8 Summer Décor Tips to Make Your House Look (& Feel) Cool
Is your house THE house for summertime fun and hangout seshes when the kids are home for vacation? What about having the adults come over for a well-deserved summer party? What about both the kids AND the adults? No matter who you are hosting this summer now is the time to start prepping.
With the heat turning up, you’re going to want to impress your guests by making your home a cool and comfortable oasis. But, how can you do this without touching the thermostat and spending a ton on utility bills?
Keep reading to find out.
The Perfect Summer Home: What Are We Going For?
First things first, you’re going to want to decide on the specific “cooling” look and feel you want your home to have this summer. For the sake of this list, we’ll be focusing on a relaxed and casual look with a refreshing, light, and breezy feel. Keep in mind you’ll want to incorporate lots of crisp whites, natural fabrics, and organic pieces to give your home that fresh, current, and summery touch.
Below we’ve compiled a list of decorating ideas that work to make your house look (and feel) cool this summer so decorating is that much easier to accomplish and your guests leave feeling seriously wowed and cooled off.
Keep It Airy, Keep It Light
You’re going to want to make sure your guest room and living room are not only adequately stocked for your friends and family, but that they have an impressive je ne sais quoi that makes for a stylish and comfortable stay. You’re also going to want to ‘turn down the heat’ for your guests—after all, your home will be their escape from the balmy summer sun.
Lucky for you, accomplishing this casual yet light and airy feel is easy-peasy! Take a look:
The Bed Room
1. Add a natural touch with versatile & functional baskets.
Baskets are such a simple way to add that airy, cool touch to your space. You can find cheap yet stylish baskets at your local thrift store. We recommend woven, natural baskets to maintain that “cooling” effect you’re going for. You can hang them on the wall as art pieces, use them to fill empty spots on the bedroom bookshelf or night table, set some faux plants in them for an even more natural, summery look, or even use them as an organization tool for extra blankets near the end of the bed.
2. Incorporate summer stripes & fresh whites.
What do we mean by summer stripes? For home decorating, stripes are a cornerstone for that crispy summer, coastal aesthetic. The best part—you can incorporate summer stripes anywhere. Our top two favorite ways to do so are through framed line art and area rugs. Summer stripes keep the space casual and light, and give the appearance of a cool and fresh home with minimal effort.
Adding in fresh white colors is also just as easy. All you need are some white throw blankets, pillows, bed sheets, and an airy comforter set. If you want to add more color, we recommend light blues and greens to mix and match. For example, start with some sage green Luxury Bed Sheets paired with a navy blue Everyday Fleece Blanket throw and a white Luxury Down Alternative Comforter. These colors are crisp, fresh, and visually “cooling.”
Pro tip: Invest in white Luxury Pillowcases to pair with your Luxury Pillow so your guests can not only enjoy buttery-smooth comfort, but can also indulge in summer’s finest materials for a crisp look and light, airy feel. Plus, the Luxury Pillow is fully adjustable for any kind of sleeper, so your guests can remove or add the filling to fit their desired comfort and needs. Once they leave, you can re-stuff it, and it’s ready to go for your next guests.
3. Switch out stuffy linens for temperature-regulating bedding.
Cotton bedding is your guests’ worst nightmare when it comes to keeping cool this summer. If your guest room is packed with stuffy cotton linens, it’s time to make a switch to temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking bedding. Take a peek at a few of our favorite options:
Pro tip: After your guests leave, wash and then dry your new luxe bedding with hand-felted wool dryer balls to keep them looking and feeling brand new for your next guests. No need for one-time-use fabric softeners!
The Living Room
4. Dial down on the fluff.
It’s not chilly out anymore! Open up your closets or grab some storage containers and put away all the fluff and fuzz. ‘Tis the season for cooling simplicity, not hot faux fur blankets. Even if you’re not physically cuddling up under these things, they are visually warming—exactly what we don’t want.
Instead, opt for versatile items that are simple and “visually cooling”. What do we mean, you ask? If you’re stuck on having blankets and throws on your couch this summer, take the Cosy House Everyday Fleece Blanket, for instance.
These blankets are made with a premium 100% microfiber polyester material that wicks away excess body heat to ensure maximum comfort. Because they’re made with this unique fabric blend, they offer superior softness and cleanliness and are more breathable than cotton. Cosy House also offers this blanket in 9 colorful options so you can cater to your perfect, summery living room and make sure everything is still “visually cooling.”
5. Stock up on assorted pillows.
Throw pillows provide the perfect opportunity to incorporate cooling colors and airy, natural fabrics into your space. We suggest piling up on these smaller pillows so you have an interchangeable assortment that you can switch around when needed. A little pillow rearranging can change the look and feel of a space in an instant!
If you have white or gray couches, we suggest using light blue pillows or darker blue pillows with white stripes (don’t forget about those summer stripes!).
6. Rethink lighting.
Lighting is more important than you might think. To stay on track with the light, airy, cooling look and feel of your home, invest in sheer curtains for your windows so that a bit of natural light can still trickle in. This allows the space to liven up and appear bigger, while the sheer curtain still provides a bit of protection from the hot sun. It’s a win-win!
Lighting even comes down to your lightbulbs. Some bulbs have varying color temperatures and brightness. For example, bulbs labeled “Cool White” tend to emit a bluey-white glow, while “Warm White” is much more yellowy for a warmer tone.
7. Declutter & cut back.
Summertime is the time for minimalism. Why? Because excess clutter not only makes your space visually warmer, but it can make it physically hotter and stuffier, too. Keep your walls and living room sparse and clean to reduce clutter and cool down the space. Store unnecessary items out of sight, like winter linens or warmer-hued accessories.
8. Embrace the “cool”.
Have you ever noticed that a marble floor is colder on your feet than a wood floor? That’s because some materials, like metal or stone, are good conductors of heat. When you touch the marble floor your body transfers heat, making the bottom of your feet feel cooler.
No, you don’t need to tear up your floors and counters and install new metal or stone ones. Simply highlight the cold surfaces your home already has! For example, if you have a tile floor in the living room but it’s covered with a rug, remove the rug. If you have a cold-surface coffee table but there’s a cloth over it, remove the cloth. Emphasize all the “colder” surfaces you can find so your guests can embrace the “cool.”
Cosy Keeps You Cool
Searching for more goodies to make the house “cooler” this summer? Click here to find a huge selection of home good essentials to make your life, and your home, that much cozier.
We've gone ahead & enclosed a 10% off coupon below for you to use if you'd like to take the plunge and try out our sheets for yourself! To shop our collection & get 10% OFF Use the code 'BLOG10' at checkout.
What are your favorite products from Cosy House? Let us know in the comments below. The Cosy community loves hearing from you.
Happy Summer Season from all of us here at Cosy!
