The heatwave continues here in British Columbia, but as those long summer days begin to grow shorter, you can be forgiven for starting to think about your fall wardrobe, pumpkin pie or what to wear for your neighbors Halloween Party.

But don’t despair, because there’s still time to create an endless summer with these 5 Creative Deck Lighting Solutions to add warmth and light to your outdoor living space.

Here’s a selection of our favorite ways to make sure your outdoor spaces are warm and inviting all year round.

1. String Lights

Outdoor String Lights create an almost mardi-gras feel to your outdoor living space, with chains of lights evocative of the type of carnival lighting that spans streets during festivals or special events. They are a great way of adding large amounts of light to a darker area – and in combination with a dimmer can be a great way to add varying amounts of mood lighting to your deck, patio or garden. You can even add colour too by using coloured bulbs or lanterns (see #4)

2. Candle Lanterns

Safe flame lights are an easy and cost effective way to add light and warmth to your outdoor living space. Candles and tea-light are relatively inexpensive, and glass lanterns are a great way to keep a naked flame safe.

Please remember if you are using naked flame, candles or tiki-torches to light your outdoor space to use proper safety precautions to ensure that your friends, family and loved ones are safe and that you’re not at risk of starting a fire.

If you’re unsure about how to safely light your garden or home with Candle Lanterns – see these useful guidelines for safety tips – Candle Safety Guidelines

3. Bottle Lights

Ever wondered what to do with all those colourful beer, wine or spirit bottles you’ve accumulated after all those summer parties? Of course the smart thing to do is to head to your nearest recycling depot and get your deposit back – but if you’re feeling crafty after downing all that craft beer, you may consider making some attractive and colourful bottle lights for your outdoor space. This is a great way to add light and accent colour to your deck or patio and you can feel good about re-purposing something…and getting creative in the process.

4. Paper Lanterns

A Paper lantern , also known as a ‘Thai Lover’s Balloon’, is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper stretched over a frame of bamboo or metal wire. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, although more complicated lanterns consist of a collapsible bamboo or metal frame of hoops covered with tough paper. [source]

Picture here combined with outdoor string lights – we suggest using light bulbs (and wiring) suitable for use in exterior applications and with extremely dry conditions across Western North America, we advise strongly against using any naked flames or candles for lighting as a safety precaution.

5. LED Post & Riser Lights

Get the right mood right under the moonlight with four sophisticated styles of deck lights. Trex Deck Lights are easy to build into a new or existing deck and even easier to set up with the Trex LightHub® connection system. To take the look up another notch, try the optional timer and dimmer for total lighting control. Whether safely illuminating your stairways with step lights or proudly highlighting the perimeter of your domain with deck post lighting, Trex Deck Lighting offers a long-lasting glow that never fails to match the beauty of a Trex Deck.