This energetic and uplifting summer season is one of most sociable seasons of the year, with garden parties, picnics, barbecues, al fresco dining and if you’re lucky, the chance to even cuddle up underneath the night stars and perhaps watch a movie in your back garden.
In the summer months a lot of time is spent outdoors yet now is a great time to revitalise your interiors – as just like an old sofa might require some additional foam to ensure it’s as comfortable and springy as you would like it to be, your interior needs to be freshened and changed up from time to time, to ensure it remains feeling alive and zesy rather than limp and lifeless.
For this reason, we’re going to look at a number of summer trends in terms of interior design that will inject some colour and vibrancy back into your home this summer.
- ICE CREAM COLOURS
Pastel shades of ice cream inspired colours are a significant trend this year. Â Indeed, picking out your favourite paint colour can feel a lot like selecting your favourite combination of ice cream at an ice cream parlour.
The great news is that on top of this trend, there’s a trend to utilise a palette of colours, similarly to how you might have a selection of ice cream flavours at one go, meaning you can pick out a selection of your favourite colours – just be sure they compliment rather than clash.
- BIG BRIGHT RUGS & CURTAINS
Solid saturated blocks of color are statements pieces that are, of course, classics… yet a trend we’re seeing this summer is for interior professionals to liven up a space with rich, saturated colours, that are either positioned on the floor or even hung on the wall as art.  Now, a great way to kill two birds with one stone, and save a bit of money in the process, is to hang vibrant custom made curtains that fulfil the need for a big, bold, bright pop of colour – whilst not costing any extra money, in the sense of artwork or unnecessary rugs.
- GALLERY STYLE WALLS
When you compare the cluttered nature of most homes with the serenity of a whitewashed, minimalistic art gallery, you’ll feel the vast contrast between serenity and chaos.  The trend, and perhaps generally good advice this summer, is to declutter your walls and have one prominent piece of artwork in order to make a simple statement rather than tons of photos or niknaks everywhere.
- RECLAIMED WOOD
Furniture made from reclaimed pallets and fruit crates have been on trend for many years now, yet this upcycled rustic trend is showing no signs of slowing down, with so many fairy lit apple crates making an appearance in interior magazines, and especially Pinterest.
- FOLIAGE
Indoor plants are making a comeback this summer, as we’re seeing a lot of hanging plants within the home featured in all the trendy style magazines.  Indeed, it’s not just small plants, huge feature plants are being used to provide an injection of life and vibrant colour.
Then, there are the health benefits… several studies found patients in hospitals surrounded by flowers or that have a view of a garden are more likely to recover than those not in the presence of plants or flowers.  In a more day-to-day sense, plants within the home contribute to a feeling of wellbeing, affluence, and optimism.
Plants are also a great way to resolve air pollution if you live in the city, or by a busy road, because plants absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen; they essentially cleanse the air from toxic chemicals.
- WOODEN FLOORS
Many people consider herringbone parquet flooring to be classically gorgeous and unlike it’s dark wood or light wood peers, that show up every single piece of dirt meaning it’s almost impossible to keep it looking clean, herringbone tends to be much easier to keep looking clean.
Some of the best advice one can receive when it comes to “staying on trend” this summer, or any other season, is to focus less on the trends, as these come and go in a heartbeat… instead, focus more on your personal tastes and preferences. Â
This way, you can create a home that you enjoy living in rather than something that looks like an award winning home from an interior design magazine, that might be nice to look at, and may even win a prize… but simply doesn’t feel like home.
The key, therefore, is to use these trends to inspire rather than determine your design.
