Lazy days and summer nights

With the garden beckoning, it's easy to forget about interior decoration during the summer months. Yet there are many ways to benefit from the sunshine, while indoors. The key to a great summer room is creating a calm, tranquil space – perfect for relaxation on hot days, or lightening your spirits when the weather doesn't oblige.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jul 2010, 15:56 BST
Updated 13th Jul 2010, 15:58 BST

"Make a cramped area feel bigger and maximise light by painting the floor and skirting boards in a light, pastel shade," advises Jane Burdon, author of Room Rescues. Louvred shutters maintain privacy and allow light to flood in.

Breezy blue and white stripes, fresh white paint-work, neutral flooring, and lots of nautical bits and pieces bring to mind lazy days by the coast. Karen Thomas, head of home design for Sainsbury's, says that the allure of the sea is strong this year, with all things nautical in vogue. "Refresh a living room with an airy beach house palette of blues and understated neutrals," she adds. "Cool cottons for throws, loose covers for sofas, and natural rattans and prints of seaside scenes are the ingredients for this gentle, relaxed style."

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The bedroom is probably the only room in a family home that a decorator can call their own. It shouldn't just be a place to sleep, but a refuge from the hurly-burly of family life. "Sleep's vital for our whole wellbeing. It restores the body, refreshes the mind, and even helps boost the immune system," says Chrissie Rucker, founder of The White Company. "A perfect summer bedroom is an airy sanctuary. Small changes, such as changing heavy winter curtains for light, gauzy ones and adding a light-coloured bedspread, will help achieve that."

"A comfortable bathroom is one where all the necessary accessories, such as bottles and jars, have a place," says Caroline Clifton-Mogg, author of The Comforts of Home. "You can never have too much storage. If a bathroom's really small, the space behind a fixed panel on the side of a bath can sometimes be adapted to make a small cupboard. It just requires cutting and hinging a panel to create a door." Make a room feel larger by painting floorboards in a light coloured shade of hard-wearing floor paint. Use a long handled roller for easy application and make sure floors are clean and dust/grease free before starting. A junk shop desk and folding chair could easily be revamped with a coat of paint.

Make a shabby desk and chair look new with International Furniture and Cupboard paint, perhaps in a soft green shade such as Lovely Olive, 16.99 for 750ml. Flowers connect us to nature, bringing colour and a soothing scent to a room. "Cut flowers should be a finishing touch for every room. Keep arrangements simple to allow the natural colour and shape of the blooms to speak for themselves," says Atlanta Bartlett, stylist and director of online lifestyle store, Pale and Interesting.

Where to get the look

Laura Ashley: 0871 230 2301 / www.lauraashley.com

The Handpicked Collection: 0845 602 3578 / www.handpickedcollection.com

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International Paints: 0844 7709 444 / www.international-paints.co.uk

Littlewoods Direct: 08448 222 321 / www.littlewoodsdirect.com

Not On The High Street: 0845 259 1359 / www.notonthehighstreet.com

Pale & Interesting: 01797 344 077 / www.paleandinteresting.com

Plasti-Kote: 01223 836400 / www.plasti-kote.com

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Really Linda Barker 0844 387 7272 / www.reallylindabarker.co.uk

Sainsbury's: 0800 636 262 / www.sainsburys.co.uk

Shutterly Fabulous 0845 017 8988 / www.shutterlyfabulous.com

The White Company 0845 678 8150 / www.thewhitecompany.com

The Window Film Company 01494 794 477 / www.windowfilm.co.uk

YP MAG 17/7/10

Related topics:Sainsbury'sSleep