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5 interior designer tips for getting your home summer ready

By Guest Poster • Leave a Comment

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By Chloe Matters

When getting your home ready for summer, the main objective is to clear out the clutter and bring in the light and life that the warmer months provide.

TomMarkHenry 1

It is the hardest thing to look objectively at a space you live in every day and edit it, but it is crucial! I take this back to a saying I have: “What captures your attention controls your life.” This is relevant to every aspect of your life, especially your home. If you live in clutter and darkness this will control your home and the way you enjoy it.

Below are five easy things you can do to start the process of creating a summer ready home for you to enjoy.

1. Strip everything back to the necessities

This is the first and most important step. Think of this like doing a wardrobe clear out and putting your winter clothes into storage. In one part of the room, leave out all the items that are relevant to the weather like linen and cotton sheets, candles, plants and summery small accessories. Once you have stripped back everything you can revaluate what is important in the room, you can also rearrange the furniture to maximise space and flow then you can start adding again, but keep it simple, summer is about space, light and air, not about clutter.

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2. Maximise the light and flow in your home

This is a really important part of life that people take for granted, your body and mind respond so sensitively to light. In the summer months we crave light and open spaces. Evaluate the direction of your furniture and how it is placed in the space; what is your couch facing? Can your see the outside from your bed? What is the flow like in this space? Can I add a window seat? Rearrange your space to maximise flow, take out items and move items around to allow for the best access to natural light and movement within the space.

Evaluate the colour of your walls; is this off white too beige? Could this wall be lighter to add more light to this room? Would my art stand out more on another finish? Painting your walls or adding a new finish like V-joint timber panelling can be fun and very rewarding.

TomMarkHenry

3. Add plants everywhere

A really good way to feel connected to the outdoors is by bringing them in. By adding plants, some small and some large, you will not only clean your indoor air but you will bring life inside, making you feel more connected to the outdoors. You can do this by adding succulents to water in a vase (this way there is no upkeep) large plants like rubber plants which are basically foolproof or Fig trees, which need a bit of extra love. You can also buy or pull from the garden large palm leaves and place them in a vase.

4. Make sure the materials and fabrics in your home are relevant

If you have heavy throw pillows, rugs, curtains and thick sheets, I would try swapping these out. For pillows and sheets, keep to light colours or patterns in cotton and linen. For rugs, change to sisals or thin mats or take the rug off the floor and expose the floor boards. For curtains, change to linens and sheer fabrics to let as much light in as possible. This is like having a summer and winter wardrobe for your home. I personally prefer summery fabrics all year round.

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5. Bring in summer scents

Your brain works in a multi-sensory way, so create a multi-sensory environment that you enjoy. A good way to do this is by adding candles, scents to air-conditioning or flowers. There is nothing better than walking into a fresh smelling home at the end of a hot day.

— Chloe is the co-director of TomMarkHenry, a Sydney-based interior architecture firm with fresh ideas and lots of passion.

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December 1, 2015

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Swipe for after! What a fab, yet sympathetic, mak Swipe for after!

What a fab, yet sympathetic, makeover of this untouched (but not in a good way!) 50s house by @sellinghousesaus See all the rooms on the blog now via link in bio.

Great use of small space and working with the retro feel of the home while still modernising it.

Bravo @wendymooreedit 👏

#sellinghouses #sellinghousesaustralia #50shouse #50shome #beforeandafterbathroom #retrorenovation #lifestylechannel #foxtel #smallbathroomdesign #showeroverbath

@andrewtwinter
There's nothing like ticking off little jobs! We f There's nothing like ticking off little jobs! We finally knocked out our 60s brown tile back step and replaced it with a smaller grey one made from @trexcompany Island Mist decking to match our deck (that went in 4.5 years ago) and now painted brick exterior. Making the step smaller allowed us to add in an additional manhole under the back door too to allow easier access under the house at the back. And we made a cover for that too (final slide) using Trex. I say "we" but I really mean our handyman 😉 One plank was enough for both jobs. Why we didn't do this ages ago I do not know but it's done now! 😁 Installed with @trexrainescape to ensure it stays dry and lasts!

Disclosure: Plank of Trex decking was gifted. I paid for the handyman.

#backstep #doorstep #deck #decking #deckdesign #deckideas #compositedecking #trex #trexdecking #greydecking

Mat from @doormatau
Me and @fantasticfurniture go WAY back! When I fir Me and @fantasticfurniture go WAY back! When I first came to Australia in my 20s, it's where I headed to buy everything I needed for my first apartment at an incredible price! And I've loved watching the range get more and more impressive over the years as my knowledge of furniture has increased. I had no idea how extensive their Aussie Made sofa range was though. I'd love you to check out the options via link in bio as I think you'll be impressed! I think we have a renewed appreciation for Aussie Made and supporting local manufacturing and jobs and this is a great success story. We love a bit of high low decorating, and turns out Fantastic Furniture is a great place to find your family lounge, a special accent chair, an extra ottoman for occasional seating and so much more. 

