Matching your home’s decor to the seasons may sound extravagant, but there’s something about the long days of summer and wanting to evoke the same light feeling inside.
The good news is that you don’t have to reach for a roller or paintbrush: “It’s about changing the atmosphere,” says Venetia Rudebeck, co-founder of London-based interior design practice Studio Vero. And the best way to switch up the mood? “For me, a summer refresh is about making the room feel easier to live in – less layered, more relaxed and ready for lighter evenings,” says Rudebeck.
A cohort of fellow interior designers all agree that by carefully stripping back, reorganising a few possessions and paying close attention to fabrics and textures, your living room can synchronise with what’s going on outside. Here’s how the experts suggest you do it.
Start with a declutter
Capturing the spirit of summer begins with editing out “rather than immediately adding more”, reasons Rudebeck. Interior designer Rebecca Hughes is on the same page: “As the seasons change, I prioritise finding time to have a moment to declutter.” This is your cue to remove throws from sofas and clear out anything which has piled up, such as greetings cards, magazines and candles that look past their best. It’s never too late for a deep spring clean: make sure you prioritise windows to achieve sparkling levels of cleanliness both inside and out.
‘Shop’ your home first
“One of the easiest summer updates costs nothing at all: moving pieces between rooms,” says award-winning interior designer Laura Stephens, who might rotate a side table from a bedroom, or a lamp from the hallway, and give it new life in a living room. The same rule applies to artwork. “Hanging pieces around different walls makes you see it in a fresh light and completely re-energises a space,” says Hughes. And don’t forget about smaller pieces: re-arranging coffee-table trinkets on a decorative tray, or creating a new arrangement of bud vases on a mantelpiece, will create a sense of novelty at a cost of nothing.
Lighten up – literally
In the same way we swap boots for sandals come the warmer months, the same should apply to lighting. “It should feel lower, softer and more atmospheric come summer,” believes Stephens, who prefers pretty table lamps and rechargeable lights instead of overhead lighting. Studio Raymond founder Carina Raymond will even switch up lampshades: “It’s one of the quickest and most affordable ways to update a living room.” The decor equivalent of trading a woollen beanie for a straw hat, it can be achieved quite simply. “Rattan, raffia or woven grasses instantly bring a lighter, more relaxed feel to a space,” she explains. “I’m particularly drawn to rattan as it has a wonderful garden-room quality that helps blur the boundary between indoors and out.”
Update soft furnishings
There’s nothing cosier than a woollen blanket or velvet cushion in winter, but when the mercury rises, “swapping out heavy winter throws and cushions in favour of linen or cotton in summery colour is easy”, says interior designer Francesca Leat of Studio Leat.
The same applies to rugs. Sophie Pringle, founder of studio Pringle & Pringle, likes to introduce lighter flatweaves or colourful patterned rugs to instantly brighten up a space. (While a “wardrobe” of rugs might seem indulgent, it can make a big impact and is less hassle than redecorating, “and it feels fresher underfoot, reflects more light and can completely change the mood”, says Pringle).
Stephens loves the way that a new cushion can energise a room as much as a fresh coat of paint. But don’t feel you have to replace them all. “Buy a couple of ‘hero’ cushions in a bold stripe, block print or textured linen. Mixing these with what you already own feels more effortless and far less ‘matchy’, while still giving the sofa a clear seasonal update,” says Melissa Hutley, co-founder of Hutley & Humm.
A focus on windows
Want more light but less glare? It’s time to invest in sheer panels, which can be layered behind existing blackout or thermal curtains. “While quite well-known in the interiors industry, they’re still not adopted in the same way in our homes as a budget-friendly way to block out harsh sun,” explains Samuel Pye, creative director of Echlin.
Alice Bettington, co-director of Golden, rates embroidered sheers as a way of adding texture and pattern, “without it becoming overbearing as the lightness of the fabric helps to keep things subtle”. Sight-lines are also important: what can you see from your sofa? “During winter, the glazing often acts as a backdrop, but in summer it effectively becomes another wall of the room, framing the garden beyond,” points out Pye. “Refreshing the planting immediately outside, introducing a pair of larger architectural planters or adding discreet evening lighting can have just as much impact as changing anything indoors,” he states.
Go big on greenery
“A jug of British sweet peas on the side does more to signal the season than any cushion swap – they’re fleeting, fragrant and remind you to actually stop and notice,” says Hazel Gardiner, founder of her eponymous floral design studio. If it’s bugs you’re keen to deter, she suggests Pelargonium citrosum – its leaves give off a citrus-like oil that is unsavoury to mosquitoes and houseflies. “I line a few pots along a windowsill and they earn their keep as well as look good,” she says. For Stephens, blurring the boundaries between inside and out is easily done by going bigger and looser with greenery. “Instead of small decorative touches or buying flowers weekly, bring in potted plants, garden cuttings or even a few tall branches in oversized vases.”
And don’t forget scent
Appeal to all the senses with a considered room fragrance. “A living room can feel completely different with fresh air, a lighter candle or a bowl of citrus on the table,” says Rudebeck. Gardiner loves pots of flowering mint and lemon verbena: “Crush their leaves between your fingers and the whole mood shifts.” If lighting a candle feels more like a winter ritual, look to a reed diffuser for continual scent. Plug-in mist diffusers, such as those by Neom or The White Company, also help to tackle dry air.