Decorating
5 Steps to a Summer-ready Home: Day Three — Refresh Your Windows
Taking down heavy winter drapes and giving windows a super summer treatment is an easy job that brings a bright touch to your home
Day three of our get-set-for-summer schedule, and it’s time to think about windows. We are not alone in dressing according to the seasons; our windows appreciate a shift in style during the summer months, too. That said, we often fight shy of making changes to window treatments, but tweaking them is a quick and easy job that can have a huge impact on a space. So take down those heavy winter drapes, get them professionally cleaned and then pack them away while the heat is on and the days are long. In their place, hang up something lighter and brighter, to allow your home to benefit from the abundant daylight at this time of year. Or simply ditch the drapes altogether. Here’s how…
Choose floaty fabrics
Seek out curtains made from light, sheer fabric which will provide privacy and softly filter sunlight, without blocking it out altogether. This is a beautifully simple way to create a soft, summery look.
Discover the best way to dress your windows
Seek out curtains made from light, sheer fabric which will provide privacy and softly filter sunlight, without blocking it out altogether. This is a beautifully simple way to create a soft, summery look.
Discover the best way to dress your windows
Fold back the shutters
If you usually keep your shutters closed, fold them back in the summer, to let the light pour in. This is also a great time to take them down if they need a deep clean or a fresh coat of paint, ready for the darker months of autumn and winter.
If you usually keep your shutters closed, fold them back in the summer, to let the light pour in. This is also a great time to take them down if they need a deep clean or a fresh coat of paint, ready for the darker months of autumn and winter.
Go for summery blinds
With their simple shape, blinds are an ideal window treatment for summer. You can use them in conjunction with curtains during the winter and then, when you take the drapes down in summer, they will take centre stage. Try using a fabric that allows some light to filter through it, such as this soft, fine linen with a trellis pattern. Making the blinds up without a lining will further boost this effect.
With their simple shape, blinds are an ideal window treatment for summer. You can use them in conjunction with curtains during the winter and then, when you take the drapes down in summer, they will take centre stage. Try using a fabric that allows some light to filter through it, such as this soft, fine linen with a trellis pattern. Making the blinds up without a lining will further boost this effect.
Hang for privacy only
This bathroom has gauzy curtains hung at one window, to create some privacy, but the other window, which is not overlooked, has been left unadorned. Net curtains are very last century, but modern alternatives, made from fine muslin or super sheer fabrics, look beautiful. In this airy bathroom, fine curtains billow in the breeze of an open window, creating a super summer vibe and keeping out prying eyes, too.
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How do you bring new life to your windows? Share your tips in the Comments below.
This bathroom has gauzy curtains hung at one window, to create some privacy, but the other window, which is not overlooked, has been left unadorned. Net curtains are very last century, but modern alternatives, made from fine muslin or super sheer fabrics, look beautiful. In this airy bathroom, fine curtains billow in the breeze of an open window, creating a super summer vibe and keeping out prying eyes, too.
TELL US...
How do you bring new life to your windows? Share your tips in the Comments below.
Your legs are not the only thing you should be baring come summertime; windows look great naked, too. So consider doing without a window treatment during these daylight-heavy months to allow as much light as possible to flood in. Accessorise with fresh flowers, which are abundant at this time of year, to soften up the scheme.
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