Prepare Your Home for the Summer

As the mercury touches the 40 degree mark, all we want is something to keep us cool. When the days are long and the air is warm don't you just wish you could escape to a shady, comfortable place? And what better if that place happens to be your home. Make your home cheerful. Bring a fresh look of summer in your home with quick an easy additions of colour, style, and accessories.

Not everyone has the luxury of moving to the mountains to enjoy the "lazy days of summer." But most of us can bring the look of summer into the home. It is not necessary to change every room or throw out all the old furniture, but there are lots of ways to lighten up and freshen up your home for a wonderful summer seasonal change. You may even feel like you've moved away for the summer.

There are a number of things you can do inside your home to make it look more comfortable. Why not try some of these simple, easy changes to "summerise" your home?

<b>LIGHTEN UP</b>

The first rule of summer decorating is -lighten up! If you haven't folded up those cozy winter blankets and flannel sheets and tucked them safely in the closet yet, now's the time. Wash and air them outside first, and try placing small sachets of dried rosemary or lavender between sets on the closet shelf - you'll love the lingering fragrance when you shake them out again in the fall. Change the image of your home and make it a nice change from what it was a year back. Keeping away winter stuff could make a good beginning to welcome the summer but keep the sun away.

<b>CURTAINS</b>

Go for sheets and curtains that represent your summer spirit. Heavy drapes are a no-no in summer decorating, trapping heat in and blocking out welcome sunshine from a room. Invest in some sheer, pretty curtains that offer some privacy while keeping a room feeling cool and open. White is always a good choice, but don't shy away from soft new pastel shades that coordinate with your summer sheets and bed covers.

<b>LINEN</b>

Try to get a simple slipcover for the back or seat of your kitchen or dining room side chairs. The look will soften an all-wood chair and freshen the look of an upholstered seat. Add fresh flowers and plants to your guest room or bedroom. Enjoy colourful, cheery, suntmery new flowered bed linens.

<b>COLOURS FOR SUMMER</b>

Nothing brightens up a room like white. Add it wherever you can. How about frothy, light curtains, fresh white trims, or a painted chair or table? Lighten up drab bookshelves. Paint the back wall and even the side walls with a bright, summery color. The books will really "pop out" against the contrasting color. How about lime green in dark wood shelves or sky blue on yellow. Choose a color that complements your rooms decorating scheme. Choose a fresh color scheme of lemon yellow, apple green, or sky blue.

<b>CHOOSE YOUR ART</b>

Frame some simple botanical prints or landscapes and set them up on a bookshelf, bureau, or table top. Or hang a series of summery flower pictures down a dark hallway. Use simple plate holders to hold pretty floral plates. Set them on a table or buffet.

Whatever you do, try to make your home a cool and comfortable place for the summers.