In the summer when we're feeling more positive about life, we often want our home to reflect this attitude too. So, it's only natural to want more colour in our home. Therefore, it would be a good idea to give your living room a summer makeover seeing as this is the part of the house that most of us spend the majority of our time.
This update can be as simple or as complicated as your budget or your desire allows. For example, you could just add a few summery bits and bobs and your space will immediately take on a more optimistic and joyful air.
Less is More……Summery
Reduce the amount of things in your living room that give it a dark heavy feel. For instance, if you have thick heavy curtains, take them down and replace them with drapes in lighter airier fabrics. Remove dark objects altogether if you can and you will immediately see that your room will feel brighter and lighter.
New Lease of Life
Take a look at your furniture and see if any could do with a makeover. Painting an old wooden chair in a summer shade can make a huge difference to the ambience of your living room. Better still, if you have a lot of old wooden chairs, paint them all different colours. You could even paint the back of the chairs using a stencil for a striking result. Chalk paint is ideal as it doesn't involve any prep work.
Hearth Warming
If you have a fireplace, there's no need to ignore it over the summer months and pretend it's not there; it can become a focal point over the warmer months too. Firstly, remove any furniture that may be in front so as to free up space. One design idea would be to paint some logs in a bright colour and place them in the fireplace for an unusual summer feature. Choose a colour in keeping or even contrasting with your living room. Or you could paint the logs in different hues if you really want to make a colourful summer statement. Another option would be to place in front a quirky fireguard adorned with a brightly coloured abstract art design. Fairy light garlands around the fireplace are another bright and cheery idea which will look a treat over summer evening drinks with friends. Twinkling lights will also brighten up those sometimes rainy summer days and nights. Candles in the fireplace are a tried and tested way of decorating this space over the summer months. Try to do something a bit different by choosing unusual shapes and shades.
Happy Holidays
One thing you could do to create a summery atmosphere in your living room, would be to lend an air of the holiday home to your space even if you happen to dwell in the middle of town. Buy or find objects that remind you of the beach, the sun and the sea such as shells, pebbles and sand. Fill up glass vases and other transparent receptacles and dot them around the room. Another summer design tip is to place unusually shaped driftwood as a centre piece on a coffee table or even hang it on the wall for a unique centrepiece.
Changing cushion covers is another simple but striking way of adding a sense of the seaside to your living room. Opt for summery motifs such as shells or sunshine. A blue and white rug will lend a classic summery navy feel.
Picture Perfect
On a bare wall, hang family holiday photos depicting the beach, the sea and sun-filled happy days together. The photos don't all have to be clustered together. There are plenty of original ideas using various types of frames and groupings - use your imagination and create your own unique photo gallery design. This will serve as a delightful reminder of your holidays for you and become a focal and talking point for visitors.
Cushion Crazy
As we've mentioned before, we tend to feel more relaxed and positive over the summer months and we're more likely to invite friends and family over. Therefore it is essential that we have enough places to sit. Oversized cushions are an easy and comfy idea. Choose bight summer colours such a turquoise, red, pink and white whether they are in solid colour or prints. This won't only sort out your seating arrangement issues but will also cheer up your room tremendously.
Plantastic
Flowers are an absolute must when it comes to making your living room feel summery. You could place freshly cut colourful flowers in vases or opt for flowering succulents which will last and are easy to care for. Cacti are another option. For a really summery feel, arrange cacti in a shallow wide bowl and arrange shells and driftwood in and amongst. House plants can really lift a room to a summery level too. Opt for tall plants such as kentia palms and the Madagascar dragon tree for a tropical exotic feel. These won't only look great but will improve air quality too - win win! Wicker hanging baskets with trailing plants such as ivy are also an excellent idea to add to the lush atmosphere of your summer living room.
Scented Candles
Scented candles can make your summer sanctuary that much more summery. Opt for scents such as the ocean or summer fruits like strawberries and watermelon. Apart from the delightful fragrance, the optics are great too. Dot candles around the room on coffee tables and on the mantelpiece and the evening atmosphere will transport you back to summers past.
Flower Powers
Flowers, as we've mentioned before, are totally reminiscent of summer. As such, floral print throws are a perfect way of really elevating your living room to the next level. Again cushion covers can make all the difference so go with floral motifs for another easy way of creating a sunny atmosphere. There's no need to go over the top as you don't want to overdo it with the florals. Saying that, despite chintz being an absolute no no for the past few years, it is totally chic again. Still, let's not frighten away the allergy sufferers and just opt for the couch or an armchair for the floral festooning!
