How to give your home a summer reset - 10 quick seasonal changes you should make today

A summer reset for your home can take you and your interiors into the warmer months, making your decor a better fit with the brighter, longer days and ensuring you feel cool and comfortable in your space.

If you're already a fan of a Sunday reset, you'll know the benefits of the tweaks, tidy-ups and tips that can help your home feel stylish and sorted. The summer reset does this for the season, rather than just the week ahead – and it doesn't take a huge outlay or a lot of effort to get your home ready.

We spoke to interior designers and home experts for summer resets that work in their own homes. From cushions to curtains, colours to textures, this is how to get your place ready for the season.

1. Dress your home in summer 'clothes'

Just as we switch up our wardrobe in response to the warmer weather, we can dress up our home for the season's brighter days. If you have removable cushion covers, consider swapping autumn and winter's deeper tones and heavier fabrics for summerweight alternatives. If that's not possible, think about the easy changes you can make – as well as bed linen and towels, table linen and tea towels can be inexpensively updated.

Interior designer Claire Garner has a summer swap list.

'To brighten up spaces for the summer season, consider incorporating textiles and textures to add freshness,' she says. 'Personally, I love using gorgeous textured linens for a grounding and natural feel. These could be added through tablecloths and napkins to create a beautiful spring tablescape, or by introducing a new seasonal cushion scheme to your favourite sofa.'

Claire Garner

Claire has run her own interior design studio for over a decade. She has a BA in Textile Design, and has become known for her simple schemes that balance texture and tonal colours.

2. Pare back your decor

If winter is about adding layers – think rugs, throws, blankets and eiderdowns – then summer is about stripping back and cooling off your interiors.

The on-trend way to style your living room rugs is to overlap them and lay them at different angles, but you can go easy on the look when the heat is on in summer. In fact, removing a rug or two and exposing the floor beneath, especially if it's wood, stone or LVT, can make your home look and feel instantly cooler and fresher.

'Exposed floorboards, limestone floors, area rugs – it’s all to play for with finishes like these for a summer vibe,' confirms interior designer, Benji Lewis.

Benji also believes this is the time to lighten up on the other fabrics in your home, too.

'Finish your divan with a pretty gathered valance; it says summer more than a fitted design,' he says. 'Similarly, loose covers on sofas and armchairs are timelessly charming in the breezy summer months.'

3. Rearrange the furniture

When it's cold outside, you'll probably want to arrange your living room furniture so it focuses on the fireside or a focal point like the TV, for cosy nights in front of your favourite drama.

Come the summertime, when we want to spend more time outdoors, it makes sense to improve the flow between indoors and the garden by moving the position of the furniture.

'Consider rearranging your furniture to create a more seamless connection with the outdoors,' says interior designer Lauren Gilberthorpe. 'Arrange seating to face windows or glass doors to maximise natural light and views of your garden. 

'Lightweight furniture can enhance the feeling of indoor-outdoor living, allowing you to adapt spaces for entertaining or relaxing as needed. Adding sheer curtains or blinds can filter sunlight gently, creating a soothing and inviting atmosphere.'

Lauren Gilberthorpe

Based in Devon and the Cotswolds, Lauren is the founder and creative driving force behind her eponymous interior design company. She specialises in a layered approach that combines textiles, colour and artworks.

4. Create a tableware 'salad'

The mix-and-match approach to tablescaping works particularly well in summer, when the informality adds to the holiday atmosphere. Think about combining different colours, textures and accents, just as you would when making a salad to serve up at your next alfresco lunch.

'Summer is a wonderfully social season, filled with alfresco lunches and leisurely suppers shared with family and friends. Layering a few new pieces handcrafted from natural materials into your existing tableware is an easy way to add seasonal interest,' says Poppy Munson, product developer at nkuku.

This summer, the brand is tipping its scallop-edged Aruvi dinnerware and handcrafted mango wood serveware as the flavoursome combo to try.

5. Let the light in

While you might prefer blackout blinds in a bedroom to block out the early morning sun, it can pay to go lighter with window treatments elsewhere in the house. After all, nothing says summer style like a gauzy voile drifting in a warm breeze.

