Goodbye Traditional Patio Decor: There's An Elegant Amazon Find That Lights Up Your Yard

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It can sometimes feel like creating the perfect backyard space requires a lot of different products. From comfortable seating to planters, rugs, mood lighting, and general decor, these can combine to make your space feel a little cluttered. Luckily, there are actually some products that do double duty, allowing you to say goodbye to traditional decor for something that adds both visual appeal and light at the same time.

Take this OMRAYTU solar outdoor lantern, for example. It features little cutouts all around the outside, which allow the inner light to shine out onto its surroundings in a charming pattern that many customers — who have rated it an average of 4.4 stars on Amazon — love. In addition, having some lighting in your yard can be helpful for avoiding slips and falls by improving visibility and may even lower the risk of trespassers. So, these elegant lights could actually make your property safer without looking too utilitarian. 

Just keep in mind that multiple reviewers have commented on the small size of these lanterns (they are only 4.3 inches tall), so you may need to purchase quite a few of them in order to fully line a path and improve nighttime visibility. However, the fact that these lanterns are solar-powered means that they can charge up throughout the day and light up your yard, patio, or garden at night. So, while you may need to get multiple in order to illuminate the space, they could also be relatively low-maintenance. Let's take a look at some key tips on how to use these lights to turn your backyard garden into a dreamy oasis and how to help them last for as long as possible.

While these lanterns have a charming aesthetic that could work with a variety of different garden designs and allow you to illuminate outdoor spaces without the hassle of hardwiring lights, there are a few important practical considerations to note when actually putting them to use in your outdoor space. First, some reviewers have commented that they've found the lantern needs to be in full sun throughout most of the day in order to be charged up enough to work at night. So, it is probably a good idea to place the solar lantern in a spot in your yard that gets continuous sunlight, particularly if you would like it to light up your backyard patio for a longer period in the evening.

In addition, while the product listing does state that these lights are waterproof and weatherproof, at least one customer has had issues with water seeping into the battery pack and causing it to malfunction. With that in mind, some customers opt to bring it inside when it is not charging or in use. Alternatively, you could make sure that the battery compartment is screwed on tight and place it somewhere that it will be slightly more sheltered, such as under an umbrella. If you choose to go for the cream-colored lantern option, keep in mind that it may need a good wipe down every once in a while, as lighter colors often show dirt more clearly. Alternatively, you could opt for the black or bronze options, which may hide grime better and will therefore likely need less cleaning to look good.