Subtle tips and tricks to spruce up your home this summer

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Summer nights are generally characterised by the sights and sounds that may be most common to my fellow countrymen: crickets chirping, magpies singing, and the unmistakable whirring of the ceiling fan spinning lazily above your head as you sit inside, shielding yourself from the onslaught of mosquitoes that undoubtedly emerge as the sun begins to set.

Yes, there's nothing quite like sitting on your verandah on a warm summer night, but doing so may also attract some wholly unwelcome insect invaders. That's why it's generally ideal to have summery interiors during these months of warm weather, just to ensure that those long evenings stay firmly free of bugs and summer storms.

But how do you spruce up your home to suit this singular season? Here are some of the most popular summertime décor swap overs as named by Aussie homeowners.

Summer is actually the perfect time to revisit the design scheme of your shared living spaces, starting from the ground up.

Of course, we're talking about your floor coverings. Rugs made with natural materials like jute and bamboo have become increasingly popular amongst Aussie homeowners due to their sustainable production as well as the fact that they perfectly complement the look and feel of this season.

The burnt yellows and oranges of jute or seagrass floor coverings will provide your summer-inspired interiors with a nice, earthy foundation upon which you can build interiors that adhere to a range of different interior design styles.

If you're a fan of the Hamptons coastal style of interior design and are looking to bring timber furniture into your interior spaces, you can use your natural rugs to help arrange heavier wooden pieces in a fashion that will keep your flooring safe from scratches or scuff marks.

As the days grow longer, chances are that your home will be bathed in startling displays of natural light at both sunrise and sunset. Both dawn and dusk tend to be absolute showstoppers in these Aussie summer months, so you'll want to ensure that your interior spaces have as much access to natural light as possible.

This can be achieved by swapping out your heavier winter curtains and drapes for sheer curtains or even for timber blinds to allow light to filter through in a truly striking and dynamic fashion.

Suppose you're worried about sun exposure causing damage to books, device screens, clothing, and other belongings that you keep firmly indoors. In that case, you may decide to invest in some versatile sunscreen blinds to ensure that your home still maintains full access to natural light without having to worry about dealing with excess heat or harsh rays.

Swapping out your window coverings for more energy-efficient alternatives which help keep your home naturally lit or even naturally insulated, may also help to reduce your home's overall carbon footprint as well as cutting your utility bills in half along the way too!

As mentioned earlier, this season comes with a really unique colour scheme that's largely characterised by its use of natural tones that aren't too visually noisy.

Colours like yellow, green, and some soft accents of both warm and cool elements can complement this season very well, but they can be difficult to get excited about.

You can bring a little joy back into your home's summer redesign by simply taking a chance with a colour that calls out to you.

Some of the best paint colours for a summer redesign are likely to remind us of our favourite fruits or flavours of popsicles. Think verdant greens, lush peach tones, watermelon reds, and the deep yellow and orange hues of mangoes.

Despite being incredibly vibrant, these colours can actually be styled quite elegantly and with minimal fuss.

If you do have trouble with maintaining a nice balance between these vibrant colours and your more natural, toned down elements, you can use the 60-30-10 colour rule that all interior designers swear by.

Maintaining about 60 per cent of your colour palette for your main colour, 30 per cent for a secondary or supporting colour, and 10 per cent for an accent colour, will ensure that your summer redesign stays quite harmonious.

Although we've hinted at the importance of incorporating natural elements into your summer redesign, this wouldn't be a complete guide to sprucing your home up for this summer without actually exploring the benefits of natural elements and materials in depth.

Summer is all about returning back to the natural world wherever possible, which is precisely why your interiors deserve to feel the warmth and familiarity that undoubtedly accompanies natural design elements.

In a similar fashion to swapping out your window coverings for more energy-efficient alternatives, incorporating natural elements and materials into your interiors can help boost your household's overall sustainability rating too.

With this in mind, there's never really a bad time to swap out your polyester blankets and cushion covers for natural cotton, linen, or other similar organic materials.

You can also swap out your furniture for more sustainable pieces produced with natural materials. Some notable examples include wicker or rattan furniture, organic timber tables, and marble countertops.

Finally, it wouldn't be a summer redesign without adding a few happy, little plant friends to any and all of your interior spaces.

With the amount of natural light that your home is likely to receive over these next few months, plants of all shapes and sizes are probably going to perform very well in your interior spaces, alongside boosting the air quality of your home as well!

There is a myriad of indoor plants that bloom in and around summer that may be perfectly suited to your home's revamped colour palette. Large monstera plants are becoming a favourite amongst Aussie homeowners and interior designers with budding green thumbs alike.

Alongside large tropical plants, small succulents are also an evergreen staple of summery interiors, as well as snake plants and other hardy upright growers that may look perfect as natural centrepieces for your kitchen or dining room tabletops.

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If you follow all the tips and tricks we've outlined above, then you may find yourself putting the finishing touches on your summer redesign mid-season, and that's absolutely okay!

The great thing about summer-inspired interiors is that they can actually transition into autumn styles quite easily.

You don't need to think about this now, though! For now, just stay present in this sunkissed season, soak in the golden glows of long sunsets, and feel grateful to witness all the humble glory that exists in our great Aussie summers.