Brighten Up Your Home With Summer Decorating

By Lisa A Mason

Decorating for summer is fun and exciting. There are so many wonderful ideas just waiting to be discovered and put to use that you will have fun just looking over your options. Normally summer decorating is associated with light pastel colors to give a warm relaxing feeling to your home. Therefore, you need to brighten up your
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There are several ways you can choose to do this. If you are searching for simple easy ways to brighten up your home with summer decorations, you can start by using light colored slipcovers to brighten up your furniture. These provide the added protection to your couch and chairs that you may need during the summer months and it is an easy way to brighten up furnishings. You can also exchange your dark winter throw pillows with light pastel ones or floral designs.

If you use a dark wood dinning table you can consider brightening it up for summer by using a light color table cloth. Use white or ivory table runners and scarves for end tables and coffee tables to add a splash of summer to them. Using candles and other accessories will add a touch of warmth to help you achieve the look you are after. Flowers can do wonders for the look of your home and hanging plants make it feel more like summer.

Consider doing some spring cleaning to help eliminate any winter clutter that has collected. Most people collect things without even realizing it and before long the home becomes filled with a lot of unnecessary items that can begin to make it look a little dreary. Get rid of things that you no longer have a use for and open up your rooms. This will provide a relaxing summer atmosphere to your home.

If you are searching for a more dramatic way to brighten up your home with summer decorations, then consider painting your walls a fresh pastel color. This can change the whole appearance of a room. New flooring can also be a dramatic change, especially if you go from a dark colored floor to something bright. You can use carpet, tile or even a brighter shade of hard wood flooring to make this change.

When it comes to drapes many people choose to have two different sets. One for the winter months and a lighter set with brighter colors for the summer. If this is not an option for you, then just remember to open up the curtains when you can and let the sun shine in your home to brighten everything up. This gives a warm comfortable feeling to your home making it as relaxing as the summer breeze.

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses.

Lisa Mason, Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company, public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa's blog from her website: http://www.freelancewriter4hire.com

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15 Summer Decorating Ideas

By Lesley Dietschy

Summer decorating is a wonderful time to lighten up the colors and fabrics in your home. While you may not be able to decorate every room, there are numerous ways to add summer flair. You can decorate with a summer theme such as fruit (apples, strawberries, grapes), flowers (roses, carnations, daisies), or seaside nautical in addition to following some of the ideas listed below.

1. Replace heavy drapery with light sheers. The sheers provide an airy appeal while letting in the sunshine. If removing your existing drapery is not an option, consider changing just the valance and tiebacks to a lighter color. Another option is to use grapevine wreaths, strands of beads, artificial flowers, or decorative ribbons as your tiebacks or swag holders.

2. Store away items that are not useful in the summer such as blankets, throws, and heavy quilts.

3. Lighten up the color of your sofa by placing a slipcover on it or replacing your dark colored pillows with lighter colors.

4. Place light colored slipcovers on your all-wood dining room or kitchen chairs.

5. To add a lighter summer touch to your dark wood tables, use white lace or doilies as runners or tablecloths.

6. If you have a heavy bedspread, considering replacing it with a lightweight linen blanket.

7. Bring in the outdoors by adding fresh flowers in vases or baskets to counters, tabletops, and nightstands.

8. Add summer accessories around your home such as birdhouses, sea shells, bowls of fruits or vegetables, and summer reading materials.

9. If you have dark lampshades, replace them with lighter ones.

10. Repaint a dark hallway in your favorite hue such as buttery yellow, a creamy tan, or a fresh apple green.

11. Display a grouping of floral plates on a wall, hutch, or fireplace mantle.

12. Clean out the ashes in your fireplace and fill the firebox with a large artificial fern or a basket of colorful flowers.

13. Place twigs in tall vases and set on each side of the fireplace mantle.

14. To add summer whimsy to your bathrooms, hang lightweight fabric shower curtains printed with ladybugs, bees, flowers, or palm trees. Display matching hand towels and rugs to continue the summer theme.

15. Change the layout of your furniture to give your rooms a fresh, new look.

Decorating your home for the summer does not have to be complicated or cost a lot of money. As you can see from the ideas listed above, a new lamp shade, adding new fabrics, or changing the paint color of a room can breathe new life into your interior design. So, have fun and use your imagination to bring some fresh new looks into your home for the summer season.

Lesley Dietschy is a freelance writer and the founder of http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com - The Home Decor Exchange is a valuable website full of information and resources about home and garden decorating.

In addition to editing the Home Decor Exchange website, Lesley is a crochet pattern designer and needle fiber artist. You can view her crochet patterns and needle fiber designs at: http://www.ErinOliviaDesigns.Etsy.com

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