6 easy ways to switch up your decor style for summer

Gone are the days when you’d buy one set of furniture and live with them until they’re on their last legs; now, we approach our interiors in the same way we would our wardrobe.

While we have our key staples - such as your couch - we move with the seasons, embracing trends. The easiest way to do this? Soft furnishings and accessories.

You needn’t worry about remodelling the entire house because the summer sun has decided to make an appearance; a few subtle changes here and there can make the world of difference.

Here, with Bord Gáis Energy, we take a look at the various ways in which you might switch up your decor style for summer.

Rugs

Delightfully inexpensive - if you hit the high street, that is - rugs can set the tone for a room in an instant.

You might have a high pile shaggy rug for the depths of winter when cosiness is the order of the day, but you can easily roll that up and store it in the attic or a cupboard, swapping it with something lighter for summer.

You can even be smart about it and opt for a rug that works indoors and outdoors; nothing brings the inside out quite like a rug under your BBQ dining table.

Get playful with patterns and prints and choose textures that lend itself to summer; nothing fluffy or overly luxurious. A simple woven rug will do the trick and add instant energy to your space.

For more, see www.dashandalberteurope.com/

Greenery

Greenery thrives in summer but you must remember to water and feed your plants depending on their needs.

Opt for low maintenance cacti and succulents in colourful containers. This brings the outdoors inside and during the summer months, there’s no such thing as too much greenery.

Ease up on the church style candles (which you can take back out as autumnal weather descends) and replace with an air of alfresco.

For more, see www.miafleur.com

Cushions and throws

Step away from the wool and the faux fur. Again, don’t throw anything away - it will all come full circle again later on in the year.

For your cushions and your throws, consider lighter textures such as linen.

The boho trend, though always popular, seems to dominate during the summer months. Think oblong linen cushions - Moroccan style - with pom pom tassels and large floor cushions.

Velvet can still work a treat in summer - especially if you mix and max your textures - but opt for brighter colours.

For more, see www.urbanara.co.uk

Colourful prints

Another relatively inexpensive way to embrace the summer is, of course, with colourful prints. For this, we look no further than JamArt Factory who stock the most vibrant range of wall art, and all from local Irish artists.

Grab yourself a batch of A4 frames from Ikea and a print, such as this one from Jando Design - €18 - and it won’t matter a damn if there’s a torrential downpour outside.

And as summer is all about laid back living, consider resting your framed prints and posters on shelves or ledges or anywhere they might fit around the house - even on a radiator as (we certainly hope) they remain off for some time yet; nails in the wall isn’t the only option here.

For more, see www.jamartprints.com/

Lighting

Nothing feels more summery than a red sky at night, lit up by a string of twinkling lights.

Whether you add some party lights inside or outside, avoid fairy lights as they will look a little bit too Christmassy and instead go for something more rough and ready such as a string of industrial bulbs.The bulkier the better.

For more, see www.outthereinteriors.com

Move things around

Sometimes, you don’t need to spend any money at all to refresh your decor. Look at everything you have in your home and decide what can live somewhere new for a change.

Do you have scatter cushions on your bed that might brighten up your living room?

Take a step back and objectively observe what you’ve already got. And as summer is all about freshness, pencil in some time to declutter and pare everything back.