When the days grow long and the weather is warm, our homes start to look very different to the spaces we lounged in during the winter months. What was once cosy and comfortable is suddenly stifling, with heavy fabrics and dark colours doing little to make us want to spend time in our homes. If that’s something you’ve noticed, or you simply want to look forward to a bright, airy and light-filled living room this warmer season, here are some simple updates you can make…
1. Replace your sofa covers
If you’re lucky enough to own one of those sofas where the covers are removable, why not buy some new covers? This will totally transform the look of your living room as your sofa is probably one of the largest and most-often used objects in there.
Choose a colour that’s bright and inviting (perhaps in Pantone’s colour of the year – Greenery), or something neutral but welcoming such as a camel or caramel tone. Store your other set of sofa covers so you can change the room again when autumn/winter rolls back around.
2. Change the curtains
The next biggest change you can make to your room for spring/summer is changing the curtains – they command lots of attention, especially if they’re beautifully patterned or you’ve chosen a set in a bright colour!
For summer, you can get away with ready made curtains in floral prints and other pretty patterns, but if you prefer plain decoration and neutral colours, simple curtains will look lovely too. Just be sure to buy a pair that fit your window area well – you’ll want to block out shards of sunlight so that you don’t get a glare on your TV screen if you fancy spending an afternoon peacefully watching a film.
3. Organise those cables
Next, give your living room a quick refresh by tidying up the cables behind your TV. You might not consider this a traditional décor tip, but you’ll be amazed at what a difference it makes to see that corner of your living room smartened up. Untangle the birds nest of cables, use binder clips and safely coil cables where possible.
4. Re-style your mantelpiece
Now you can move onto styling – so how about starting with your mantelpiece? Your mantelpiece is the perfect place to show off family photos, precious souvenirs from summer holidays or quirky antiques you’ve found in flea markets. But there is an art to it: pay attention to balance by making it perfectly symmetrical or deliberately asymmetrical.
And on the subject of mantels, if yours is a French mantel where it’s relatively low, feel free to hang a mirror above it. However, traditional English mantels tend to be a bit taller, so it might be better to hang artwork above it as a mirror will do little else but reflect a floating head!
If your mantelpiece is deep enough, consider dressing it with freshly cut summer flowers as well as bright pieces of artwork and summer-scented candles.
5. Tidy up your bookshelves
Doing some summer updates to your living room might also require that you spend some time sorting out your bookshelves – after all, they tend to become dumping grounds for all kinds of things. Take inspiration from others and try a colour coordinated bookshelf if that’s your style, or spend some time styling your bookshelves with magazines, books, photos and personal items.
6. Add some new cushions
A final simple spring/summer update you can make in your living room is adding some new cushions. This is an easy way to introduce bursts of colour and pattern, and as with changing the curtains and sofa covers, it’s an easy thing to do while having lots of impact. Tropical prints will be trendy this year, and blush pink is as popular as it ever was.
