22.12.22
If summer is your favourite season, then it only makes sense you might want to hold onto it for more than just a few months. Colours, textures and clever design techniques can help maintain a sense of summer throughout the year – even when the mercury drops outside.
Light and orientation of a home are common considerations. To make the most of natural light in a way that works with the elements, it’s best to start with the optimum orientation – main entertaining spaces facing north – a luxury you have when building a brand new home with our home and land packages. By getting the aspect just right, with doors and windows strategically placed to trap or repel the sun (whatever the season) it will set you up for a brighter future. But it doesn’t stop there. Here are 5 styling tips to help keep summer around longer.
1. Here comes the sun
Sometimes orientation can be a challenge due to certain blocks sizes and shapes, or neighbouring houses. If that’s the case, there are still ways to soak up the sun’s rays.
– Paint the outside eaves white to reflect natural light back indoors
– Use light, bright interior wall and ceiling shades
– Place mirrors in tactical spots, incorporate reflective tiles and glossy paint to reflect more light
– Replace sections of walls where possible with glass blocks or clerestory windows
– Install skylights or even sun tubes to capture light from above
Alternatively, if west-facing rooms threaten to overheat your house or fade furniture, then there are options to manage the amount of light.
– Plant deciduous varieties outside a western window to provide shade in summer, but allow sun in winter
– Install retractable awnings, louvres or plantation shutters over the hottest windows
– Vertical shading attached to the exterior like lattice or batten screens can also cut out heat
2. Colour me happy
Colour is a great way of letting a sense of summer linger all year. While crisp white interiors lend a cool beach ambiance, some homeowners are keen for a more vibrant impression. Popular paint brand Dulux has turned colour choice into a veritable science and has recently released a summer-inspired palette.
Keen to welcome more colour into the family home, Dulux’s newest collection is about reconnecting with nature while maintaining a serene space. The tones include a whimsical mix of cornflower blue, lilac, lemon, green quartz and rose. But if you aren’t keen on too much of one colour, consider painting just a feature wall, adding partial wall accents with wainscotting or removable wallpaper.
3. Creating summertime all the time
After the walls and windows have been carefully considered, turn to window dressings, flooring, bench tops, furniture and decor to recreate a coastal chic even if the ocean is far away. Opaque or block out drapes might be necessary for bedrooms to keep out early morning rays, but they’re probably not needed in every room. Think about installing sheer curtains to let in more light, while also adding privacy.
Light natural timber treatments in kitchens and bathrooms are another summer style aesthetic to last, and paler stone surfaces don’t only look good but are cool to the touch.
4. Tap into summer through soft furnishings and décor
Textiles are a simple and cost-effective way to inject a splash of summer into your lounge, dining room or bedroom. Colourful accent pieces like sofa throws, cushions, tablecloths and rugs can be rotated throughout the seasons. In bedrooms, fresh linen bedding, feature pillows with a floral accent or cool colours complete the picture.
Wall art is another inspiring way to continue a sense of year-long holidays. Paintings, prints or vintage advertising depicting vacation vibes can also tap into happy memories or aspirational adventures. For a more permanent change, reupholster a favourite chair with natural brighter fabrics or treat the floors to light timber or tiles.
5. Connecting with the great outdoors
Fresh cut flowers and plenty of greenery indoors help you connect with nature. Great indoor plants include bromeliads, fiddle leaf, ficus, birds of paradise, peace lily, parlour palms or maidenhead ferns. You could even recreate some summer scents through candles and aromatherapy products inspired by seasonal blooms, the beach, citrus, or eucalyptus.
The outdoor alfresco space is essentially an extension of your home over the warmer months. With a covered ‘outdoor room’ style deck or patio, you can still fill it with the same textured natural elements as inside without worrying about the damaging effects of the harsh elements. Plants in pots, even outside, allow you to move them about to suit the seasons or even bring them inside when it gets cold. And a great way to keep cool in these spaces is natural stone underfoot and outdoor fans above.
Extend summer nights (and save on energy bills) with solar-powered festoon or fairy lighting in your alfresco area or add an outdoor fire pit to the backyard to stay warm in every month.
If you want to experience a summer feeling all year long, talk to our property team about the home and land packages that we currently have available.