Bringing the outdoors in
Raise up the blinds, pull back curtains and switch throws to invite summer sun indoors
The glory of summer is ever too brief, so that’s a perfect excuse to bring the outdoors in. While some of us bring summer inside by picking up cheap-and-cheerful bouquets of flowers that beckon from the neighbourhood corner store, the firmly established and budding decorating addicts among us like to go full-tilt.
The most important (and easiest) place to start is with a judicious storing away of your space’s existing wintery elements (faux-fur throw blankets and thick velvet curtains, we’re looking at you).
Then you can incorporate summer by adding a few touches as basic as bringing home easy-to-care-for plants and even simple nautical decor elements, or you can go big and breezy with light, modern floral prints. Here’s how. Edit and reorganize “In the summer months, I make a few simple design changes around the house,” says Toronto stylist and decorator Laura Collins of Elsie & Kel Design, who is known for her beachy, Florida-inspired style. “I remove everything from its surface and do a reorganize so that the design doesn’t feel stale. This is an easy way to eliminate items no longer working in your space and to redesign on a budget, and it’s an opportunity to see if anything needs updating as well,” she said.
If you need more convincing, read Marie Kondo’s bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.
Kondo has amassed a legion of adherents who are editing and slimming down their goods to include only the household objects that bring them joy. Piles of clutter are never stylish, and even less so in the airy, bright summer months.
Add plant life and greenery Ungainly houseplants with browning leaves plopped in plastic pots have earned a bad reputation among decorators. But there is a stylish and summery way to add plants inside, even if you aren’t into high-maintenance greenery or costly, finicky plants.
“As I am no botanista, I try to incorporate plants that are minimal-care and long-lasting,” Collins said. “Some of my favourites include cacti, succulents and boxwood topiaries.” If you’re on a super-tight budget you can forage your own backyard or that of a friend or family member for pretty branches. “Create a simple vignette by arranging the branches in a vase,” Collins said.
Play with your window treatments First of all, clean your windows so you can take advantage of any leafy, sunny views. Then consider your drapes and the role they are playing in your enjoyment of the season. Heavy curtains that block winter drafts can be swapped for inexpensive, light drapes, especially if your window treatments are not being used to block direct sun.
“These days, affordable design options are everywhere, following the current trends at a much lower price point is more accessible,” Collins said. Sometimes even tying drapes back and lifting up vertical blinds higher than you keep them in the cosy winter months can let the summer in more readily.
Add some floral patterns Flowers and summertime go hand in hand. Drapes and throw cushion pillow covers are the easiest places to add this type of summery touch in a living room or even a bedroom. “I like to switch up a few of my printed throw pillows on my sofa for lighter more summery options and I bring in some summer florals,” Collins said. Yet floral prints can be polarizing and it seems as many people hate them as love them.
Before you write them off, consider today’s floral prints are not the Laura Ashley cabbage roses of yore; these flower prints can be modern, abstract, bright or subdued. You can shop for summery throw cushion covers without even leaving your home. Simply measure the cushions you have and shop online at places such as West Elm, Indigo, Crate + Barrel and Ikea or support artisans at Etsy.com and Oneofakindonlineshop.com
Try nautical elements Still a firm no for the floral and botanical prints? Consider nautical elements, a huge trend that has crept into the mainstream, according to Collins. Once mostly associated with New England and Hamptons coastal style, nautical elements are now easy to find.
“A simple striped throw over the sofa, a braided-rope mirror, and a brass anchor object will easily transform a space and add coastal flair,” Collins said.