This Smart Light Transforms Your Garden Parasol Into a Floor Lamp — It's Wireless, Under £40, and Quickly Clicks Into Place Using Magnets
Plus, discover similar styles to shop, including a speaker-light that attaches to your parasol
There's nothing quite like the pressure of pulling out an overly complicated instruction manual for the lighting you forgot to set up, mere moments before your guests are due to arrive. If you're anything like me, you'd probably give up and resign to moving the party indoors once it gets dark. But with this summer set to be a hot one, and most UK homes lacking air-con, who wants to leave the relief of a cool evening breeze for a stuffy kitchen?
The Newgarden Lima LED Rechargeable Light, which you can buy from Lights.co.uk solves that problem, saving you the headache of setting it up and the future of your evening soirée. The secret? It’s magnetic, meaning all you have to do is pull the doughnut-shaped halves apart and connect them back together around the stem of your parasol.
This affordable, easy-to-assemble, and sleek outdoor lighting idea is ideal for a Pinterest-worthy garden party. Plus, with no wires or fixtures, there's no reason you couldn't use it in other places, too: on the table, on steps, maybe even mounted to a wall using a strong magnet?
With British summers being so unpredictable, setting up permanent lighting in our gardens can feel like too much commitment. Who wants to test how waterproof their outdoor lights really are during a heavy downpour? Yes, you can get some pretty good ones, but personally, I’d rather not worry about the rust.
Rechargeable, portable, and effortlessly installed, this clever outdoor light is not only functional but stylish. For me, it’s a summer essential — magnetically attaches to your parasol and has a shape reminiscent of an inflatable pool ring that makes you smile at the thought of sunbathing in a lido.
With the option to customize the color of the light, you can get that peachy mid-century look without the hassle of heading to a flea market at 9am. Best of all, at £39.07, it’s budget-friendly, too.
Thankfully, there’s the option to adjust the brightness and color. That’s right, no need to frighten your guests with that clinical bright white lighting the midges and moths are obsessed with (research shows that bugs are more attracted to cool white lights than warm lights). And as it’s remote-controlled, you can do all that from the comfort of your garden chair with a glass of wine in hand.
Still looking for a suitable alternative? Here are six other contenders I’m considering for my next evening garden party.
This glossy brown umbrella light offers a marriage of industrial hip and modern chic. Don’t be put off by the look of the lightbulbs — it’s battery-operated and provides around 30-60 hours of light depending on the intensity you choose. Fixed to an umbrella with a simple clip, it also comes with hanging accessories, providing the versatility to elevate an outdoor archway or porch.
This umbrella light has you covered on all fronts. Not only does it attach to a parasol just as easily as the Newgarden style (plus nine different light effects), but it’s also a two-in-one light and Bluetooth speaker. So when you inevitably have too many picky bits out on your table, there’s no need to stress about where to put a bulky speaker.
A bit of a different look, this set of hanging orb lights achieves a similar goal. It’s rechargeable, meaning the only cords you’ll have to deal with are the silicone ones used to hang it onto the branches of your parasol. Weighing just 0.25 kg, it’s a versatile option, whether you choose to leave it attached to an outdoor railing (it’s waterproof) or bring it inside to hook on a wall. It comes in a tasteful choice of colors too — taupe, anthracite, and red.
It’s less dainty, but at £14.42, it’s a competitive price. With three brightness levels, warm lighting, and rechargeable via USB, this parasol light is a cheaper choice with the same subtlety and sleekness as its more expensive counterparts. According to one customer, the light looks better flipped upwards, casting a cozy, warm glow on the parasol, instead.
If you loved the ease of the magnetic connection that Newgardens' light offered, Laura James has it too. At just three centimetres thick, it’s a slimmer version that provides a more minimalist subtlety to your parasol, whilst also taking up much less space when you need to store it away. The inner black disc offers a sleek contrast with its warm LED lights, creating a cozy but elegant mood for your evening party.
Still designed to illuminate your parasol, but with a little more whimsy, this style fashions your typical garden string lights, but in a format designed to run along the structure of your parasol. The one review so far simply says 'Fabulous,' and with 10 warm white LEDs, finished with festoon bulbs, eight lighting effects, and a timer setting, it sounds like it, too!
Don’t worry if you’re not one for parasols and hanging lights. You can get the same low-effort installation and warmth from low-level solar path lights, but with a very gentle, enchanting glow.
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