What’s nicer than breakfast on the balcony? Of course, a gin and tonic in the moonlight. To ensure that the mixture doesn’t get too violent in the dark, it needs a few more light sources than Earth’s only natural satellite. The selection is huge and choosing the right balcony lighting is correspondingly difficult. Because compared 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:
First you should figure out where you want which lamp. When it comes to light, it is important to differentiate between direct and indirect lighting. Behind the cumbersome terms lies nothing more than the way in which the light is used.
If you want to continue reading your favorite crime novel on the balcony in the evening, you need a reading light in your favorite reading position. Sure, you can take an indoor lamp outside with an extension cord. But this is cumbersome and the cables are nasty tripping hazards. Mobile table lamps with batteries are more elegant. A representative of this genre is the 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 charged using a power bank. An outdoor power bank with solar charging function is perfect for the balcony. The Paulmann lamp is 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.
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 a solar lamp such as the Telefunken LED outdoor wall light. According to the manufacturer, with a full battery it provides 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.
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, these models always require a power connection.
An absolute evergreen on balconies are 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. The Bonetti Solar Hemispheres are among the fanciest of their kind. As with 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.
Fairy lights are perfect for the balcony railing. Solar-powered chains are usually better than laying additional cables across the balcony. If you want something simple, choose the 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 Sunshine Drop LED light chain is a little more unusual. 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.
Seating on the balcony is a reasonable issue. If there are visitors in the house, at least one of the friends parks his 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 Color Cube 50 BR-IP light cube is one of these clever light stools 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 protection standard IP 65 and can therefore survive under water for a short time – perfect for open balconies.
If you have a 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 conjunction 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 connect it to the Philips Hue Bridge. Of course, this also works with the lightstrip. You can then control the smart lights as you would expect from Philips Hue.
The balcony can be not only particularly beautiful, but also particularly useful. This can be achieved with a small 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 consider a small power station with a solar panel like the Kirron Powerstation AC50. It recharges with electricity via the solar panel and supplies it to laptops and lamps via various connections
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