One Hour Modern Cafe Light Patio Project
I am obsessed with cafe lights. Some people call them string lights too I think. There are quite a few homes in our neighborhood that have cafe lights in on their front porches and backyards. Every night my husband and I take a walk around the neighborhood. We love seeing how everyone decorates their porches and yards. I have been making notes on different ways that people use cafe lights.
I think cafe lights are so welcoming and sometimes when we walk through different areas in the neighborhood it almost makes me think I am in Paris. Haha!!
One Hour Modern Cafe Light Patio Project
This summer I have been thinking of different structures to use in order to have cafe lights in our backyard. A couple of months ago we had a patio poured in the backyard. We use the patio EVERY single day. We love sitting outside and eating in the evenings. We even slept outside on the patio over the weekend on our air mattress. I told my husband that was “glamping” and probably as close as I will ever get to camping. LOL!
Last weekend we tackled the backyard patio lights project. I have some neighbors who have draped cafe lights around their patios using giant garden stakes. And while I like the way that looks I wanted to create something that looked more like my white home. We decided to use 8.5-foot vinyl fence posts. I love that they are square and simple. They will never need to be painted. I love the cap that we put on top. And they are light weight but sturdy enough that they can withstand the elements outside.
One Hour Modern Cafe Light Patio Project
We also discovered a magical substance — Quickcrete. You may already know about this. I did not. It’s basically super easy-t0-use concrete that requires NO messy mixing. All you do is pour the quickcrete into the hole you dig and then add water. Within 30 minutes the concrete is hard. And it’s SO easy to use!!
This is a project that takes less than an hour and cost under $200.
Here’s how to make this One-Hour Modern Cafe Light Patio Project:
One Hour Modern Cafe Light Patio Project
Supplies:
3-4 8.5-foot vinyl fence posts (depending on how big your patio is)
3-4 caps for posts
1 package of Outdoor Command Clips
1 package Quickcrete
Cafe Lights (I used three strands)
Level
Directions:
Dig holes next to your patio about the size of the fence posts, 12-18 inches deep.
Put the post in the hold and use a level to make sure the post is straight.
Pour Quickcrete around the post until the hole is filled.
Fill the hole with water until the Quickcrete is saturated.
Hold the post until the Quickcrete is set – about 10 minutes.
Do this for each hole.
Use command strips to attach extension and/or cafe lights from the outlet you are using to the poles. I used two clips per post to make sure the cafe lights were attached securely.
Enjoy your lights.
We love the warm light the cafe lights lend to our backyard patio. We were also thinking it might be fun to string a bedsheet between two of the poles and project outdoor movies onto the sheet. What a fun movie night idea!
I hope you enjoyed our little Cafe Lights project. Here are a few other outdoor ideas that I have made in the past:
Have a HAPPY Day!
oxox
This is all well and good, but you failed to describe how you dug the hole that is the size of the post and not any wider. Certainly not with a shovel or a simple gardening tool because the top part of the hole would be larger and/or the soil would collapse within the hole you were digging (unless it had a high clay content or was miraculously compressed so it wouldn’t do that), particularly if it was 12-18 inches deep.
Hi Ben!
We just used a narrow shovel (trenching shovel) to dig the hole. I think that type of shovel is used It wasn’t hard. Then we put the post in the hole, backfilled dirt around the post, leaving room right next to the post for the cement. It was easy. Here’s a link to they type of shovel we used — https://www.homedepot.com/p/Razor-Back-47-5-in-Wood-Handle-Trenching-Shovel-2594600/204476143?MERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-205350372-_-204476143-_-N. xoxo
P.S. Sorry – I meant the exterior of your house.
Thank you so much for this post – multiple helpful ideas on here!
I also love the look of your house, the glimpses shown. Is there anywhere on your website where you show more of the front of your house? It’s a lot like mine, only newer/nicer, and I’m looking to spruce mine up so would love some ideas. But if you don’t want to post that much information, I understand!
Thanks again for the cafe lights.
Amazing how simple and at the same time beautiful DIY can be. It looks so calm and reminds me some 60s with Sinatra signing in my back yard=) Wonderful project, thanks a lot!
What a beautiful backyard oasis you have created!! Adding the lights really added a lot of character to this space. I can’t believe how simple it is!
Thanks Chelsea! It really was SO easy to make. We love it out there 🙂
xoxo
SO pretty!
Do you think Quickcrete would work the same in flower pots and still hold the 8.5 vinyl fence posts? I love how clean and modern they look!
Thank you!
Hi Julie!!
Yes I think you could pour the concrete in pots and set the posts into the pots. THe posts themselves are pretty light. I would get a pot that is wide at the bottom if that makes sense to keep the whole thing sturdier. Like maybe a square pot if you can find them. There are square tall pots on clearance at target right now that would probably be great. I toyed with the idea of using pots too because it’s much less permanent than putting posts into the ground. Send me a picture if you do it ok? I would love to update the post to show people how to do that and link to you too!
xoxo
I’ve been thinking about doing this around our patio. I love the look and the feel of the lights. Are the Command strips weather tolerant… i.e. will they last in a rainstorm? Also, just wondering if you leave the lights up during all weather?
Hi Seana!
Yes – the command strips I bought are all-weather. If you go to a command strip section and look the outside command strips have green packaging. I am hoping to keep the lights up all winter. I want to get an outdoor patio heater and a firepit so we can use the area almost all year round!