Summer is a glorious season. Finally, we can shed the layers and allow all that glorious sunshine to kiss the skin and warm our bones.
For many of us, it is also a time to socialise and party, meet up with old friends and new, and entertain the family with BBQs and garden picnics. And that means getting your home ship-shape and Bristol fashion, ready to make the most of summer.
Ditch winter
The coldness, the greyness and the dampness have gone so switch soft furnishings around. Wash, dry and store away heavier, thicker throws in the wooden blanket box and change the cushions covers for lighter, pastel shades. Put away heavily textured items too in favour of lighter, smoother throws and rugs.
Defrost the freezer
Our eating habits change in summer and that means making space for lighter meals and the all-important stock of lollies and ice cream. Crush some ice too, perfect for a summer-light strawberry gin and tonic on the patio.
Store away the slow cooker
…and bring out the shatterproof picnic dishes. Give them a clean in the dishwasher and then have a move around in the kitchen cupboards. Be ready for unexpected summer guests with plenty of ingredients to create a summer feast and serve on your farmhouse dining table with pretty napkins and other essential al fresco dining accoutrements.
Bring summer in
It is amazing how much dust and dirt accumulate on the windows and doors of the home over winter so before your summer party season starts, roll up your sleeves and get spring cleaning – and that means cleaning windows. It may be a boring job – get your headphones on and bop away to your favourite tunes – but the difference is amazing. Summer will flood in, whether your patio doors are thrown open or closed against a slightly cooler summer day.
Summer stock
It isn’t just our appetite that changes in the summer but the hazards that greet us too. Take a peek in your first aid cupboard. Is the antihistamine ‘itchy-bite-cream’ still in date? Do you need some plasters and anti-bac wipes for when there are grazes on knees and rose thorns in fingers? Insect repellent is usually helpful too although, in the garden, you can plant blooms and herbs that keep some pesky critters away.
Make the patio into a room
Living outdoors is what summer is made for and so, when the sun is shining and the temperature hovering somewhere around balmy and tropical, why not lift out your farmhouse table from the kitchen onto the patio and make the patio the summer room? lay a rug down first – either an interior rug or a special outdoor one – to protect its feet and to add comfort underfoot first.
Accessorise it too
From cushions to throws, to lanterns and candles, there are all kinds of ways of adding interest, colour and comfort to the patio or the farmhouse furniture that adorns it. Choose lighter materials, such as cotton and don’t forget the beauty of patterns for summer too.