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Friday, July 5, 2013

How To Get The Look Of A SUMMER ROOM!


Its a beautiful morning.


Can a room have a season? You bet it can!!

Of course the look of the room will vary between the homeowner’s design aesthetics, and often times their location.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

Have you ever thought about how much the region you live in dictates the color and design choices for your rooms?

For instance someone that lives by the beach in Florida would have a totally different summer seasonal look in their home than someone from Minnesota.

Personally I love a Spring/Summer vibe in my home, but find it  very difficult to decorate in winter, or autumnal colors. 

I will be the first to admit, it is much easier for we blue lovers to get a summer look.

Coastal Rooms by the Sea 7
(Definitely a summer room in autumnal colors)
So if you want to shake things up a bit, and do some seasonal changes how do you do that when you don’t like certain colors that  normally represent the season?

You make a list!!

WHAT? You may ask!

You make a list of  the colors, and  the elements that You DO like that remind you of the season.

What if you can’t  think of anything to put on your list?

Use a picture of a room that evokes a summer look, and write down the elements in that room. Find those elements in the colors that will work in your room.

For instance, take this image…..

Coastal room...ahhh! Can I do it with a French twist?
If you eliminate the navy blue pillows, and just look at all the elements you will have quite a few elements for your list.....
  • Shells
  • Baskets
  • Woven Totes
  • Elements or images of Summer games or activities
  • Straw hats
  • Wood elements
  • Bottles
  • Lanterns
  • Clear bottles filled with shells or summer greenery

I am now going to show you Summer Rooms without any blue in the room that have some of the above elements displayed. 

You  that know me, know this is a hard one for me to not show any blues, but it is not about me, it is about YOU!!

SHELLS & PRINTS

CHIC COASTAL LIVING: Dreamy Coastal Rooms
No blue in this room, just all neutrals, and yet I still get a summer vibe.

Amber Bottles with Sea Life - Sea Fan, Coral and Sea Urchin ~ I could make these!
Shell. Print.

Check out this shell print! Not a speck of blue, or green!

This would summerize a room that had  earthtones as it’s color scheme. A shell print would be a great jumping off point for your room.

shell print
For those of you who prefer neutrals how about a black and white, or sepia shell print.

STRAW HATS

Nothing says summer like a straw hat. How about  using some fun summer straw hats displayed in your room…..

straw hats
This might be a bit too many for most, but you have to admit, it does make you think of summer!

Straw hat and bag display
This person even added some straw bags to the mix!

BASKETS AND STRAW TOTES

beach bags

Are you still with me?
Now let’s look at some neutral summer rooms void of BLUE……
If I replaced the purple furniture & I had no dogs or kids- I would love to do this!! I will be on the hunt for that octopus pillow though!!!
There is no mistaking that this room is dressed for the summer. Just look at all of the elements here.


loving the neutral palette - good idea with little ones? probably not :(

The addition of the sailboat is what makes this room look like a summer room. Notice the shell print pillows on the sofa! You could add sail boat to your list from this image.



Lake home living room- love the seating options and the kid-friendly neutral color!


Totally neutral and yet I can tell this is a summer room. Notice the large clear bottles with beach grass in them. Another addition to your list, BOTTLES!

Pretty living room all in neutral. Love the shelving design on each side of the windows. Great use of space and way to display treasured items.    My Sweet Savannah
Another neutral room that evokes summer. Just eliminate the blue books and it becomes neutral. 

Notice the demijohns with a palm frond in them. A touch of nature in the form of live plants will always make a room fresh, and in this case summery. 

Palm fronds, banana leaves, or beach grass is another element you can add to your list.

I have started a list for you and have given you some visual images to help jumpstart your summer decorating.

I hope this has been helpful and you can start decorating your very own personal....  
SUMMER ROOM!

10 comments:

Andrea said...

It is summertime year-round here in South Florida, and that has definitely influenced my decorating style... banana leaf wallpaper, blue & white, faux bamboo, palm frond fans... all will be making an appearance in our new home!

XOXO,
The Glam Pad

Babs said...

Thanks for writing the post for me.:)
I'm one with neutral to warm colors in my house and always find it a challenge to decorate in Summer with a green sofa and Audubon Russet walls in the living room. Other walls in the house are neutral, so that's easier. I'm seriously thinking of painting the living room walls a neutral color. Thanks for the Summer inspiration.

Toy Carli said...

Interesting post. I try hard to enjoy all colors but country blue and sky blue shades just do not work for me. All dark shades of blue and turquoise are favorites and I use. Brown is difficult for me. I can do B&W and a shot of orange but brown I rarely uses unless it's in the wood which I mostly prefer white paint. I didn't like the too-much brown here, BUT I really like to challenge myself to the max. I love to move furniture and think outside the box and use color that moves in and out. I am seriously trying to enjoy the blues that I don't like. I decided last week that I'm going to add one thing upstairs in the guest bedroom that has something blue. We'll see. It's important to me to push myself with color and grow with it. I enjoy your posts, Kathy, as I either change or I grow in what I love, which are BOTH wonderful. Thanks for being you.

The enchanted home said...

Great post!! I loooove the look of straw hats but it wouldnt' fit well into my home here however my future beach house- YES!! Ditto glass bottles and shells and other pretty natural textures, so many great ideas here. Hope you had a happy July 4th...missed being in blogland!

Ivy Lane said...

Pretty, inspiring post!

Happy Summer!

Ivy

The Pink Pagoda said...

I love all of your summarizing tips, Kathysue! And you're so funny about the blue -- and I'm right there with you!!

Patty Day @Pattys Epiphanies said...

For Sure!
You need to write a Book!
And you need to teach design.....
Fantastic Post!

Julie Taylor and Danni Greenwalt said...

Great post...love all the hats and you know how I love blue!

Merlin said...

Cool! franki

Jaybird said...

This is a wonderful lesson!! Thank you so much for putting it together! Are you going to do one for winter rooms too?? Pretty please!!
Many thanks for all of the work you do on these great posts.
Blessings,
J