Fairy and micro lights
Ten sets from Noma that put the large coloured shades of the 1960s and 70s on modern low-voltage LEDs. Victorian lanterns, classic round bulbs and Canterbury bells, in multi colour or warm white, 80 to 240 to a string, all mains powered and carrying the indoor and outdoor rating.
-
Noma
80 LED Victorian Lantern Multi Coloured Retro Fairy Christmas Lights
80 multi coloured LEDs
£22.99
-
Noma
40 LED Victorian Lantern Multi Coloured Retro Fairy Christmas Lights
40 multi coloured LEDs
£15.99
The retro look
These are the lights many people remember from a grandparent's tree: a coloured plastic shade over each bulb, big enough to see the shape from across the room. Noma, the maker that sold them originally, reissues them with an LED inside each shade, so the look is the same and the running cost and heat are not. A string of 120 lanterns draws a few watts and the shades stay cool to the touch.
Shades
Victorian lanterns are the tall faceted shade. Classic is the round bulb. Canterbury bells are the bell-shaped shade with a scalloped edge. All come in multi coloured; the classic shape is also made in warm white for a traditional tree without the colour.
Counts and lengths
Eighty bulbs covers a 4ft or 5ft tree, 120 a 6ft tree and 240 a 7ft or 8ft tree, because each shade is so much bigger than a micro LED that the spacing is wider. The 240 LED Multi Coloured Classic Retro Fairy String at £29.99 is the biggest set and the most ordered.
Where they go
On the tree first, and these are the sets that look right in a bay window from the pavement. All ten carry the outdoor rating, so they also dress a porch. They are brighter per bulb than micro LEDs and better seen from a distance than close up.
Common questions
Are these the original Noma lights?
They are Noma's reissue of its own designs: the same shade shapes with an LED inside each one instead of a filament bulb.
How many for a 6ft tree?
A 120-bulb set. The shades are large, so 120 covers a tree that would take 600 micro LEDs.
Can the shades be replaced?
The shades push on and off and spares are available from the maker; the LEDs underneath are fixed.
Do they get hot?
No. The LED inside each shade runs cool, unlike the original filament bulbs.