The Least You Need To Make Your House Summer-Ready
The heat is on! Summer has arrived. Are you ready? Is your house ready? If we don't host often, we can sometimes let our houses fall a little lower on the priorities list. After all, no one sees it but us. What's the big deal? But, when your house is in order and ready for the new season, it clears up your mental space, allowing you to truly relax and enjoy your home. You can also have peace of mind that your house is presentable just in case someone drops by unexpectedly.
Still, there's no reason to add a ton of work to our plate. What is the least that needs doing before we can be assured our house is "summer-ready?" Here are four things you can do.
Clear Out the Clutter
This is a good starting point. Even if you were to have every piece of summer decor in place, if your house is a mess, that will be what people notice if they come over and what you notice when you are trying to relax. Wintery odds and ends belong either in the garage in a box or in the giveaway. Spring projects should be wrapped up. Take a picture or two for memories and put everything that should be kept away, recycle what you can, and toss the rest in the trash.
Creating space for the new season is an external method of releasing the old?—old habits, old thoughts, old patterns?—and allowing fresh, renewing ideas in. Not all of us are good at throwing things away, though. Get a friend to help you make some of those difficult emotional decisions that can free you to move forward. If there are some things you can't bear to throw away, but they are spilling off of shelves, consider putting them in storage baskets or canvas storage bins. New storage can be a compromise until you are ready to let some of the old stuff go.
Light the Place Up
A huge feature of summer is longer days with more light. Throw open the blinds and let the sun in! If you have heavier curtains for the colder months, tie them back or replace them with thinner materials so sun rays can reach into your life. Use mirrors to help reflect the light, so it feels like there is even more! Extra light is a huge mood improver, and in the summer, there's lots of it to go around. Take advantage of it all to make your house feel like summer!
Another way to lighten things up is to emphasize light colors. In the colder months, we often don't realize how many dark colors we pick up with somber blankets and dusky pillows everywhere to keep things cozy and warm. In the summer, the lighter colors should reign. If you were thinking of a painting project or if you are buying some kind of decor, focus on lighter neutrals so you can bring a little more summer indoors.
Add Some Color
Lighter neutrals aren't the only colors that can bring summer into your house. What about a throw blanket in green for your couch or a blue vase on the mantle? Houses tend to be mostly neutral, so we can redecorate them easily. This means that you don't need much color to make it a clear focal point. When you walk into a room, where is your eye drawn? If your gaze catches on a piano in the corner, consider a warm runner or a red seat cushion. If you have shelves, consider a colorful piece of pottery or a flowery fabric to drape along a ledge. If the main focus is furniture, recover a throw pillow or two in purple or yellow.
Many of these ideas are pieces of fabric that can be easily removed and stored when the season changes, yet they make such a difference to your house when they are added in. Remember, we aren't looking for a complete summer remodel. Just little things here or there that can change the atmosphere and make things more cheery.
Bring in a Little Life
Summer is when everything is bursting with life! If you want summer in your house, the simplest way is to add some plants and greenery. It doesn't matter if you bring in some fakes or if you go to the store every few days to replace a bouquet in the kitchen. Put some flowers around to brighten things up. This little addition absolutely leaves the impression of new life, fresh air, and summer living?—the perfect setting for a peaceful afternoon nap or a neighborly cup of coffee.
With these simple, easy-to-tweak elements, you can make your home summer-ready in short order. Then, once you are done, you are free to pursue the rest of your summer bucket list at your leisure.