5 fun, easy and affordable ways to brighten up your outdoor space

(BPT) – If you love entertaining friends and family outdoors, you’re not alone. Transforming outdoor areas into extended living spaces continues to be a huge trend, as anything and everything from smaller balconies to spacious porches and patios creates an opportunity to expand your home environment well into the evening hours with one crucial design element: lighting.Lighting an outdoor space can make a world of difference in creating ambience, lending additional functionality to a space or improving aesthetics within a space — making or breaking an evening barbecue, party or intimate gathering. Luckily, lighting choices are one of the most affordable ways you can enhance any area of your home, and outdoors is no exception. Even small changes like swapping your light bulbs creates the perfect opportunity to have some fun and express your personality with different colors and design styles.“Most homeowners don’t appreciate the power of stylish yet functional light bulbs to make a design statement both inside and out,” said Bethany Wood, senior merchant of light bulbs at The Home Depot. “The Home Depot’s exclusive light bulb brand EcoSmart was designed to inspire DIYers to create better, brighter room atmospheres. It’s important to choose light bulb features unique to your lifestyle that’ll also allow you to customize your space, from switching through shades of light to match your mood, saving on energy bills with automatic on/off, helping you complete a task or creating your ideal ambience.”Here are some easy and affordable ways to transform your outdoor areas for effortless warm-weather entertaining.1. Get the party startedTo create an upbeat mood, nothing is more fun and festive than bright, vibrant colors, so consider upgrading your entertaining space with a Color Changing Party LED Light Bulb from The Home Depot. You’ll bring any indoor occasion to life using red, green, blue and yellow light, with five lighting effect options to choose from. EcoSmart light bulbs are equipped with user-friendly and innovative features, meaning you can easily switch between colors using a toggle on each bulb or conveniently cycle between colors with the simple flip of a standard wall switch.2. Pump up the jamA party atmosphere isn’t complete without music. Set the tone for an exciting night with your guests and keep them dancing or singing all night long with a Bluetooth Speaker LED Light Bulb. This EcoSmart bulb combines color selectable lighting with Bluetooth technology. Simply connect to your favorite Bluetooth device, without the need for any extra wiring or a hub.3. Go vintage Everything vintage and retro style is all the rage right now, but it’s not always easy to create the look and be practical at the same time. One fun option is to use strands of Edison bulbs to give your deck or patio a “bistro” atmosphere. Or if you want a more intimate old-fashioned look, illuminate the night with the warm glow of EcoSmart Flame LED Light Bulbs, which create an alluring ambience by simulating a warm and realistic flickering flame effect without emitting any heat. Better yet, you won’t have to worry about the risk that real flames from candles or torches can bring.4. Enjoy a bug-free shindigYour light bulbs can even help you keep those pesky pests away from your get-together in a more natural way. Opt for outdoor yellow Bug LED Light Bulbs, which help to repel insects and can be used as an alternative to bug sprays.5. Be ready for anything — even outagesDon’t let summer storms rain on your parade! In case your power goes out, Battery Backup LED Light Bulbs are energy efficient and equipped with a power failure battery that will automatically turn on in the event of a power failure — and can last up to 3 hours. When in regular use the internal battery will charge, ensuring that you’ll always have an option for light during an outage.You can set up your backyard for all kinds of entertaining with these and many other selections by exploring the wide variety of innovative features and the latest lighting options from EcoSmart. Whether your plans include hosting backyard barbecues or creating a refreshing outdoor oasis, lighting up your space has never been easier.Check out the curated collection of eco-friendly, energy-efficient EcoSmart options available exclusively in-store at The Home Depot or online at HomeDepot.com.