Decorating Inspiration: Summer Fresh

With every new season comes new homeware trends, and there are plenty of fresh ways to mix up the look of your home and outdoor spaces as we enjoy the warmer season of summer. From introducing new furniture to adding some home accessories, there’s ways of bringing the influence of the summer season indoors. If you’re looking for summer decorating ideas, then look no further at this guide we’ve put together to help you get the most out of the sunnier season.

Brighten up the colour palette

An easy way to update your home for summer is to simply change your current colour scheme to reflect the lighter, more vibrant season. For times when you don’t want the hassle of redecorating a room completely, rely on home accessories and decorative elements that can reinvigorate an existing theme. If you’re not keen on bright colours in the home, you can opt for subtle pops of colour in places like the kitchen or the hallway. Even a bouquet of beautiful flowers can liven up a room and bring summertime inside!

Update your homes accent colours to summer friendly shades, such as:

• Orange – Associated with positive feelings, orange is an enjoyable accent colour.
• Zesty Lemon – Yellow is a ‘happy’ shade synonymous with summer.
• Duck egg blue – A home interiors classic, duck egg blue is the perfect soft shade.
• Green – So popular it’s Pantone’s official Colour of the Year for 2017.

Seek out patterns that ooze summer cool, including:

• Floral – To avoid a ‘twee’ look, opt for bold floral patterns in large print.
• Leaves – A good leaf print can evoke tropical vibes, perfect for summer.
• Fruit – From pineapples to strawberries, fruit is the food of summer!
• Paisley – For those who enjoy a bohemian home interior style, opt for an infusion of paisley.

At Black By Design we love the Orla Kiely range of homeware accessories which are the epitome of summer home styling with the brand’s trademark vintage floral vibe and vibrant colours juxtaposed with muted grey tones. The Orla Kiely kitchenware can brighten up a kitchen in no time, with breakfast trays, herb pots, storage jars and coasters.

As reflected in summer fashion, block colours are a big home interiors trend for summer, and we just love the new Normann Copenhagen Brick Cushions which can help you get on board with this aesthetic with minimal commitment. New soft furnishings, such as light woven blankets and cotton cushions, can make a big difference to a bedroom or lounge, so new vibrant cushions for summer can transform the look of a room with an impressive effect.

Maximise the sunshine

Everyone knows the magic of mirrors and how they can reflect light perfectly, whilst also giving the illusion of a larger space. This summer we suggest upping the amount of mirrors that are currently in your home to help bring the sunshine inside! It goes without saying that every bedroom needs a full length mirror, but how about placing mirrors strategically around your home to get the most out of the summer sun?

Inspiring mirror placement ideas for maximum light reflection:

• Behind doors – This works well especially if the door is opposite a window where the stream of sunlight can reflect effortlessly around the room. Try in a bedroom or bathroom where you’ll actually spend time with the door closed.
• Hallways – Not only is it great for a last minute check of your appearance before you head outside, a hallway mirror can maximise the feel of a narrow hall whilst also continuing the light brought in from the front door.
• Tables – Side tables in the lounge, a desk in the home office or even on the bedside table, a small mirror can be an excellent addition.

At Black By Design we have some lovely wall mirrors from Umbra that can add a decorative element to any room, as well as providing a practical purpose. The Prisma wall mirrors tap into the geometric shapes trend that we’re seeing in home interiors lately. Available in copper, black or brass, the Umbra mirrors would look fabulous placed on a mantle piece or in a hallway. Other decorative mirror styles include the Umbra Dima Wall Mirror Set in copper which features hanging rhombus shaped mirrors, and the Umbra Cumulus Wall Mirror in multiple circles.

Play with new textures

If the winter season is about faux fur, fleece and thick fabrics, then summer is all about woven textures and light materials. Wicker and rattan are the height of summer feeling for outdoor furniture and storage boxes. We love the Harting Square Planters from Garden Trading crafted from polyrattan wicker which can be prepped with a display of vibrant flowers and installed outside of your front or back doors.

As the warmer weather continues, it’s a good idea to embrace the cooling properties of cotton and linen when it comes to bedsheets and general clothing choices. White linen was made for summer! White linen sheets, napkins, table cloths, tea towels – pieces made with natural fibres can be functional and work really well this summer season. Continuing with the natural materials, we love the glass and ash wood combination utilised by LSA International in their range of kitchenware and storage options which can be a nice way to update your kitchen for summer feasts. LSA International also combines ash with colourful enamelled steel – a welcome pop of colour in the kitchen we think!

Embrace the ash wood trend and look for ash wood veneer furniture, such as the Shunan side table with turquoise legs from Puik Art and the Toj clothes rack from Normann Copenhagen as a stylish way to display your summer wardrobe. Ash and white materials are the perfect companions for a Scandinavian home interiors influence.

Bring the outdoors inside!

There’s nothing better than a fresh bouquet of flowers other than a beautiful vase to put them in! In our range of decorative bowls and vases we have some wonderful vase designs to help you bring the outdoors inside. Even on typical British rainy summer days, you can enjoy the flowers displayed perfectly in a decorative vase in the hallway, lounge or bedroom. The colourful glass vase and ash base as seen in the LSA International vases are ideal summertime vases for smaller flowers, whilst the LSA International Umberto glass vases available in sapphire and amber would house longer stem flowers. Artificial flowers will still have the same positive effect on your mood if you’re adverse to pollen or prefer not to have real flowers in your home.

All that’s left to do is to choose your new summer home interiors look and run with it by taking our advice and looking at the range of home accessories and furniture available here at Black By Design!