Fresh looks for your living room

his summer ’sT decorating trends transport us from Italy ’s Amalfi coast to sundrenched equatorial schemes. Get your lounge summer-ready with our top tips and best buys for relaxed summer living.

Simply Refresh one coat paint in Egyptian Cotton, £39.18 for 2.5L, Dulux

Window seat cushion in dulcet fabric in Old White, £44.95 per m; cushions in linen union in French Linen and Old White, both £39.95 per m; wall paint in Old White, £41.95 per 2.5L, all Annie Sloan

Why not turn an unused window alcove into a sunny window seat? You can build your own seat from scratch or reinforce a low TV cabinet for the purpose. Look for shops that can cut cushion foam to your required measurements. Then you can sew your own simple rectangular cover. Make your cover in a fabric that matches your curtains or blinds for a co-ordinated look. Lighten up your look with a fresh lick of paint. Dulux’s clever paint formula is guaranteed to give walls a new lease of life with just one coat, leaving you with more time to enjoy the weather. Choose light colours with warm undertones to create a natural feel with on-trend Mediterranean vibes.

Butlers coffee table in Carbon, £350, Garden Trading Capro candle holder, £5.99, Dobbies

Madras Pink check cushion, £45, Weaver Green Rattan storage basket in Brown, £34.99, H&M Home

Cotton hand-woven gingham check Yellow rug, £24.99, Homescapes

Pampas wreaths, £100 for a set of three, Next

Coloured glass accessories capture sunlight and throw it back into the room with a jewel-like glow. Use these shining pieces to highlight areas of the living room you want to show off, like a bookshelf or mantelpiece. Arrange them in small groups of various sizes and colours for a dramatic display.

Kauka Pink glass vase, £29.50, Oliver Bonas

Double circle stoneware candle holder in Mustard, £25, Rose & Grey

Grand Designs Farnham right-hand facing grand chaise sofa in Terracotta velvet, £2,199, DFS Add zest to your living room scheme with a fruit-themed wallpaper. Citrus fruits instantly transport you to warmer climes or sultry greenhouses. We love the blue background of this paper, which reminds us of cloudless summer skies.

Treat yourself in true sustainable style with a recycled polyester fabric sofa. The Grand Designs range from DFS has been designed using recycled and sustainable materials, without compromising on comfort or stunning good looks. The colours and fabrics in the range are made to mix and match, so you can pair a classic chenille sofa with a luxurious velvet footstool in the same on-trend tones.

Hanging eye mirror, £6, B&M Tutti Frutti plant pot, medium, £26, Anthropologie Leaf print outdoor cushions, £29.50 for two, Marks & Spencer

Rattan magazine rack, £30.80, Søstrene Grene Straight empire shade in natural rattan, £32, Pooky

Round slate bookends, £34 for two, Sir Gordon Bennet Malia velvet and cane pendant lampshade, £98, Oliver Bonas

Bring the outdoors in with bold botanical prints. Lush foliage gives a cool feeling to living rooms that get particularly hot on summer days. Don’t feel limited to using only green though, mix in blush, taupe and even blue leaf prints for a multi-layered look, like a real rainforest.

Create a rosy look with a floral blind. Roman blinds are great for rooms that get a lot of sun. The blind can be pulled down one section at a time, so you have control over the amount of shade created. This reduces glare, but still allows you to look out of the window and won’t make you feel as though you’re shutting the sunshine out!

Summer is the time to temporarily remove heavy or dark curtains. This will instantly make your living room feel brighter. Replace them with breezier fabrics like linen and voile for the next few months. If you need a little more privacy, add in a roller or Roman blind too.

Tufted White slot top voile curtain, from £6, Dunelm

Sofa in Osaka Spice fabric, £25.20 per m, Prestigious Textiles Emma Bridgewater Roses Pink Roman blind, from £31.80, Blinds 2go

Daisy velvet chaise in Grey, £350; Jessie leaning bookcase, £110; Luxe Living velvet cushion, £12; Lowena mesh ceiling light in Gold, £120; Agra leopard candle holder, £10; Luxe living tealight holder, large, £8; Regency velvet cushion, £20; Agra glass tealight holder, £4.50; Luxe living bookends, £16; Luxe Living lion head candle, £18; Ontario Black picture frame, £35; Kupari Gold frames, £60 for a set of five; Numi handwoven wool rug, £350; Aluminus Black frames, £50 for a set of five, all Habitat

Open bookshelves give you lots of storage while still maintaining an airy look. Pile on your summer holiday reads and sunny accessories to create a flexible display that’s quick to refresh. Fill a coloured glass jar with blooms from the garden and, on an open shelving unit, you’ll be able to see it from anywhere in the room.

Sully modular floor cushion in Oatmeal cotton slub, £199; Sully floor cushion in Oatmeal cotton slub, £149, both MADE.com

Scents of summer

Complete your new season scheme by switching up your room fragrances. Taylor Perlis, Fragrance Application Evaluator at Yankee Candle, talks us through her favourite scents for summer... ‘Fragrance has the power to uplift your mood, bring a sense of comfort, and even transport you somewhere else. Scent can also change the vibe of your living space and provide a muchneeded refresh each season.

If you want your home to have that just-cleaned feeling, look to sparkling, bright fragrances filled with grapefruit, lemon and other zesty citrus fruits.

To make your space feel fresh, but still cosy, try a textural blend that is reminiscent of clean linen or your favourite soft blanket. For an extra boost of comfort, look for vanilla, musk and amber notes. Over the past year, our homes have become our safe havens, so having a calm and peaceful abode is a must.

Revamp your space by bringing in the scent of the outdoors. Look for a fragrance that is inspired by nature and captures the essence of a walk in the woods, flowers in bloom or a crisp herb garden. Overall, the most important thing to remember, is to select fragrances that make you feel happy and will help you reset.’

Original jar candles in (from top to bottom) Tropical Starfruit, Clean Cotton, Lemon & Lavender, £24.99 each, Yankee Candle

SOCKER greenhouse, £12, IKEA

Make more room to lounge with versatile floor cushions. These cushions will help you create a super laid-back space; simply stack and arrange them to create the look you want and rearrange them when guests can come around. You can even pull them out into the garden for al fresco lounging in the sunshine on dry days.