An Ode to String Lights, the Pumpkin Spiced Latte of Home Decor

When it comes to interior design, nothing says “I’m in a cozy, safe place” like string lights. Sure, they can make you feel like a knockoff Zooey Deschanel, but didn’t we all flirt with the idea of getting bangs and secretly love 500 Days of Summer before we knew what a manic pixie dream girl was? The warm glow of string lights makes you feel loved like a poorly developed female character in an indie flick written by a man, but without the misogynistic undertones. String lights are the epitome of the cozy aesthetic, and we stand by it.

For the price of a Sweetgreens salad, your life will drastically improve with lighting of the stringed variety. In terms of Millennial décor, they fall somewhere above medallion tapestries from Urban Outfitters, but below CB2 mirrors. Despite their accessible price point, their existence will never reach over-saturation. They are a universal pleasure akin to Christmas lights, but can be used year-round in a non-denominational setting.

They come in many forms—fairy, bulbed, even butterfly—and we love them all. Without string lights, so many industries would crumble. We detail them below.

Social Media Image Sharing Sites

The tiny twinkling lights are Pinterest’s main source of income. That needs to be fact checked, but you can assume “string lights” are a top search alongside “Meghan Markle wedding dress” and “elderberry recipes.” It is unwritten law that an Instagram post of an interior space must include one, or more, of the following: snake plants, mid-century teak furniture, a vintage museum exhibition poster featuring Picasso, Matisse, or Calde, and string lights, preferably wrapped around a wrought-iron bed.

Outdoor Weddings

Without string lights, late summer weddings would disappear altogether. It’s hard enough for your college roommate to convince you to spend a weekend upstate in a barn that smells like a barn, but string lights make them tolerable. After all, it’s not like they can afford daytime fireworks.

Amateur Photography

Blurring the lines between an aesthetic and a misunderstanding of autofocus.

Getty ImagesSuparat Malipoom / EyeEm

The bokeh effect would cease to flood your feed, meaning your aspiring photographer friend would lose all their potential clients they already didn’t have. They could no longer support themselves with photos of a girl in a slouchy beanie holding a jar of lights. String lights are an essential prop in this field.

Bedrooms in General

String lights are a balance between sweet and sexy. They don’t have the aggressive, presumptuous glow of a red bulb (that belongs to college dorm rooms), but dim the atmosphere similar to a bar that serves fancy cocktails with Who Do I Think I Am prices. The soft lighting makes you, and your guest(s), more attractive.

Given the fact that the world is on fire, we need string lights. Like many things citizens aged 18-35 are passionate about—discounted Nest candles, listening to Fresh Air with Terry Gross, shooting aerial brunch shots—string lights provide escapism. They calm you down, and their faint glow metaphorically dims the noise of the latest political crisis. From your home to an evening nuptial, they create a safe haven in your home. The world would literally be a slightly darker place.