One of my favorite parts of my home is the gazebo. My ultimate vision is to have a comfortable sitting area with a daybed so I can sleep all day outside. The first thing any gazebo needs is a giant oversized Great Gatsby style chandelier. I found it on Facebook Marketplace, of course, and it was a total steal.

“There’s no such thing as a chandelier that’s too big for a room.” – Myquillyn Smith, The Nesting Place

To me, the best part and worst was getting it set up. There was a fan in place of the chandelier (okay, probably more practical), and I will probably regret that in the California summers. But to me, nothing is more important than aesthetics. Next step—of course I had to hook up the chandelier to a timer. So we went to Home Depot and got a timer that would let us program it to turn on at sunrise and stay on for about two hours, and then turn on again at sunset for a few hours too! It’s as though I have a giant porch light. I highly recommend getting a timer for any outdoor lights you use often.

Our gazebo sits on top of our garage, so it’s the first thing you see when you drive up to our house. I was surprised by how many spiders chandeliers attract. They know all the tiny summer bugs are drawn to the super bright artificial light. I saw a TikTok where a tiny hummingbird made her nest in an outdoor restaurant chandelier. I should try to find the picture to show you all. I hope I can find a way to attract one! They are so cute, but the light might be a little too intense for their little eyes.

As of now, we are filling the space with our old dining table from our apartment. We got it from Amazon, and honestly, it has held up pretty well. I don’t know if it’s just because we live in California, but the gazebo provides really good coverage for what is inside. The only dirt or damage has come from our very annoying but cute resident raccoons—whose tiny footprints I have to vacuum off the chair upholstery.

Here you can see what it looks like from below. Yes, our garage is a bit outdated; I’m still not sure what garage door to go with next. The garage is apparently original to the house, so next year it will be 100 years old. Sort of concerning and leaky.

This is probably where the gazebo has looked its best, totally cleaned and staged for a tea party, which I never did have. Oh well, maybe one day. At least we have the inspiration. I would love to add some kind of cabinet for dishes, but nothing has caught my eye as of yet. I love looking on Pinterest for ideas. Side note, I have been so inspired by dollhouse designs on Pinterest lately, and they inspire me to make my own dollhouse, but then I realize I have a house to furnish. But it’s much more expensive to furnish a house than a dollhouse!

This is the gazebo decorated with the Lunar New Year lanterns. The red pops so much with the chandelier’s bright light! If you can find lanterns with their own lights, you could brighten up any dark area and create a glowing display!