Home Improvements

There are very few interior designs that make the most of each season and, as such, homeowners should be willing to embrace flexible designs while making seasonal renovations a part of their annual routine. Lighting shifts and temperatures are two significant factors that can change the way a design is received. Cosy designs, for example, those that are embraced during winter, can become too stuffy during the summer. By embracing seasonality in design, however, living spaces not only continue to feel fresh but will be comfortable throughout the year, no matter what the season.

With summer on the horizon, here are five great designs to ensure your home is comfortable during a period of longer days and warmer nights.

Open Spaces

 While the act of enclosing spaces during winter benefits rooms by keeping them warmer, during summer it can be disadvantageous to divide living spaces. Instead, home designs should embrace light and airflow during the summer period, enabling spaces to become brighter and cooler.

As such, it is recommended that residents reduce the amount of furniture and decor in their homes during the summer months, storing them away to create more open spaces within their homes.

Floral Wallpaper 

Refreshing a space and making it more suitable for summer can be as simple as adding a bright and floral wallpaper to a room. Such additions can be even more impactful when they are added as a statement design, such as on a single wall or as a mural.

Wallpapers can be chosen for their exotic designs or even their embracing of elegance and beauty, harkening back to vintage aesthetics such as chinoiserie, which are becoming more popular among interior designers.

Cabin Escapes

 Having an outbuilding can change the way residents view their garden spaces. The part-interior part-exterior space that is offered by such structures like log cabins and annexes is ideal for bringing various activities out of the home during summer.

This could be as regular as dining in a covered space, one that remains open to a garden environment, or as specialist as creating a bespoke sunroom within which to practice yoga.

Exchange Curtains 

Curtains are an excellent way to prevent drafts and help a room to feel cosy. During the summer, however, swapping out curtains for light and airy alternatives can help a room to feel better ventilated and softer too, especially with the presence of a greater amount of natural light. 

Natural Materials 

In the same way that floral designs can help a room to feel more open to nature, the materials used to construct furniture and decorations can also benefit a living space’s atmosphere during the warmer season. Materials such as cork and wicker, as well as lighter woods like pine, can elevate a room’s sense of weight, especially when compared with darker woods and stone.

The same is also true for fabrics. Thick wools and velvets can lose their sense of comfort during the summer, being weighty and dense. By exchanging them for lighter and brighter alternatives, such as linen and cotton, homeowners can make their homes feel better on warmer days.

Many citizens used to enjoy going to the movies before the COVID-19 outbreak brought with it conditions disallowing the frequenting of public places, such as restaurants, religious worship houses, and even cinemas. The ‘new normal’ as it has become known, has forced us to change the way we think, and how we partake in our relaxing pastimes.

Numerous families have opted to install their own cinemas within the privacy of their home or garden. A bonus of this is not having to pay for popcorn or other confections. It also saves on travel costs and because of this, the world’s carbon footprint is reduced.

We bet you’re wondering how you can build your own home screening theatre.

Firstly, consider the size of the screen and the maximum number of people your cinema will need to accommodate. From there, you can calculate the square footage your space will need to be.

You’ll obviously want it to feel like an external experience even though you’ll still be on your property, so you will need a loose standing structure for your project. Log Cabins make wonderful home cinemas and are available in a range of shapes and sizes.

Your budget will dictate how much you can spend, but there are three fundamental aspects you cannot afford to skimp on:

• Potential noise disturbance: The last thing you want is a neighbour hammering on the door telling you to turn down your expensive surround sound system. One of the best ways to reduce your sound output is to soundproof the space, but it can be an expensive exercise. More economical options include carpet tiles for the walls and floor and acoustic tiles for the ceiling. These fittings will assist in the absorption of noise, rather than causing it to echo outdoors.

• Comfort: Think for a minute how many movie tickets you’ve purchased in the past couple of years. Quite a few, no doubt? Now consider the chairs in the cinema you often visited; they weren’t all that comfortable, were they? You’re going to be spending many hours in your home cinema, so invest in multifunctional seating, such as snug recliners.
• High-quality sound equipment: Any cinematic experience is enhanced by great surround sound. Set aside a substantial part of your budget to procure the best system you can afford.

One of the most special things about having a home cinema is that you, your family and your friends can enjoy time together without having to spend a lot of money. The cost of living seems to constantly be rising as people in all income brackets feel the pinch of the pandemic on their pockets.

Being able to share a movie together brings a small sense of normality back into life and affords you the time to socially interact, which is a crucial part of surviving during lockdown. Or, if you need a solo escape, you can watch the latest blockbuster on your own, curled up on your easy chair, crunching on your popcorn as loudly as you want.

The only things that are left for you to do are: choose a movie, make some popcorn, and relax!