Are you the kind of person to wish you could always be on summer vacation? It seems to be harder and harder to find the time and money to go on one these days. They’re more expensive than ever, and getting the time off from work to allow for any quality time away is next to impossible.
So why not bring the summer vacation to you? You can design your home around the theme of summering in sunny and peaceful places, and bring that same vibe right into your day to day life.
This is a great way to decorate for multiple reasons. For one, it helps you to get into that summertime mood no matter how dreary the outside weather is. For another, you might want your friends to feel like they’re on vacation whenever they come over, and have your house act as a temporary haven for them.
But above all, it just feels good to have such a home standing around you! And because of that, the design tips down below will help you to create the kind of space that feels like a never ending summer vacation.
Go for Coastal Colors
Do you think of the beach when you think about planning a summer vacation? It’s the most classical way to approach this kind of decor, and who doesn’t love a trip to somewhere sunny and full of sand, with blue water and skies above? That’s the kind of image that will always make you feel at peace, so why not incorporate it into your home?
Coastal colors are a great palette to work with. Blues, whites, greens, and yellows are all common within it, and they can mix and match wonderfully within your property. Blue will be the base shade you go for here, with main white highlights around it, but the green and yellow pops and tinges will be more than welcome.
You can also make use of light brown and beige shades too, which can bring to mind the image of sand underfoot and finding shells when the tide goes out.
Introduce a Relaxed Atmosphere
Homes need to be relaxing places, but it’s easy to forget about the general atmosphere you provide in the first place.
As such, think about how it feels to step into your home, and take all your senses into account here. Focus on the way it looks, feels, and smells and how each of these could improve.
Fit New Windows
How do you feel about the current level of natural light in your home? Maybe it’s fine, you’ve got no complaints about it. But when you really consider it, could it be better? If so, that’s the next project to tackle on your quest to make your home feel like you’re taking a summer vacation!
A set of new windows can add a whole new level of shine to your home. Bigger windows will let more light in, but they can also reseal the insulation in your home too. That’ll help to keep the house more temperate when it’s very hot and humid outside – no one wants to feel stuffy and sweaty when on vacation!
As such, take out the old ones, or get a company like Renewal by Anderen Windows to do it for you, then get your new set of glossy, perfectly clear windows installed in place. Now you can let a lot more natural light in, and create that sunny day vibe we all dream of whenever we think about hitting the beach.
Create an Outdoor Haven
No summer home is complete with an outdoor haven of its own. This is where you can turn your garden into a mini beach paradise, whether you want to put a water feature into it or not.
You can easily set up some fountains that run on batteries to keep the water tinkling over, but that isn’t essential. You just need to have the kind of garden you can spend time in, whether it’s sunny or showering, and you don’t have to go out of your way to make it a nice place to be.
Firstly, make sure there’s an area to sit and lounge. This needs to be big enough to allow two to three people to do so at the same time, even if it’s just you living in your home at the moment. That’ll make having guests around all the more fun, especially if there’s a fire pit in the middle to eat and drink around.
Try to cordon off this area as well, and then let it flow from this point out into the garden at large. This could mean using levelled planters and different height fencing panels, which you can easily knock into the ground wherever you’d like them.
This will lead to a more dynamic space to relax in, and will ensure a sense of privacy that we often want from the hotels we book into when on summer vacation.
Incorporate Wood Textures
Another element of the coastal theming we strongly encourage, wood textures always look great within a home. There are various types of wood you can use here, whether you like the look of wood panelling on the walls, or you want to place wicker furniture in the living room.
You could also take various different tones of wood and place them together, to ensure an ombre flow of color from one side of the room to the other. If you’re able to, think about pulling up any carpeting and replacing it with wood as well.
You can put rugs down over the top, but not only is hardwood easier to clean, it invokes the feeling of stepping out from a beach hut or onto a pool deck within the comfort of your own home too!
Hang Up Lanterns
Lanterns are very beach-themed. You can get them in various shapes and sizes, and any type you like the look of will fit into your summer-themed home perfectly. Make sure you put them both outside and inside too, to ensure that the late summer evening feeling extends from the top of the back garden all the way to your back door.
Get lamps you can hang up, lamps that come with their own tall stands that match the height of your fence posts, and be sure to have a mix of box lanterns, shabby boat lanterns, and candles in cases.
All of them can be strung up at any level you like, and be used on side tables, the coffee table, or as desk lamps. Pop some in the bedroom to add another nautical, beach-loving element to your sleeping spot as well.
Making Your Home Feel Like Summer All Year Long
When your home feels like summer, you’re going to feel like it too. This is the place where you spend most of your time, and the more you enjoy the relaxed and sunny atmosphere, the more at ease you’ll feel. Even during the most stressful of weeks when you just wish you could fly away, your home will be there to bridge the gap.
This can make a big difference to your mental health, as well as the mental wellness of those you love, and that’s never a bad thing to have at your disposal. Let the sunshine into your life more often – even in the wintertime when it’s in short supply – and your days will become all the more summery without any extra effort.
