Enhancing Interior Decor with Fairy Lights and LEDs

Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

If you spend enough time in your home (like many have been lately, with current events), the decor starts to feel a little stale, doesn’t it? My solution to this problem is to liven up the space by lighting it up in the warm glow of LED and fairy lights. These two simple decor items can be a cheap, quick, and creative way to enhance the feel of the space—and it doesn’t cost much at all. The wide variety of LED and fairy lights on the market provides many options for brightening your decor. So today’s blog is simply about sharing a little LED inspo for your interior decor.

So, let’s start with fairy strands…
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Fairy lights are the new love of my life! They are versatile and add magical sparkle to small table groupings and flower arrangements without being too overstated. (Click here for some inspiring decor ideas. Some of these ideas use traditional electrical lights, but most use LED battery-powered strands, and the results are so creative and eye-catching!) Do you want to know what I love the most about mini LED fairy light strands? No cords to plug in!!! No cords…Not only are you saving on your electric bill, but the freedom from “the cord” allows you to be versatile and creative with your strands, stringing them up, over, under, or wherever your heart desires. There’s no wrong way to use them, as long as they look good in your decor.

Image from Pixabay.

Look for “focal” spots—like a fireplace mantle, a floral display on your table, a decorative lantern, a dining room tablescape, or a fairy house. No matter where you use them, they will create a zone of light that feels festive any time of year.

Fairy Cottage & indoor fairy garden by Di's Studio Designs. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

Image from Pixabay.

Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

Image from Pixabay.

And then there’s LED candles & tea lights…

I have realized how much easier (and safer) it is to use LED or flameless candles instead of the traditional wax candles with an open flame. I have cats, so…Let’s just say I’d rather not risk it! The type of LED candle you use would depend on the size and shape of the votive holder, and —like fairy strands—many options are available. You can use small flameless tea lights from Michaels (or if you have a decent dollar store nearby, they may carry the LED tea lights), slightly larger flickering LED candles from Amazon, or even larger LED flameless pillar candles that can be used alone, grouped, or inside lanterns. I keep a bunch of each size and shape on hand for whenever I want to change out my decor—which is often! I love turning the overhead lights off in the evening, leaving just the LED candles and fairy strands on…And they are all over my dining and living room, so the whole space feels cozy and relaxing! No electric lights, just the warm glow of my LEDS. And when they go dim, I replace the batteries.

Image from Pixabay.

Decorative candleholder by Di's Studio Designs. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2019.

Winter Frost Decorative Candleholder by Di's Studio Designs. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

Autumn Bonfire Decorative Candleholder by Di's Studio Designs. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

This brings me to my last point—replacing batteries…

​Did you know you can replace the batteries for those LED tea lights and fairy light strands when they dim or die? That’s right…instead of throwing out those dim or dead LED lights, buy CR2032 lithium batteries. You can find bulk packs on Amazon relatively cheaply, and all you need is a small screwdriver (the size you find in a drugstore eyeglass repair kit), and you’re in business. I have found that, although there are a couple of brands of LED tea lights that give me trouble with the screws, most types are easy to handle. It’s a lot cheaper to buy the bulk batteries than to constantly buy new LEDs. While the lights are cheap enough, the batteries are cheaper!

Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

By the way, Di’s Studio Designs creates beautiful nature-inspired candleholders (and now decorative lanterns) that are made to be used with LED candles. Visit my shop today to see the ready-to-ship items, or send an email to request more information.

Winter Frost Decorative Candleholder by Di's Studio Designs. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

So, I hope I inspired you to use more LED and fairy lights, and I’d love it if you shared some of your lighting creations! If you are stuck at home, you might as well love your space, right? So please let me know in the comments what creative solutions you came up with as you played with your lights! 


This article contains external links for demonstration purposes only, and are not endorsements for specific products or brands.


Related blog posts you may want to read:
New decorative lanterns by Di's Studio Designs
DIY Fall/Winter decorative branch box