We have two screen porches -- a new small one at home, and a bigger one at our beach cottage. Both have overhead lights that we don't really use. We have white Christmas lights strung around the ceiling perimeter in our beach porch, and I love that light for when we're just hanging out there at night. I also have an outdoor floor lamp there for reading. At home, I finally found a table lamp I liked and I use it for reading, and I have a box of white Christmas lights to put up in the way that we have them at the cottage -- just haven't gotten around to it yet. IMO the Christmas lights are not tacky! We just have the little white lights on white cord so they sort of disappear into the woodwork when they're not on.

Most people don't have screen porches here in the PNW (usually) but lots of people use string lights in summer outdoor applications, porches, patios, gardens, etc. I love them!

Look at all the great ideas on Houzz. I don't think they look tacky if you put some thought into how you hang them.

It's probably not timely for you, but I remember seeing (was it here?) someone who installed LED (edited to add: maybe they were fiber optic) lights in small holes in the ceiling of their porch, to mimic the night sky. Wonderful!

Here is a link that might be useful: [Houzz string lights[(https://www.houzz.com/products/outdoor-string-lights-prbr0-br~t_14172)

This post was edited by olychick on Sat, Jun 15, 13 at 19:59

I read a blog post today about buying cheap white light fixture globes at a thrift store, stuffing them with tiny white Christmas lights, and using them as outdoor lights. Link below. I'm not sure exactly how it would look, but it wouldn't be too expensive to give it a try.

In the alternative, you could attach a row of rope lights around the perimeter of your porch for a nice glow. It would be sufficient for conversation but not for tasks.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rope%20lights

Outdoor table lamp: http://www.frontgate.com/juliana-outdoor-table-lamp/outdoor-decor-accessories/exterior-lighting/531146?defattrib=&defattribvalue=&listIndex=20

olychick, I saw a picture somewhere recently of a deck (could be used on a porch too, I suppose) that had small holes drilled in it and fiber optic lights coming up from underneath. Made it look like you were walking on stars!

Here is a link that might be useful: Glowing Outdoor Orbs

olychick, I have seen a night sky imitation done on a porch near where I live. they put the lights up on trellis lattice attached to the ceiling and then attached smaller tree branches to the ceiling. they used blue hued white lights instead of the more common yellowish ones. I have walked by hundreds of times in the darkness when they have left those lights on, the effect is charming. if you were sitting under it, it would look the night sky through the treetops. I have a breezeway porch at my new home and am wondering if a similar application would work in that space. It works perfectly for them!

I have a ledge that goes around the top of my screened-in porch. I have small candles in mason jars sitting there. I light them when I have company over in the evening. The glow is charming and provides a surprising amount of light. I also have a candle inside a glass lantern.

I don't like having an electric light because it attracts bugs. I have been known to stretch out on the sofa out there with a flashlight on my shoulder to read a book. I do the same thing indoors when we lose power.

A simple approach might be to install simple uplights along the house wall to cast a glow on the ceiling. You could consider amber glass, or punched tin.

Then add a few subtle landscape lights outside, so that you see the things that are lit but not the source of the light itself.

For outdoor places at night, I like a glow rather than an actual light - your eyes react to a light source, and it shuts down your ability to see into the dark.

Jamies, below is a link from today's houzz digest on how to make a porch lamp using a solar light. This may be one of those things that sounds better than it is in reality.

Here is a link that might be useful: [DIY Solar Lamp[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/light-up-your-night-with-an-easy-outdoor-table-lamp-stsetivw-vs~12672158?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u297&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery14)

We have string lights that are like light bulbs (sort of like the ones they string around carnivals) -- we hung them around the perimeter of our screen porch. We got them at Target a few years ago and bought some extras, because I figured they'd break and Target wouldn't carry them anymore. Well Target still carries them -- in fact, I noticed they are on sale for $10 a strand in the latest flyer that starts today. And none of ours have broken -- I don't even think we've had to replace but maybe 1 bulb in about 4 years. I highly recommend them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Target globe lights

Thanks so much for all the helpful info.
I got the Christmas lights out of the basement today. The trim is dark green, so the strands won't stand out too much. I would have liked green bulbs but I don't have enough of them, so I'll probably use all white.

BBstx - I replaced the globe on the porch fan light, and I could use the old one to make the glowing orb, and I would have liked that out in the yard. But I can't think of a way to hide the extension cord. It would have to go across lawn or patio, and it's orange. I thought about some kind of solar light out there, but I have no experience with them and can't judge whether a particular light is any good, or determine whether the light cast by a single solar light would do anything in my yard. Now that the little lights are out on the porch, I really feel the need for some kind of light to make a shadow in the garden when I'm sitting on the porch. But it would bother me not to be able to turn it off. How clever to use a solar light indoors. That's a very interesting idea.

Lkplatow - those Target lights are a great looking deal. Do they have an connecting cord on the end opposite the plug so you can attach multiple strands together? My Christmas lights don't have an on-off switch, another nice feature of the target lights.

First of all...I LOVE your porch.

I had the same problem on my porch with an overhead fan and clear globe. I solved it by adding two table lamps for reading, and used flameless candles - in lanterns - for ambiance lighting. One of my lighting ideas came after I got tired of watering my hanging wire baskets. I converted them into candle holders. :)

This post was edited by newhomebuilder on Mon, Jun 24, 13 at 11:49

Jamies - I guess they aren't exactly the lights I have, because I don't think mine have an on/off switch (though now I'm going to look - I'm gonna feel really stupid if they've had one all this time, LOL!) And yes, the ones I have do have a plug on the opposite end - I think we have 4 strung together and they work fine. And like I said they've been hung all year round in wind and weather and I've only replaced one bulb so far, so they seem really durable. They were $7 a strand when I bought them, so I wasn't expecting much....they turned out to be way better than I was expecting.

In my first home that I bought as a wide-eyed single gal, I had a hideous metal porch/carport/something that ran across the entire back side of the house. I loved the shelter it provided, but it was hideous.

I was drafted to be on the historic home tour one year and hit on the solution. I ran some wires back and forth along the underside of the ceiling, and strung the cheapo white lights randomly all across the ceiling. Then I draped very cheap, very sheer fabric underneath it (which I also wrapped around the ugly posts that held the thing up).

Your porch is much, much nicer than mine could have ever hoped to have been, so I don't know that it needs so "much" intervention. But it's a way to get the fairy light feel, albeit a bit softer, and hide the wires.

What a great idea jakabedy!

I love the solar lamp idea that was mentioned above. Hmmm...where could I put one...or two!

Yes, that film looks sounds pretty, jakabedy. And newhomebuilder, speaking of repurposing, I've been toying with using some florists buckets for lighting, somehow.