Fairy lights and string lights

Fairy lights are the easiest way to add warmth to a room. Strung along a shelf, wrapped round a headboard or draped across a window, they give a low, scattered glow that no lamp can quite copy. Our first sets are arriving from European makers, delivered free across the UK.

Our first pieces are on their way. We are choosing them one by one from European workshops and makers. Tell me when they arrive.

Buying guide

How to choose fairy lights

Fairy lights all look similar in the box, but the power source, the colour of the light, the cable and the length make a real difference once they are up. These are the points worth checking before you buy fairy lights for a bookshelf in March or a Christmas tree in December.

Battery, USB, mains or solar

Battery fairy lights run on AA or AAA cells and go anywhere, from a jar on a shelf to a wreath on the door. Look for a built-in timer, often six hours on and eighteen off, which saves batteries.
USB fairy lights plug into a laptop, a phone charger or a power bank, which suits a desk or a bedroom.
Mains sets use a plug and a low-voltage transformer. They are the right choice for long runs, trees and lights you leave on every evening.
Solar fairy lights charge in daylight and switch on at dusk, ideal for fences, pergolas and trees in the garden.

Warm white or coloured

Warm white, roughly 2,200 to 3,000 K, gives the soft, candle-like glow most people want indoors and suits any season. Cool white looks crisp and wintry, but can feel cold in a living room. Multicoloured fairy lights bring a cheerful, retro look to a tree or a party. Some sets switch between warm white and colours, which is useful if you want the same fairy lights on the tree in December and on a shelf the rest of the year. Check the bulbs in daylight before you buy if you can, as warm white varies quite a lot between makers, from a soft gold to almost yellow.

Cable and bulbs

The cable is as visible as the lights in daytime. Clear cable disappears against glass and pale walls, green cable blends into a tree or hedge, and black works against dark walls and outdoor fences. Very fine copper or silver wire, sometimes called micro lights, is almost invisible and easy to bend around branches, frames and jars. Bulb spacing changes the effect too. Closer bulbs, around 5 cm apart, give a dense sparkle, and wider spacing of 10 cm or more looks more relaxed. Larger round bulbs on a festoon string give a café or garden party look, and they are bright enough to light a table outside on a summer evening.

Length and how many you need

Measure the space first, then add a little for the lead from the socket and for draping. A shelf or headboard might need 2 to 5 metres. A window frame often needs 5 to 10 metres. For a Christmas tree, a common rule of thumb is around 100 bulbs for every 30 cm of height, so a 6 ft tree, about 180 cm, would take roughly 600 for a full look and fewer for a light touch. Connectable sets let you join several strings from one plug, which keeps cables tidy.

Indoors and outdoors

Outdoor fairy lights for the garden or a balcony should carry an IP rating of IP44 or higher, which means they resist splashes and rain. The transformer or battery box needs protection as well, and mains plugs should go into an outdoor-rated socket or come indoors. Outdoor sets can be used inside, but indoor-only sets must stay inside. Bring battery sets in during long spells of bad weather. In winter, frost and condensation can get into battery boxes, so check them for moisture every few weeks and dry them out indoors if needed.

Modes and timers

Many sets offer steady, twinkle, fade and flash modes. Steady light is the calmest choice for a living room or bedroom, and it is often the setting people end up leaving on. Timers and remote controls are worth having, especially for lights on a high shelf or outside, because you will not need to reach the switch every evening.

Ideas around the home

Along the top of a bookshelf or a picture rail.
Around a mirror or a headboard, using a micro wire set.
Inside glass jars, bottles or lanterns on a table.
Across a window, hung in vertical strands as a curtain.
Through the branches of a tree or along a fence in the garden.

Safety and running costs

LED fairy lights stay cool and use very little power, often just a few watts for a whole set, so they cost pennies to run for an evening. Even so, check cables and plugs each year before use, never use a damaged set, and keep mains lights away from curtains that could fall onto a transformer. Switch them off when you go to bed or leave the house, or let a timer do it for you.

Storing them

Wrap each set round a piece of card or an empty reel before putting them away. It takes two minutes in January and saves half an hour of untangling next winter. Keep the transformer and any spare bulbs or batteries in the same bag, labelled with the length of the set, so you know which fairy lights to reach for next time.

Frequently asked questions

Are LED fairy lights better?

Yes, for almost every use. They stay cool, use a fraction of the power of old filament bulbs and last much longer, so they are safer around fabric and cheaper to run.

Battery, plug-in or solar fairy lights?

Battery sets for places with no socket, plug-in mains sets for long runs and trees, and solar sets for gardens with some daylight. USB sets suit desks and bedrooms.

Can I use outdoor fairy lights indoors?

Yes. Outdoor sets with an IP44 rating or higher work perfectly well inside. The reverse is not true, as indoor sets are not protected against rain.

How many fairy lights do I need for a Christmas tree?

A common rule of thumb is about 100 bulbs for every 30 cm of tree height, so around 600 for a 6 ft tree. Use fewer for a softer look.