With the official summer kickoff this weekend, your rooms can follow suit with seasonal flourishes like sisal rugs and linen slipcovers. Another way to enhance your home can come from the warm-weather gear that you often carry or wear for all those outdoor occasions.
When you incorporate pieces like these into your traditional décor along with other casual accents, you can echo the lazy days that are meant to be relished as these items lighten and brighten your rooms and your mood.
As you revisit your seasonal wardrobe, consider adding some classics to your interiors, such as fashion accessories that are too pretty to hide behind closed doors. For instance, straw hats can double as wall art when placed in a creative arrangement, which works especially well in an entry where you can grab them as you head out the door.
Woven or canvas beach bags can hold towels and other essentials like snacks in a guest room or summer reading materials in a main area. These seasonal pieces can also corral paper products in a kitchen or bathroom or add color and texture to a mudroom until your next trip to the farmers market.
Sunglasses can be stashed in a small basket or tray near the entry where you are less likely to forget them. They can also be displayed on sculptural eyeglass holders that feature a human or animal face for a whimsical touch. Flip flops and sandals have a more cheerful feel than snow boots when they are kept under a bench or a console.
Beach towels are colorful by nature and their playful patterns capture all that summer has to offer. These seasonal pieces can go beyond the pool or the lake when featured around the house, whether they are neatly folded on an open shelf or placed on coat racks or hooks for easy access.
Picnic baskets and other wicker containers can also decorate your home. These practical pieces can transport more than food. Fill them with board games and non-breakable items like melamine plates, so they are ready to go for your next summer outing.
Creative tablescapes can feature floral scarves that serve as runners, while seasonal produce artfully arranged in baskets or bowls creates an instant still life on a counter. Refreshing beverages with colorful labels can be placed on a tray in a bar area for impromptu guests.
Colorful luggage placed on a rack or a bench in a bedroom or mudroom can serve as a reminder for your next adventure. The same goes for more decorative outdoor folding chairs that can hold your essentials for all those outdoor events.
Place some golf balls in a container or prop a tennis racket on the floor to encourage fun activities. Even frisbees can fill a basket for a colorful display.
Whatever seasonal swaps you have planned for your home, it can help to think outside the box and consider what you already have on hand. Let the essence of summer lead you toward a lighter and brighter feel for your rooms.
Jeanine Matlow is a Metro Detroit interior decorator turned freelance writer specializing in stories about interior design. You can reach her at jeaninematlow@earthlink.net.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Refresh your home with these summer accessories
Reporting by Jeanine Matlow, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeanine Matlow, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
