How to use Flower Lights to optimise the ambience

Posted by Assunta Trano on

If you are looking to add a dash of personality to your room or perhaps enhance the ambience of your house, then Flower Lights can be the perfect way of individualising the diverse areas of your home. Whether it is for changing the colours of your home, giving a room a young and quirky feel, or even just for a crucial aesthetic touch, then you can find a wide variety of Flower Lights in a range of Home Décor shops and online stores, like ours. You can buy an array of Flower Lights in many different colours, either on strings or solely by themselves in the form of lamps. Each one is unique and will take a truly artistic touch in order to make them suit your chosen room. 

What is the History behind Flower Lights? 

When you think of Flower Lights, you tend to think of the tiny bulbs, placed on wired strings, which light up through the use of a battery powered switch or a plug. Before they contained flower adornations on them, they were known as “Fairy Lights.” 

According to recent studies conducted by Newcastle University, this term was first coined 135 years ago, where the Savoy Theatre (London) decided to utilise them for a theatrical production. At the start of the Edwardian Era, theatres were lit with gas lights for both the stage and the auditorium. This made them extremely dangerous because they were hot and used up the oxygen in the area as they burned. When the oxygen burned this would make the auditorium space practically unbearable to breath or remain in. 

The Savoy Theatre, which was opened in 1881, was the very first public building in the world to move away from gas lighting and be entirely illuminated by electricity. The theatre was fit with over 1,200 incandescent light bulbs - created by the North East-born Inventor Sir Joseph Swan.  

As these commissioned bulbs were able to hold out for a full year, Joseph Swan was commissioned by the Theatre’s Owner, Richard D’Oyly Carte, to create miniature lights to embellish the dresses of the leading ‘fairies’, for the opening night of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. They were also used to adorn the stage’s set, adding mood and character when certain areas of the forest scenes needed to be lit to highlight the entrance of principle characters. 

The show was a sensation with the Edwardian audience, and the dresses became a “must-have” fashion accessory of high-society ladies. The dresses lit up due to the lights being powered by tiny battery packets that were hidden beneath the folds of clothing. This meant that different lighting designs or patterns could be created with light and shadow. Obtaining one of these dresses was extremely difficult, due to being expensive and also needing the batteries to be replaced, but they still quickly came a status symbol of the upper-class female theatre enthusiast. 

From there, Edward Johnson utilised these lights, one year later, to put fairy lights on a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, many people still believe that it was Thomas Jefferson - Edward Johnson’s rival – who first placed Fairy Lights on a Christmas tree; a publicity stunt which later taken up as a tradition on a global scale. Regardless of this history, the fact remains that Fairy Lights slowly went on to become a domestic and seasonal addition to households and holiday seasons around the world. 

The lights were slowly modelled into more aesthetically pleasing appearances and, instead of being limited to small white bulbs only, they were changed into different patterns, such as flower shapes. This is where Flower Lights first came to prominence. However, they have not been used for casual holidays or room decorations until closer to the present day. 

What sort of Flower Lights can I get? 

The purchase of your Flower Lights depends entirely on what sort of aesthetic you are going for. Flower Lights can come as a large or small flower decorated lamp or as a small string of flower covered light bulbs that can be strung around any walls or objects within your home. They can also come in a wide range of fabrics and materials to suit your tastes. These include plastic, which are extremely cheap, plus linen, metal and other coloured fabrics. The colour of your Flower Lights should ultimately suit the room and the atmosphere you want to create within the room. 

Can I only get White Bulb Flower Lights? 

Whilst white and yellow bulbs do tend to be the most common forms of Flower Lights, as they will present a neutral effect on your walls, you can also buy Flower Lights that come in a wide variety of colours. These can be in the form of wild neon greens, yellows, reds and blues, or they can be in softer pastel variations of these colours. You can even find lights that will have multicoloured bulbs, meaning that they can change colour, flash, or softly merge from one colour to another. This effect can be altered by using the settings on the battery pack of your lights. 

If you want to enhance the appearance of your house, you may wish to consider either investing in small white bulbs for your Flower Lights. That is, unless you want your room to become overly saturated with colour. Instead, why not consider placing them in the garden where they can truly illuminate the darkness during the evening hours. They are a fantastic addition to any garden party during summer evenings. 

How do I power my Flower Lights?

