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Home Finds — No. 02

Lights without electricity

No wiring, no electrician, no plug point in the wrong place. Every one of these just goes up.

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what gets recommended here. Prices and stock move around, so check on the seller page.

Cabinet lights

Stick-on and rechargeable. For wardrobes, crockery units, under kitchen shelves and the dark corner of every almirah.

Two round warm-white puck lights with a small remote for dimming and timersWarm puck lights, with a remoteShop this →A pair of slim white LED bars with a motion sensor, and the USB cable that charges themSlim sensor bars, USB rechargeableShop this →A magnetic bar light over a desk, shown in warm, natural and white tonesMagnetic bar light, three tonesShop this →Two round motion-sensor lights with magnetic bases, glowing warm whiteMotion-sensor pucks, magneticShop this →

Solar

Charges itself in the day, comes on by itself at dusk. For balconies, terraces, gates and gardens.

Solar firefly stakes among leaves, with warm globes swaying on thin wiresSolar firefly stakesShop this →Two strands of crackle-glass globe bulbs on black cord, with the solar panel that runs themSolar globe string lightsShop this →A copper solar lantern with cut-out birds and flowers, throwing that pattern across the tableSolar cut-out lanternShop this →A coil of warm copper-wire fairy lights with a stake-mounted solar panelSolar copper wire lightsShop this →

Candles & tea lights

The cheapest atmosphere there is. Group them in odd numbers and at different heights.

Three flameless glass pillar candles at different heights, flickering, with a timer remoteGlass pillar candles, flamelessShop this →Six flameless LED candles in frosted glass votives, grouped on a dark coffee tableLED candles in glass votivesShop this →A cluster of flickering LED tea lights in textured glass holders on a laid dinner tableLED tea lights, glass holdersShop this →

String lights

Battery or USB. Along a headboard, around a mirror, over a balcony railing, inside a glass jar.

Ten cork stoppers strung with fine copper fairy wire, one lit inside a glass bottleCork bottle lights, pack of tenShop this →Folded paper lanterns strung along a bare branch, glowing warmPaper lantern string lightsShop this →Blossom-shaped bulbs on a fine wire, spilling out of a basket in a garden at nightBlossom string lightsShop this →A battery-powered fairy light disc with a fine wire strand of warm LEDs running out of itBattery fairy lights on a discShop this →

Curtain lights

A whole wall of light for the price of a cushion. Best behind a sheer curtain or over a plain wall.

These run on USB, so they go straight into a plug point if you have one nearby. If you don’t — or the only point is across the room — a power bank runs them just as well, and it moves with them.

A wall of warm curtain lights running down behind sheer curtains, with its USB plug, hook and remoteCurtain lights, USB with remoteShop this →A curtain of fine wires hung with small glass globe bulbs against a dark wallGlobe curtain lightsShop this →

Pro tip

Hang curtain lights on transparent hooks — they hold the whole run without a single nail hole, and they disappear against the wall. The hooks I use →

Five kinds, no plug needed

A quick run through the lights and lamps on this page, switched on and in place — so you can see what each kind actually gives you.

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What "without electricity" means

Nothing here needs a wire pulled or a switch put in. They run on batteries, a USB charge, the sun, or a flame.

So they work exactly where wiring never reached:

Inside wardrobesRented homesBalconiesBehind a headboardPooja cornersanywhere there is no plug point

Check what powers it

Rechargeable is cheaper over time. Battery-run is easier to place. Solar needs real daylight, not just brightness.

Pick warm white

Warm white flatters a room; cool white makes it feel like an office. Look for 2700K-3000K on the listing.

Light the object, not the wall

Point it at a plant, a painting or a shelf. Lighting a blank wall is what makes cheap lighting look cheap.

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