It’s time to throw open your windows and enjoy summer. And it couldn’t be easier to bring the fresh look of the season into your home – all it takes are some quick and easy additions (or removals) of colour, style, and accessories.
Not everyone has the luxury of moving to the beach or mountains to enjoy the “lazy days of summer”, but almost everyone can bring the look of summer into their home.
It’s not necessary to change every room or throw out all the old furniture, but there are lots of ways to lighten up and freshen your home. You may even feel like you’ve moved away for the summer.
Why not try these easy changes to “summer-ise” your home?
l Restyle
Take out any dark accessories like velvet pillows, wool throws and even that dark leather club chair or ottoman. Don’t worry! You can bring them back in when the weather changes. Then, punch up the colour level in your living space with light cushions, curtains or a bright rug.
l Repaint
Paint is an easy way to refresh a room. If you’ve never experimented with colour in your home – be bold and daring, even if it’s only a small feature wall. There are so many paints and techniques that you can use to add impact, atmosphere and mood to a home.
It doesn’t take long to put a fresh coat of summery paint on a hallway or on a wall of a drab room. Choose a fresh colour scheme of lemon yellow, apple green or sky blue.
l Revive
Toss out leggy, brown plants that you’ve been trying to nurse through the winter. Instead, bring in fresh, flowering new ones.
l Make
Try sewing a simple slipcover for the back or seat of your kitchen or dining room chairs. The look will soften an all-wood chair and freshen-up the look of an upholstered seat.
l Bring nature in
Add fresh flowers and plants to your guest room or bedroom – and if the budget allows, add some colourful and cheery flowered new bed linens. If potted plants are not your thing, a casual arrangement of fresh flowers will do wonders for any room. Select flowers that work well with the theme of the room: Elegant lilies on long stems for a formal setting, or small posies of spring flowers for a traditional or country setting.
l Add white and light
Nothing brightens up a room like white, so add it wherever you can. Try frothy and light curtains, fresh white trims, or a painted chair or table. You can also lighten or “enlarge” a room using mirrors. Adding more lighting or replacing dated fixtures with more modern fittings also goes a long way towards updating a dull room.
l Renew
Lighten up drab bookshelves by painting the back wall (and even the side walls) with a bright, summery colour. The books will really “pop out” against the contrasting colour. Lime green works well on darkwood shelves, while sky blue works well with yellow. Choose a colour that complements your room.
l Add Art
Even if you can’t afford to buy an original work of art, creating your own is easy. All you need is a canvas frame, some colourful fabric, and a staple gun. Wrap the fabric over the frame and staple to the back. Another simple but effective idea is to frame some botanical prints or landscapes and set them up on a bookshelf, bureau or table top. Or hang a series of summery flower pictures down a dark passage. Voila … instant art!
l Think cool and casual
Nothing says summer like “casual”, so try to use wicker, iron or painted white garden furniture in place of heavy upholstered pieces. Add colourful pillows.
l Find
Shop at flea markets, garage sales and factory outlets for ornaments, flowery china plates, ironstone pitchers and other accessories to add to your summer decor.
l Focus
Choose a summer theme – either fruit, flowers, insects or nautical – and decorate around it. It makes the transformation easier if you have focus. - Pretoria News