Hot weather needs cool accents
This is an exciting time of year, aptly called spring, as we all literally jump out of our cocoons and race outside to soak up the warm air and sunshine. You can feel the expectant vibes as plans for refreshing and renovating get under way.
Before you join the queue at the lumber yard, my best advice is to have a plan. Whether you are dreaming of a fabulous backyard retreat or a new kitchen, look at the whole picture, and don’t take on too much at once. Prepare and shop for what you can realistically accomplish (and afford), and you will enjoy your projects.
Spring and summer decorating call for a lighter touch. This is the time to air out your rooms and let them breathe. Here are my tips for warm-weather decorating. Just a few simple changes will transform your rooms. Start with a good clear-out.
No one’s favorite, but a good spring-cleaning is in order. Pack away the woolen throws and blankets along with your winter boots. Sort through clothes, books, magazines, papers and other memorabilia. Recycle what you don’t want, and store away seasonal items such as velvet accent cushions and dark, fringed lampshades. This is your opportunity to switch around your favorite collections and photographs as well as artwork.
Lighten up the windows and floors.
Give heavy draperies a rest. Fresh cotton panels and white sheers are timeless window treatments, summery and cool. New lightweight fabric window blinds or shades offer protection from the sun’s damaging rays as well as privacy. Curtains can be hung casually from a rod with rings, or try the grommet style.
If you have wood floors, roll up any area carpets for a few months. This alone will alter the ambiance. Tile and stone are cool underfoot, designed for summer living.
Paint a room or two.
A fresh color on the wall will literally transform your home. Try a cheerful palette of cranberry red or rosy pink, it’s irresistibly young and fun; lemon grass and minty green are fabulously fresh; floral lavenders and marigold spread energy and good humor. Paint the walls in a solid color, or try out a striped pattern. Stripes can be as tailored or as whimsical as you choose.
Alternate wide and thin, or juxtapose ragged with straight. To add texture and design in two easy steps, look for paintable embossed wallpaper. Apply the paper to your walls and then paint.
Add a new color, and white.
Whether it’s with paint or in a group of accent pillows or a collection of vases, inject one new shade into your décor. If you have lots of color already, then punch it up with white. There’s nothing that says summer like white; it can be creamy antique white for traditional settings, or bright white for contemporary style. It can be a tablecloth, bedspread and pillow shams, or a white canvas slipcover for a chair, a lamp shade or area carpet.
Room by room.
Take the time to make a small change in every room. Switch towels in the bathroom, layer a summer duvet on the bed, paint the kitchen walls, set out easy-care place mats and glassware with a warm-weather theme in the dining room, and revitalize the living room/family room with slipcovers and a huge vase of fresh flowers from the garden.
Let your home mirror the good energy and spirit of the seasons of sunlight.
Debbie Travis is a columnist for King Features Syndicate. E-mail questions to her at house2home@debbietravis.com
