It's been a big month here at Simply LEDs, with a fresh batch of Philips Hue just landed. With longer evenings, backyard barbecues and Christmas only weeks away, summer is the perfect time to light up the outside of your place. Here's what's new, and which one suits your home.
Festavia: Christmas lights you can leave up all summer
Festavia shows several colours at once in soft, flowing gradients, or any shade from warm to cool white. Go red and green for Christmas, then something calmer for summer nights. All three new styles have 250 LEDs, are rated IP54 for outdoor use and run on safe 24 V low voltage, so no electrician is needed. Control them over Bluetooth with the Hue app straight away, and add a Hue Bridge (sold separately) for dynamic effects and music sync.
Net Lights: for hedges and shrubs
Throw the 1 x 3.5 m Festavia Net Lights over a hedge, shrubs or a balcony railing and it's covered in one go, no fiddly wrapping. The black cable sits discreetly among dark foliage.
Icicle Lights: for rooflines and gutters
The Festavia Icicle Lights give you 8.5 m of delicate strands on a transparent cable, dropping up to 50 cm. Perfect for gutters, eaves and pergolas, with mounting hooks included.
Curtain Lights: for windows and feature walls
The Festavia Curtain Lights hang 1.35 m wide with a 2 m drop on a fine, almost invisible cable. They're made for indoor and outdoor use, so they suit a front window, a pergola or even behind the bedhead.
With or without a power supply?
Each style comes in two versions. If these are your first Hue outdoor lights, choose the version with the Hue Outdoor 40W power supply so you can plug in and start decorating. Already running Hue low-voltage lights outside? Go lights-only and connect to your existing setup with a T-connector (sold separately), keeping the total wattage within your power supply's rating.
Front door and patio: four new wall lights
All four are hardwired to mains power, so have a licensed electrician install them. Once they're up, control them over Bluetooth with the Hue app, no Bridge required. Add a Hue Bridge (sold separately) for automations and away-from-home control.
Scenova Square vs Scenova Rectangular
Both share the same clean, modern look, with gradient colour and warm to cool white glowing through a dual-layer diffuser that cuts glare. They're IP44 rated and can go on a wall or a ceiling. The Scenova Square is the compact one (up to 510 lumens), ideal along the side of the house or on the balcony. The taller Scenova Rectangular is the brighter of the two (up to 775 lumens), making it a great pick for entrances, side paths and gates.
Struana vs Muscari
Prefer a spotlight? These compact wall spotlights have a focused 40° beam for picking out your house number, the doorstep or a feature wall. Both offer colour and warm to cool white light, come with a replaceable Hue GU10 smart bulb and have an IP44-rated black aluminium housing. The difference is the look: the Struana is a round light on a round mount, a soft shape made for front doors and porches, while the Muscari pairs a round shade with a square wall mount for a crisper, more modern feel.
The movie-night upgrade: Play Gradient Light Strip
For scorching nights when it's nicer inside with the blinds down, the Play Gradient Light Strip mounts on the back of your TV and washes the wall with several colours at once. Pair it with the Hue Sync TV app, Hue screen sync or a Hue Play HDMI sync box (sold separately) and the light follows the action on screen.
Choose 65" (2.5 m) or 85" (3.5 m); both can be cut to fit a smaller screen, like a 55" TV with the 65" strip. It's a DIY job: plug it into a power point and control it over Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi needed. Brackets come in the box, and if you're upgrading your TV or moving the strip to another room, the Play Gradient Light Strip Bracket Set gives you a fresh set of self-adhesive brackets (two corners, four clips), with no drilling.
How to choose
- If you want to cover hedges or shrubs, get the Festavia Net Lights.
- If you want to light your roofline, get the Festavia Icicle Lights.
- If you want a glowing window or feature wall, inside or out, get the Festavia Curtain Lights.
- If these are your first Hue outdoor lights, get Festavia with the 40W power supply; if you already have Hue low-voltage lights outside, go lights-only.
- If you want soft gradient light in a compact shape, get the Scenova Square.
- If you want the most light at the door, path or gate, get the Scenova Rectangular.
- If you want a focused spotlight with a rounded look, get the Struana; for a modern square mount, get the Muscari.
- If you want your TV to light up the room, get the Play Gradient Light Strip, plus the Bracket Set if you're moving it to a new TV.
Ready to light up summer?
Whether you're going all out for Christmas, sprucing up the entrance or building the ultimate movie den, there's something new for every corner of your place. Not sure which one's right for you? Our team is always happy to help.
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