Decorating tips
Balcony lighting: Creative light for the open-air living room
Finally celebrate outdoors again. The balcony lighting creates the right mood.
© skynesher / Getty Images
A balcony means home office in the sunshine and mild summer nights in the moonlight – and the light of the balcony lighting. These lamps bring light into the air.
What’s nicer than breakfast on the balcony? Of course, a gin and tonic in the moonlight. To ensure that the mixture doesn’t turn out too violent in the dark, a few more light sources are needed than Earth’s only natural satellite. The selection is huge and choosing the right balcony lighting is correspondingly difficult. In comparison to house lamps, the light on the balcony has to be able to withstand rain and snow. In addition, not all terraces or balconies offer outdoor sockets. Before you buy balcony lighting, there are a few things to consider:
- The power source: If there are neither sockets nor power outlets, you should not despair. There are movable lamps with batteries that you can charge with a USB power bank. Alternatively, manufacturers offer solar lamps that can be mounted on the wall.
- The protection standard: If your balcony is somewhat protected, the protection standard is sufficient IP44 for lamps. It shows that the lamps are protected from splash water, meaning they can withstand little rain. It’s better IP67. These lamps can withstand short periods of submersion. Protection standard is even safer IP68. Lamps with this certification are suitable for continuous diving. However, this is usually way oversized for the balcony.
Balcony lighting: Direct and indirect lighting
First you should figure out where you want which lamp. When it comes to light, it applies between direct and indirect lighting to distinguish. Behind the cumbersome terms there is nothing more than the way in which the light is used.
- Direct lighting For example, you know it as a reading lamp. It focuses its beam of light directly onto an object, in this case your book.
- Indirect lighting On the other hand, it is responsible for the basic brightness and radiates in all directions. The classic for the balcony would be an LED chain of lights that snakes around the railing. You want direct lighting for the reading corner or an outdoor workstation, and indirect lighting is used for decoration.
Direct lighting
Paulmann USB table lamp Placido
It is dimmable and can be charged via the mini USB socket. According to the manufacturer, one battery charge is enough for six hours of light. The included USB cable is three meters long. Of course the lamp can be sent via Power bank Loading. An outdoor power bank with solar charging function is perfect for the balcony. The lamp is from Paulmann IP44 certified. It can withstand splashing water, but if it rains heavily you should bring the lamp indoors. The best thing about it: it looks just as good on the desk as it does on the balcony.
Telefunken LED outdoor wall light
Alternatively, a wall light is also suitable as direct lighting. If there is no power connection for lamps on the wall or balcony, you can use one Solar lamp dodge like that Telefunken LED outdoor wall light. According to the manufacturer, with a full battery it donates up to eight Hours of brightness. It uses a motion sensor to detect when it should light up. But this will quickly become annoying if you only want indirect lighting on the balcony when you have dinner, for example. They are more flexible with a battery-powered lamp as a reading light.
Indirect lighting
There are no limits to your creativity when it comes to indirect balcony lighting. It is used to bring basic brightness to the balcony at night. Solar lamps that charge electricity during the day and provide subtle lighting in the evening are particularly practical. For lovers of smart lighting, Philips has outdoor lights from its popular Hue products on offer. Unfortunately, a power connection is always necessary for these models.
Balcony lighting for the bed
They are an absolute evergreen on balconies Solar lamps for the flower bed. Simply stick it in the ground, let it soak up the sun and enjoy the light in the evening. They are among the smartest of their profession Bonetti solar hemispheres. As in well-known solar lights They can be stuck in the soil of a bed, but do not require a long handle. You are at eye level with the flowers. Perfect for creating subtle lighting.
For the railing
Fairy lights are perfect for the balcony railing. Solar-powered chains are usually better than laying additional cables across the balcony. If you want it simple, go for it Merelida LED fairy lights. It is 20 meters long and there is a light every ten centimeters. According to the manufacturer, the fairy lights can be outside all year round. Of course, the fairy lights are not just suitable for the railing. It snakes its way around whatever you want to decorate with it.
The Pauleen is a little more unusual Sunshine Drop LED fairy lights. Your lamps are in small rattan balls. This is definitely not suitable for every balcony. Where there is a lot of green, the fairy lights fit in seamlessly. There are a total of ten rattan balls on the fairy lights.
As a seat and table
Seating on the balcony is a reasonable issue. If there are visitors in the house, at least one of the friends parks their buttocks on the upside down beer crate. It doesn’t have to be, because there are also lamps that can be used as seating. The light cube Color Cube 50 BR-IP is one of those clever ones Luminous stool or Light tables. If no one is using it for a break, the cube works wonderfully as a side table. It draws its power from a battery that, when fully charged, lasts for twelve hours while changing colors. Unfortunately, you don’t charge the cube via a USB socket. The manufacturer provides a separate charger for this. Nice: It offers the standard of protection IP65 and therefore survives under water for a short time – perfect for open balconies.
Smart lighting
If you have one Power connection on the balcony and Alexa or Siri turns off your lights at home, you can also bring the smart assistants onto the balcony. This is made possible by the outdoor lights from Philips Hue in connection with the Hue Bridge. The manufacturer’s two-meter-long outdoor lights strip winds around railings, flower boxes or pots.
The Econic wall light from Philips is suitable for the outside wall. You can control the lightstrip with the associated Bluetooth app. Unfortunately, this does not apply to the wall light. You have to do this with the Philips Hue Bridge connect. Of course, this also works with the lightstrip. You can then control the smart lights as you would expect from Philips Hue.
Solar power plant for the balcony
The balcony can not only be particularly beautiful, but also particularly useful. You can do this with a small one Solar power plant. The cells can be mounted on the balcony scaffolding and feed the electricity generated into the power grid. A great thing to promote the energy transition, decentralize the power grid and protect the climate. Unfortunately, solar power plants are expensive to purchase and complex to install. Laypeople can’t get very far without an electrician. You also need to register the mini power plant.
If you go camping more often, you can use a small power station with a solar panel like this Kirron Power Station AC50 ponder. It recharges electricity via the solar panel and passes it on to laptops, lamps, etc. via various connections. Perfect if you don’t have power points on the balcony, but a bit expensive to use only for the open-air living room.
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