Summer inspiration for sunny interiors

Want to freshen up your home and create a cosy place for your family and guests to enjoy this summer but don’t want to blow the budget? Even if the Great British weather is occasionally unseasonably grey there are plenty of ways to inject a little permanent sunshine into your home without going for a full redecoration and here are some fabulous rooms to give you inspiration for your own summer decorating:

The quickest way to update a room is by changing the colour of your soft furnishings. I’m not talking about investing in whole new sofa suites but simply adding a couple of bright cushions and perhaps investing in a patterned rug and lamp shades in a coordinating colour. Choosing bright a primary colour such as warm yellow, contrasting this with cool greys and taupes, and adding funky geometric patterns will bring your home up-to-date for summer 2014. 

Another way of brightening up your home is by changing the bed linen. Perhaps you have a few sets of bedding that you haven’t used for years which would give a ‘new’ look to a room? Good-enough-to-eat pastels is a great way to give your home a facelift and your friends will notice the difference when they visit you during the summer. You could even dye tired old sheets with a washing-machine dye and freshen up the bedroom with a new bright colour. Don’t forget to add in a contrasting blanket or cushion cover in a summery shade to create a coordinating scatter cushion for the boudoir! Add a rug to ensure wooden floors are cosy underfoot and it’s a subtle way to introduce new colours and patterns into an interior. Friends will enjoy staying in your newly updated guest room and it won’t have cost you a fortune buying new bedding.

Finally, flowers always brighten up a home and release a gorgeous summer scent – a double whammy! Either buy cheap seasonal cut flowers and combine with branches or foliage from the garden to create large impressive display, or invest in couple of pot plants with pretty blooms which will last longer and give you enjoyment all year round. Adding a small vase of flowers to your dining table will make every meal with your family more of a special occasion and you can add matching brightly-coloured placemats or napkins to create a lovely summer tablescape.

I hope you have been inspired by the gorgeous interiors above and have got some ideas for transforming your interior into a cosy and on-trend home this summer.