Again, this depends on the sort of brand and type of Flower Lights you have chosen to purchase. If you choose a Flower Lamp, then you may find that it is either powered by a cable plug and switch or that it will need specific batteries inserted into the base of the lamp. If you are using Flower Lights that are on a wire, you may find that you either have a battery pack that can be used to turn the lights on and off, or they may need to be powered through a plug socket. Should you choose to use a Battery Pack instead of a Plug Socket to power your Flower Lights, then you may find that you can place your Flower Lights in more areas of your home, instead of being limited to the areas that are nearest to your Plug Outlets. 

In addition to this, you may even find that your Flower Lights are actually solar powered. This means that they will contain a small solar panel on their design that will allow them to absorb sunlight. The absorbed sunlight will then be converted into energy to power the bulbs, meaning that if you charge the lights during the day then they may only be able to light up at night. Solar Powered Flower lights may come in the form of a wired bunch of lights, or they may be on a small statue or plinth that will balance the material of the petals or the bulbs. This gives the full solar lamp the appearance of being a brightly, or softly or glowing flower. 

These Flower Lights are extremely effective within a garden, especially if they utilise translucent petal materials that can light up at night. The bulbs within a solar panel may be one bulb in the centre of the flower, or may even be a smaller light that adorn the petals. These can create a gorgeous dotted effect within your garden, especially if your solar flower lights are made from a soft metal or translucent plastic. 

Where can my Flower Lights be placed within my house?

You can place your Flower Lights within any part of your home. However, keep in mind that these lights will be used to enhance the soft atmosphere or youthful vibrancy of the walls. So, try only using coloured lights if you want to give the room a fun splash of colour. 

If you have pastel or light walls, then you may want to consider hanging flower lights around objects that are either hanging or are close to your walls. Flower Lights can give it a brand-new look and are brilliant to use in the evenings when you want a soft glow to don your walls. You can even wrap wired Flower Lights around stair cases or hang them off doors or door handles. If you truly feel creative, you can even attach them to your walls by a hook and watch them make your room come to life. 

Whether you are looking for a feminine look or just a look to remind you of the Spring, you will find that Flower Lights can be utilised to make a room look like a “hipster’s pad”or a hind-end quarter. This all depends on how discretely you use the lights and where you place them. For instance, if you want to have a hipster pad, you may consider hanging them around your curtains, over your bed frames or even on your chair or desk. If you are looking to give your room a soft feel of sophistication, then you may consider placing them in a transparent or translucent vase to improve an ornament. 

Flower Lights can light up a room and are often used to enhance the atmosphere of its surroundings. However, try not to use too many Flower Lights with bright neon colours. This may make your room appear garish and difficult to remain in, especially if your room is small. You may find that you use your flower lights less and less and start using your main light more. So, try and stick to white bulbs to enhance the brightness of your rooms. If you do want more than one colour, try using light bulbs that slowly change to different tones of the colours. This can help to ensure that your room remains inhabitable and you do not feel blinded from the moment you switch on your lights. 

Can my Flower Lights be used for the Holidays? 

It is a fantastic idea to use Flower Lights to enhance the appearance of your home for the holidays, especially if you are planning on throwing a party. They would truly compliment an Easter or Christmas themed party if you use the correct colours. For instance, if you use pastel flower lights with white bulbs then this can give your house a soft look, especially if you plan to decorate the rest of the house with images of eggs, animals or religious imagery. 

They can also look great if you are looking for a unique way to decorate your Easter Eggs. Whilst you may not be able to place them on the Eggs themselves (unless you plan on doing so for a very short time!), then you can create a little nest area, with Easter Eggs within it. The Flower Lights can then be added to the nest to enhance its appearance and shine on the eggs. This could be a fantastic visual treat for your children, if you are looking for a way to create some excitement for Easter. 

If you are looking to utilise Flower Lights for Christmas, you may want to consider how you can contrast them to your other Christmas decorations, or how you can use them to enhance the Christmas theme. Buying bright red flowers can add some colour to your tree, or be used to wrap around the different objects of your home. Add a little silver tinsel and you will see your whole house practically sparkling. If you want to add an additional twist for a party, combine them with some mistletoe and hang them above a door frame. Your guests will instantly notice them, and might just scramble to have their turn beneath your enticing, flashing mistletoe.

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