It seems like whenever I start a project like this, I have very few opinions about certain elements, and then I end up with very strong opinions. Some parts, I know from the beginning how I want them to turn out, while other parts only get my focus when there’s no other choice. The lighting for the front porch was definitely one of the latter types. There was an existing flush-mount fixture on the front porch which I had only noticed when I had to take it down and put up the Moravian star at Christmastime. I’d sort of assumed I would just put it back up once I got the ceiling done, but the more I looked at it, the less I liked it. I had some idea that I might find another fixture that matched the outdoor post lamp at the top of my stairs, but after searching through hundreds of options online, I still hadn’t found anything I liked. So then I started thinking about other styles entirely.

I’ve always loved the lights at Christmastime – the little white decorative string lights that so many people put on their houses are gorgeous, to me – they’re fun and casual and festive, and they’re great. What if I could do something like that, but have them year-round? I quickly realized that the tiny string lights are mostly not meant for permanent use, but there is an alternative – the kind of string lights restaurants use around their patios or other outdoor spaces. Bigger bulbs, but keeping the casual, fun vibe. So I found a heavy-duty set of string lights, 48 ft long, and got LED Edison-bulb style lamps for it. At first I was thinking I’d just run them around the perimeter of the porch, but then realized that they’d have to start in the middle since that’s where the fixture attaches, so I should create a criss-cross pattern instead. So with 15 small cup hooks, I put up a symmetrical crossing pattern of lights that illuminates my porch perfectly, and even leaves me with an end to attach the Moravian star to when Christmas comes around.