Design tips to help you make the most of summer
If 2018 was anything to go by, this summer is set to be a scorcher. A home designed and then decorated to capitalise on the heady mood of fun-in-the-sun freedom, brings the holiday feeling home. By all means, stay and play.
L or U-shaped floorplan
Classic for a reason, such a floorplan becomes an embrace in which to locate a courtyard. It brings the outside to the heart of your home and gives cocktailcool shelter from the wind.
Decorate it with a few largescale planter boxes (rather than lots of small pots) that have high impact. If you can’t find any offthe-shelf, ask an engineering company to custom-design some in weathering steel for a contemporary kick.
Floor-to-ceiling windows
Build in Californian modern design style with full-height windows that allow any room to breathe. Use light-on-its-feet furnishings such as a modern woven chairs (based on the Alvar Aalto classic armchair 406) to keep the aesthetic beachside effortless.
Connect to the sky
Even when you need the solidity of a wall – for a bank of kitchen cabinetry, for example – retain the free and easy feel of being connected to the sky with clerestory windows beneath a high roofline. Adding a splash of blue emphasises the colour of the sky and captures a coastal calm; a pale-blue glass splashback bounces light around the room.
Louvres
Louvres let in a cooling cross breeze – and come with firm
locking mechanisms (good for holiday homes that are unoccupied for weeks at a time). Pick up on the resort-style of louvres by adding Hollywood lux such as freestanding baths, lazy, big-as ceiling fans and cane furniture with off-white upholstery.
Glass balustrades
Glass balustrades around decking accentuate the feeling of openness. If you’ve invested in glass so the vista takes a hero role, don’t blow it by cluttering the deck with too much furniture.
Use grandstand-style stairways
Wide, grandstand-style stairways provide access to the patio or pool from the upper levels of a home – and double as casual outdoor seating. Furniture that is easy to move between indoors and out (such as pouffes, stools and side tables) is a budget-smart investment.
Window seats
Window seats allow you to read (or contemplate life with a wine) while keeping one eye on the kids so they don’t get up to too much mischief! Use a ‘‘here comes summer’’ shade such as a joyful egg-yolk yellow for the upholstery and sling on a slouchy cushion in a contrast pattern to make it extra comfy.
Utilitarian areas
Even in a corridor, slot windows maintain an important link to the outdoors. Your hallway can be an art gallery or a walk-along library with wall-mounted bookcases, or an energetic avenue papered in boldpatterned wallpaper.
Caitlin Barrett is an architectural graduate at Box.