As temperatures rise, it is the perfect time to keep your home cool while refreshing its atmosphere and bringing the spirit of summer indoors.
With its glorious sunshine, clear blue skies and palette of light, airy shades, summer is the rejuvenating stage of the renewal that begins in spring. A few small changes may be all you need to enjoy the best of summer from the comfort of home and transform your living space into a seasonal retreat.
The loveliest thing about summer is its long, sunny days. After months of darkness, it is finally time to reconnect with the sunshine our bodies and spirits have been longing for. Open curtains, blinds and shutters to welcome the sun indoors and let natural light reach every part of your home. Replace heavy curtains with sheer or lightweight fabrics that create a fresher, airier atmosphere.
Lift your home's energy with fresh flowers and potted plants that flourish in summer. Sunflowers, hydrangeas, daisies and musk mallows are ideal for an instant summer touch. Potted plants in rich greens, such as ferns, parlour palms and large succulents, create a tropical feel while balancing the vibrant colours of fresh flowers.
Introduce more of the vibrant colours associated with summer into your living spaces. With little expense or effort, you can create a focal point by covering a single column or small wall in a summery colour. Decorative details can also bring the season indoors. Scatter summer's exuberance through your rooms with cushions, rugs, curtains and a few framed pieces for your walls in the brightest shades of yellow, orange, turquoise and green.
Even if we are not all lucky enough to spend summer overlooking the sea, we can still create a coastal atmosphere at home. Simply introduce blue, or arrange shells and small, colourful beach pebbles on tables, coffee tables or walls. Small nautical objects or artworks featuring anchors, compasses or lifebuoys will also capture the spirit of the sea. For a beach-inspired atmosphere, choose woven textures or wavy and striped designs in blue, white and red for cushions, throws and rugs.
Certain materials and textures evoke summer more readily than others. Choose light, natural fabrics such as linen or cotton for curtains, bedspreads and tablecloths. Add tropical touches to different corners of your home with rattan or wicker furniture, jute rugs or bamboo blinds.
Long days followed by gently cool evenings make summer a season for living outdoors. Bring the outside in with accessories inspired by outdoor life, recreating the feeling of sitting on a bench in a seaside town. Hang a hammock or suspended chair to create a relaxing holiday atmosphere. Baskets, decorative bowls or lampshades woven from natural materials such as rope, sisal or jute will also help bring the feeling of summer outdoors into your living room.
We have brought summer into your home through colour and texture, but the experience would be incomplete without beautiful scents and enticing aromas. Use citrus, lavender, coconut or marine fragrances, along with candles, room fragrances and incense that evoke summer memories, in different rooms. Light scented candles, particularly in shared spaces, so everyone can enjoy the spirit of the season.Remember, summer is about embracing sunshine, bright colours, natural elements, the sea and a relaxed, slightly carefree attitude. Feel free to adapt these ideas to your own style and taste to create the spirit of an ideal summer escape at home.
