there's one underrated and often overlooked finishing touch, however, that needs more attention.
Even when the sun is shining, you need to think about how your alfresco dining and cooking space will transform from day to night. Garden lighting is essential to ensuring you can entertain well into the night, and it helps to create ambience when hosting friends and family.
From wall lights and pendants to table lamps that can be transported from indoors to the garden, I've rounded up 16 of the top outdoor lighting picks that will complete an outdoor kitchen. If you have a built-in kitchen area, wall lights are perfect for adding to a fence or wall to flank a BBQ or pizza oven, while pendant lights add a homely feel to a bar area, outdoor kitchen island or a dining zone.
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The key is to use the same ethos around lighting that you would for the interior of your home - layer task lighting and create specific zones with larger lighting styles so that the space has atmosphere in every corner, and is usable when the sun goes down.
Outdoor lighting can be fun and affordable, too - adding festoon lighting and rechargeable table lamps will be perfect for small gardens or balconies, and you don't need to commit to hardwiring anything in.
Whether you want to commit to hardwired lighting for your outdoor kitchen area or just need a few more festoon lights ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, it could be the smallest tweak that will allow you to lounge well into the night.
