Brighten Your Home For the Summer

For tourists, it might seem like it's summer all year round in the Sunshine State, but Floridians know differently. With temperatures routinely in the mid-90s and frequent thunderstorms, many residents prefer to spend their summer days in the comfort of their air-conditioned homes.

But that doesn't mean that Floridians can't enjoy the lighter, breezier summer months like the residents of more seasonal states. These summer decorating tips from the Baer's Furniture interior design professionals will help you bring the summer vibe into your home without the oppressive heat.

We've curated a list of design tips that can fit multiple budgets and time frames. Whether you just want to change the look of one of your rooms or commit to a comprehensive seasonal overhaul, you're bound to find these pointers helpful.

Most people don't want to purchase brand new furniture sets every three months, but you can change the look of a room with a single piece of furniture. Adding white or light-colored neutral accent pieces can brighten the room's overall look.

Take a look at these Lantana Wicker stools — available in two sizes — from Tommy Bahama's Ocean Breeze Collection. The white-washed wood and Sanibel performance fabric exude that summer feel, and they can match with a variety of furniture pieces. They also make extremely useful entertainment seating.

One of the least expensive and rewarding ways to alter the look of a room is by changing the accessories. Swapping out the artwork, drapes, pillows, throws, lampshades, and area rugs (more on this later), you can create a summer seasonal look for any room in your home.

Check out how this light botanical comforter lightens up the darker rattan material in this Bali Hai bed by Tommy Bahama Home. The mostly-white artwork on the wall and large beige floor rugs enhance the summery feel. 

Painting is one of those lower-cost improvements that can give you a huge bang for your buck. A quick internet search for summer color palettes will yield dozens of paint options for you to choose from, but you also can't go wrong with white, cream, pale yellow, or a nice light blue. If your room currently has darker walls that you love, leave one of them as an accent wall and paint the others white or a lighter complementary color. That will also save you a little work and expense.

"Friluftsliv" is the Norwegian word for embracing the outdoors, and the concept has sparked an interior design trend that aims to bring the outside in. Real and faux foliage are both fantastic decorating accessories. Not only do they provide endless color, shape, and size options, but they also give you a chance to accessorize with pots and vases, which also have numerous style options.

Check out the way that a few stalks of green lightens the mood of the elegant Ariana Domaine Hall Chest. And by placing the vase in front of a mirror, you get double the greenery.

If you are going to use living plants, research the best indoor plants for the lighting conditions of your space or consult your local nursery.

We mentioned deploying brightly colored area rugs to summer your space, but there's another way you can use an area rug to make your room look lighter and summer-ready: by rolling them up and storing them.

Florida architecture loves white or light-colored tile floors. If you have a darker area rug covering a significant portion of the floor, you may achieve your summer decorating goal by putting it away until September.

Conversely, if your floors happen to be darker, you can always make them lighter by laying down a rug that matches your summer color palette and your furniture. Use non-slip pads to keep your furniture from sliding.

If you're looking for a perfect summer piece of furniture for your living room, bedroom, dining room, or any space in your home, a Baer's Furniture consultant can help. Stop in at one of our Florida showrooms and tell us about the vision for your space. Bring pictures and measurements of the area so our floor rep can help guide you. Shop Baer's today!