The sun is starting to peek out and show its face a little more often (though the weather sometimes seems like it’s being reluctant enough!) As such, we need to prepare the home for the light, heat, and the refreshing energy that comes with the change of the seasons.
One of the most important ways to ready your home for summer is to take a closer look at those windows. That’s where all the natural light is going to come in, so how do you make sure that you’re making the most of it?
Stop cluttering your windows up
First of all, the big change that you want to make is that you don’t want your windows to feel crowded and closed off as a result of clutter. For one, if you have any large and dense curtains, they might feel like a good option to make the home feel cosy in the winter, but you don’t have as much need for that right now so consider taking them down and relying on lighter window treatments like blinds. Giving your windows a good clean is essential as you don’t want the sun to light them up only for them to look dirty and dusty. Try to make sure that there isn’t too much furniture in the way of the windows and the natural light they allow into the home, as well.
Make sure you’re choosing the right blinds
Once you’ve gotten rid of the clutter around the window, then it’s time to decide what treatments are going to suit it best. Blinds are often the best option for the summer simply because they are much lighter, allowing more light through in general, but you can adjust them at will to decide how much light and privacy you want at any given time. Follow a guide on how to measure blinds before you make any choices. Blinds that are too small are going to let through more light when they’re fully closed, and if they are too big, they simply won’t fit the window, which is also a no-go.
Use the window ledge
This might sound like it contradicts the point of decluttering the windows, but it doesn’t have to. A few, small choices and additions to your windowsill can make a big difference, helping it look much more attractive and turning it into a focal point. Natural materials and objects are great decor items for the summer. A mason jar full of seashells, pebbles, and other simple natural objects can be a great addition, for one. Of course, the best choice, if you’re willing to take care of it, is a bright flowering houseplant. They can add a lovely dash of colour and liveness to the home.
Make good use of the opposite wall, too
It’s not just the window that you should be focusing all of your attention on. Once you’ve opened it up and it’s allowing for plenty of natural light, you should focus on where that light is going to be hitting, since it’s naturally going to be getting a lot more attention. A well-designed windowsill can be a great focal point for the room, but so too can the opposite wall. If you have the space, you can turn it into a feature wall by incorporating unique wall art. Art that evokes summery images, whether they be images of flowers, natural scenes, travel shots, or landscapes of the coast can be a great choice for the summer.
Help the right around the home
If you’ve made the right choices of blinds and gotten rid of any of the clutter that stops the natural light from making its way around the room, then you should have a brighter room already. However, if you have a larger room, then opening up the windows isn’t going to be enough. You can help the light bounce around the room by choosing a brighter colour scheme. White reflects the most light, but all bright colours are going to do a fine job. You can also choose the right mirror that can actively help reflect light to banish the darker corners of the room. Whatever your option, it’s a good idea to help light travel around a little.
When you make sure that you give your windows the revamp that they need, a lot more natural light can come into the home, brightening it up and helping to refresh the whole home. When doing a summer redesign of the home, start with the windows.
This is a collaborative post.