Getting Your Home Ready For Summer
It’s Spring, which means that Summer will be here before you know it! We wanted to give you some tips to help you get your home ready for the sunshine— as well as show you how to seamlessly flow that beautiful Summer vibe from the outside—inside too! Here are 5 tips for bringing the “sunshine” in for a cohesive feel!
1. Deep. clean. everything! One of the best things you can do to start prepping your spaces for summertime is to get organized and refreshed. Whether you start outside or inside first—doesn’t matter, just have a plan and stick with it. Deep cleaning your porches, sunrooms, entertainment spaces, and other exteriors helps to give you a full “reset”. Get out your power washer and clean your deck, sidewalks, or even your house siding to remove the dirt and debris that has likely accumulated over the fall and winter months. Getting rid of any old pots, outdated summer decor, or old cushions, will help everything to feel refreshed! Inside, you can do similar deep cleans—things like cleaning all of your ceiling fans that are sure to be getting extra use soon, shampooing rugs and carpet, dusting those windowsills, and scrubbing floors, for example, are great things to get you ready for summer. It wouldn’t hurt to go through your seasonal decor, clothing, and entertainment pieces to see if they need updated or to see if you are keeping things you don’t really use anymore. Starting with a clean slate is so much easier that starting with a full one!
2. Lanscaping and plants! I know I simply cannot wait until it’s time fill my porches with beautiful flowers and update any landscaping so that I can enjoy it all year long. One thing you can do to help your home flow from the outside in, is to bring some of the beautiful greenery you see outside, inside. When you are filling your pots with plants pay close attention to whether they need full sun, partial, or shade, so you can make sure they will thrive in the areas you put them. Some things you plant can actually thrive over the winter if they are brought inside! You don’t always have to throw out plants in the winter, you can actually water them and get them ready in the warmness of your home over the cold months and take them back outside when it warms up. If a plant does well in the shade or likes lots of window sunlight (like succulents) bring them inside so that your greenery can flow from your porch to your home! Plants bring about fresh oxygen and are sure to make your home livelier.
3. Painting your exterior surfaces. Whether it’s just your porch or the entire exterior—a little paint can completely transform a space. Especially if you have recently updated the inside of your home! Over the years you might not have realized as you are painting and redecorating inside that the harmony from the outside of your home might not be jiving with the inside anymore, so to make them feel more cohesive, can really help transform that feeling! Look at the color palette you have inside: Is it warm? cool? is it minimal? Is it styled with a cohesive look or do you like an eclectic style? Does it have nice accent and trim colors? All of these things matter—and if you mirror your style outside it can help you flow from your porch and outdoor entertainment spaces inside to your kitchen, dining, and living spaces with a purposeful harmony. Maybe it’s time to update the outside color palette of your home! Recently one of our clients used a front door color to bridge the gap between their siding color and their new wall colors—and it looked amazing! Their outside trim was a light green with yellow undertones, and their new colors inside were cool grays and blues. Their front door was in need of being painted so they went with Pewter Green by Sherwin Williams, a cool toned green that felt very harmonious with all of the beautiful blues inside!
4. Invest in some nice outdoor/indoor entertainment pieces. A gorgeous serving tray with a pitcher and glasses can be a nice staple to help serve your guests inside and out. Baskets, ottomans, and even textiles like throws and rugs that can flow from the inside to the outside are also great ways to help your spaces feel cozy. If you have throw pillows inside—put a few of the same hued ones on your porch or deck so that the color palette flows nicely into outdoors. A nice bar cart is a great way to serve or display things inside and outside also!
5.) Lighting! I think lighting should be the GRAND finale! Lighting is one of our favorite ways to update spaces. We usually have much fancier or updated lighting inside, so mirror some of your lighting styles outside can help the spaces to feel grander. Putting some nice sized pendants in your covered porch areas can help it to feel like an outside dining space or living space. You can also update your flush mounted porch lights to match your pendants for a nice cohesive feel. Mix and match lighting finishes with the fixtures in your home so your style is cohesive and recognizable all around your property. Try not to choose lights that are too small for your space—the exterior can handle larger scale items well! Add accent lights outdoors where possible like string lights, or cafe lights, and if you don’t have enough electrical outlets—try solar powered lights! Lighting can definitely elevate a space and it’s easily affordable.
Alright! It’s time to get started! Hope you found these tips super helpful. If you are in need of sprucing up your spaces (whether it’s inside or outside) reach out to us if you would like to schedule a consultation—we would be happy to help you get going in the right direction. We can wait to spend some time with you over the warm Summer months.
