Decorating Guides
How to Give Your Home That Lazy Summer Vibe
Slow down and kick back in the comfort of home with simple additions and tweaks for a relaxing summer feel
Summers are lovely, but aside from actual vacation time, they are not too different from the rest of the year. We still have to work and pay bills and change our oil.
Still, there is something in the air (it's called sunshine) that makes everything a little more relaxed. Mealtimes get longer, evenings linger and clothing takes it down a few notches. Life just doesn't feel so frenetic in summer. Or at least it shouldn't.
There is no reason you can't capture this feeling in your home. Lighten things up, relax a little, make room for kicking back. You may not have more actual hours to chill during the summer months, but your home can make you feel like you do.
Still, there is something in the air (it's called sunshine) that makes everything a little more relaxed. Mealtimes get longer, evenings linger and clothing takes it down a few notches. Life just doesn't feel so frenetic in summer. Or at least it shouldn't.
There is no reason you can't capture this feeling in your home. Lighten things up, relax a little, make room for kicking back. You may not have more actual hours to chill during the summer months, but your home can make you feel like you do.
Hang a hammock. If it's too hot and buggy out, hang it inside. A book and a glass of lemonade are just as good in an indoor hammock as they are in an outdoor one.
Have an outdoor pavilion for shade, breezes and all the comforts of an outdoor living room.
An outdoor pavilion is not in your cards? Create a makeshift lounge. Think of it as your summer living room. A few layered rugs, some floor pillows and a low table will do the trick.
Adding an outdoor fireplace or a fire pit helps to create a focal point for an instant outdoor living room. And it keeps things going after the sun has gone down.
Hang a mosquito net. There are few things as romantic as a sheer mosquito net over the bed.
No place for a mosquito net? Hang gauzy curtains. They let in the light and flutter in the breeze.
Sleep outside. Moving a summer bed out into the yard or onto the porch is a great way to feel as if you are on vacation even when you have to get up in the morning.
Go casual. Canning jars become tea glasses, yard clippings are centerpieces and nothing really has to match. It's summer. You should be eating in your swimsuit!
Go white and bright. White slipcovers are bright and summery, and they can be washed.
White, white and more white.
Move the dining room outside. You don't need a beautiful rose arbor and a raised gravel bed to temporarily move outdoors for your meals.
Bring outdoor furniture inside. This vintage beach chair just screams "summer lake house" to me.
All you need is one small area where you can get comfortable. Even if a balcony is your only outdoor space, you can create a summer chill-out spot.