Our Story

About String Lights Outdoor

From String Lights to Real Outdoor Spaces

My name is Hikmat Taghiyev, but most of our clients know me as Henry.

I started this business in New York in 2016. When I moved to Houston in 2020, I noticed something on almost every restaurant patio: string lights. Owners were doing their best to make outdoor dining feel special, but a few strands of bulbs can’t stop the Texas sun, the summer heat or a sudden Gulf Coast storm. Guests went inside, and tables sat empty.

I come from Azerbaijan and Turkey, where gathering outdoors is part of daily life, and I knew those patios could be much more. So I made myself a promise: one day I would help these restaurants replace their string lights with real outdoor rooms. Pergolas, motorized shades and enclosures that work in every season.

That is the idea behind our name, String Lights Outdoor. If you found us while searching for string lights for your patio, you’ve found the next step.

Today we design and build motorized aluminum pergolas, louvered-roof systems, glass enclosures and complete commercial patio build-outs. We manufacture our motorized blinds right here in Texas, so we can deliver and install in about two weeks. Imported alternatives often take two to three months. On a restaurant opening, that difference decides whether your patio earns revenue on day one.

We have built and enclosed patios for restaurants, nationally recognized steakhouse brands and private homes across Texas, Colorado, California, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Washington and Iowa. Our residential clients get the same commercial-grade systems.

I bring an MBA and a business mindset to every project, but I’m a builder first. I review the drawings, coordinate the permits, walk the site and stay involved until the final walkthrough. When you call us, you’re talking to the person responsible for your project.

Visit our showroom in Suite 5002 at the Decorative Center of Houston, or call me directly at 281.720.7272.

Hikmat (Henry) TaghiyevFounder, String Lights Outdoor

Restaurants Steakhouse Brands Cafés & Retail Residential