The year was 1997, and I moved into my first college dorm room at Syracuse University. As every college student does with limited space and limited decor options, I taped string lights (um, Christmas lights to be exact) to my side of the room onto the painted cement walls. I plugged them in every night while doing my homework and always found them to add just the perfect glow. Fast forward to 2016, and I still love string lights. Used in the right way, a strand (or two or three) casts the most subtle and beautiful glow in any space. So here are a few ways to decorate with string lights (we used the Oh Joy for Target dotty lights in these examples)…

1. Plain and simple – Simply hang string lights up on a wall using pins, hooks, or tape as I did circa 1997 college dorm room style. They make any space instantly cooler.

2. Festive Party Lights – Hang the string lights vertically and add on colorful extras. 1. Cut a length of twine and clip it to each garland. 2. Attach honeycomb balls to the twine with gold twist ties. 3. Cut a gold fringe banner into sections (about 11” each) and gather them into tassels. 4. Secure each tassel to the garland with a gold twist tie. (Don’t worry about spacing to specific measurements; an organic feel adds whimsy to this festive idea.)

3. Botanical Lights – Drape the lights over a bar cart or any other corner to add interest. 1. Cut a length of twine and clip it to the base cord of the string lights. 2. Paint real or faux leaves by spray painting them in a solid color and then dipping the ends in gold paint. 3. Secure each leave's stem to the twine with a gold twist tie and let them drape and fall as you like.

I love that you can keep a set of string lights just as they are or add/subtract little touches from them as your mood changes!

{Photos by Thuss+Farrell, styling by Scott Horne for Oh Joy for Target.}