#fantasticfurniture #aussiemade #australianfurniture #FindyourFantastic #FantasticFamily #affordablehomewares #affordablefurniture #custommadesofa #custommadelounges #australianhomes #interiorsblog #interiorsaccount #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsdaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome
Please don't show my boys this room or they'll wan Please don't show my boys this room or they'll want one like it!

How gorgeous is this Brisbane kids' bedroom?! 

@brittwhitestudio worked closely with the boys (aged 7 and 9) to understand their needs with a bespoke bunk bed solution crafted by BRC Cabinets, featuring ample storage as well as an under-stair hidey-hole, a useful reading nook for books and a built-in charger for electronics. Local craftsmen Emmett’s Ropes designed and hand-tied the ropework on the top bunk and the supporting pillar beneath.

Head over to the blog via link in bio to see and read more!

#bunkroom #bunkbed #bunkbedsforkids #bunkbeds #bespokebunkbeds #custommadebunkbeds #sharedbedroom #sharedbedroomforkids #boysroominspo #boysroomdecor #junglebedroom #kidsroomstyle #kidsroomstyling #childrensrooms #theinteriorsaddict #interiorsblog #interiorsaccount #interiorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #brittwhitestudio #highriseliving #apartmentlifestyle #penthouses #apartmentlivingwithkids #newsteadbrisbane 

Pix by @joebrosnan.photo
Comment your fave: 1, 2 or 3? Just 3 of the kitch Comment your fave: 1, 2 or 3?

Just 3 of the kitchens in the @duluxaus Colour Awards 2023 shortlist which will give you some serious inspiration!

Loads more gorgeous residential rooms to see on the blog this morning via link in bio.

Projects by @studio__bright @kaiko_design and Georgie Shepherd Interior Design. Pix by @arorygardiner @fiona_susanto and @christophermorrisphoto 

#duluxcolour #duluxpaint #duluxaus #duluxcolourawards #duluxcolourawards2023 #moodykitchen #allwhitekitchen #designerkitchen #sagekitchen #boldkitchen #colourfulkitchen #colouredkitchen #theinteriorsaddict #interiorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #interiorsblog #interiorsaccount
We're a bit obsessed with Cara Standen's balcony m We're a bit obsessed with Cara Standen's balcony makeover using @kmartaus stone tiles!

Nineties townhouse in Lennox Head or villa in Greece? You decide! All up it cost $2000 including all materials and she did the work herself.

Read all about it via link in bio now.

Love your work @twin_palms_lennox

#kmartaustralia #kmartdiy #kmarthack #kmarthome #modernmediterranean #balconymakeover #balconyideas #diybalcony #budgetdiy #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome
Wallpaper in every single room! What do you recko Wallpaper in every single room!

What do you reckon? You'd think it would be overkill but it isn't because so many of the designs are subtle yet still impactful.

Head over to the blog to see how @grafico_walls transformed this blank canvas Melbourne townhouse with their products, which you've probably seen on The Block over the years. And read how Damian Corney has grown this Melbourne business with wife Adele and a growing team. There's also a look inside the very cool Motley Hotel which has used a whopping 4km of their wallpaper throughout!

You can also watch a video tour with Bec Douros as the house featured on Open Homes Australia over the weekend.

Via link in bio now.

#wallpapergoals #wallpaperdesign #australianwallart #australianwallpaper #wallmurals #wallpapermural #wallpapermurals #wallpapereddoor #digitalwallpaper #digitallyprintedwallpaper #customwallpaper #wallpaperaesthetic #wallpapertrends #wallpaperaustralia #grafico #graficowallcoverings #melbournebusiness #melbournesmallbusiness #openhomesaustralia #theblock #becdouros
Kids and fluffy chickens. Does it get any cuter?! Kids and fluffy chickens. Does it get any cuter?! 

Braved the rain second morning in a row to feed the animals at @edenfarmescape because life's too short to worry about a bit of mud and drizzle!

Feeling relaxed 🥰
Did you see this cracking little transformation on Did you see this cracking little transformation on @sellinghousesaus last night?

We have all the finer details on the blog today via link in bio. Particularly love the kitchen refresh using the existing blue cupboards which really weren't doing anything for me before 😂

#sellinghouses #sellinghousesaustralia #beforeandafterkitchen #beforeandafterrenovation #beforeandafterlivingroom #renoshow #realreno #interiorsblog #interiorsaccount #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #bluekitchen #budgetkitchenmakeover #budgetdiy #budgetmakeover
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