'Consider changing window dressings to unlined linen floor-length curtains, hanging them in an informal fashion,' advises interior designer Benji Lewis. 'We’re starved of natural brightness for so long in the UK, these are the months to get as much of it as possible into our rooms.'

If privacy is an issue, consider cafe-style curtains that cover the lower half of your windows, or use window film that will obscure the window while still allowing light to filter through.

6. Choose a summer fragrance

Certain scents are associated with the summertime – zesty orange and relaxing lavender; freshly mown grass and aromatic roses. Be inspired by these natural fragrances and adopt a summer signature scent for your home.

You could make your own potpourri or fragrance jar for a homemade summer scent, or sniff out your favourite shop-bought candle or diffuser. Easier still, bring fresh, fragrant flowers into your home.

'Summer is the perfect time to fill your rooms with fresh seasonal flowers – don't overlook subtle details like adding summer bulbs to coffee tables or placing bud vases strategically to infuse a touch of summer into every corner of your home,' recommends interior designer Claire Garnder.

7. Get playful with pattern

'There are multiple ways to bring summer into your home decor, from changing your cushions or flowers, to switching a home fragrance to reflect the season,' says Suzy Humphreys, founder of homeware brand Layered Lounge. 

'I always encourage customers to mix up their style; it saves you from getting bored with what you see in your home on a daily basis and allow you to reflect nature and the environment you’re living in.'

One of the best ways to mix it up for the season is to introduce pattern to your soft furnishings and accessories – think pretty floral napkins and checked tablecloths; geo cushion covers and striped cotton hammam towels which will dry quickly in the summer heat.

'Summer is a wonderful time to be playful with patterns,' agrees Claire Garner, director of Claire Garner Interiors. 'Don’t be afraid to mix and layer patterns of different scales together in a space to create a welcoming atmosphere. 

8. Update your colour palette

Summer's brighter sun has an uplifting effect on our interiors, making bright or lighthues appear especially fresh and vibrant. You can harness this seasonal shift by incorporating paler tints of your favourite colours – think the colour you love with an added touch of white, rather than the deeper shade that's created when black is added to a pigment. 

Think of it as a seasonal spectrum. So, if you love the warm, caramel hues that are on-trend right now, you might choose to add honey-coloured scatter cushions and a butter yellow throw to your caramel sofa in the summer. Then you could swap them out for deeper toffee and chocolate-coloured alternatives in the colder months. It's just lighter and darker interpretations of the same palette.

Interior designer Lauren Gilberthorpe has this suggestion. 'For the summer months, I like to update a room’s colour palette from more rich tones of autumn/wnter to soft pastels for spring/summer– simple updates such as changing scatter cushions and throws, adding woven baskets and introducing natural elements like fresh flowers and greenery from the garden can transform a room.'

9. Don't forget texture

Picnic baskets and straw hats, linen sundresses and the plaited soles of your sandals – all of these can inspire the textures you use to reset your summer home.

'Bring texture and warmth to the home by layering striking sofa cushion covers in a mix of textiles,' suggests Poppy Munson from nkuku. 'Our soft furnishing collections are handwoven out of natural linens and braided hemp, making a luxuriously tactile addition to a sofa or bed. 

'Opting for jute or linen in nature-inspired colours will keep interior schemes fresh and light for the warmer months.'

10. Create a travel-inspired display

Switching up your mantelpiece, shelf and coffee table styling is an instant summer reset – especially if you add a holiday vibe to your display.  

'I find you can change the feeling of a room to reflect the season with simple styling updates. Keep coffee and console tables clutter free and layer a curated edit of interesting objets and artwork in neutral tones and materials inspired by travel,' says Suzy Humphreys, founder of Layered Lounge.

'Travertine marble candle holders, scalloped rattan trays and hand-painted canvases in light neutral colours will add interest without overpowering a space for summer.'

Now your home is ready to soak up the relaxing summer vibes August has to bring.

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