Winter has finally gone and most of the summer months are still stretching ahead. It is almost hard to believe! As the days are at their longest and brightest and the sun thaws-up everyone, the memories of being cooped-up at home, cold and miserable are long forgotten.

We’ve swapped soup for margaritas and blankets for beach towels. Besides planning holidays, this is also the perfect time to refresh and rethink of your home. Since your home is longer the reclusive cave you needed it to be during winter, now is a good time to throw out things you don’t need and introduce a pop of colour and energise your living space. Here are a few simple touches than can make your living environment more pleasant and cheerful.

Try a new rug

If you want to bring a bit of the lovely summer atmosphere and a splash of colour into your house without making any semi-permanent changes (like painting), a new rug is always a great starting point.

Stylish and elegant, rugs add warmth and personality to your home. The selection of patterns, colours and textiles is vast. You only have to look at some of these hand knotted rugs at Bazaar Velvet to realise that choosing a rug is as much a matter of taste as personality.

But if these guys are a bit out of your price range, you can easily pick up a cheerful rug from your local homeware store.

Add some scatter cushions

Once you find the right rug for your home and taste, you might as well match them with other small yet important details. For instance, a few summery striped pillows make an old sofa look fresh again.

Look for colours that are already in your home and accentuate them by repeating them in your cushions.

Many retailers sell cushion covers without the filling so you can simply dress your existing cushions up in new summery attire – without cluttering your home with unused cushions.

Reflect on your space

It’s an old trick – adding a mirror to a space will make it feel twice as large. But if well positioned, a mirror will also fill your room with light as well as catch the beautiful summer sunlight outside.

You could go to your decor shop to pick one up. But if you’re feeling a bit thrifty, why not scour a few antique and vintage markets to find a used mirror. They tend to have beautiful, aged frames and often a slightly worn mirror, where the silvering begins to peel back, can add a wonderful rustic charm to a space.

If you aren’t a natural at picking up good vintage finds, you can get the look by shopping at online stores such as The Other Duckling. I’ve recently picked up these stunning vintage style shot glasses that offer a touch of class with a unique twist.

Take the plunge and paint

Painting can seem a bit daunting. But it’s less permanent than you think (you can easily paint over the wall again!) and it makes a dramatic difference to your space.

Instead of painting a whole room, choose a feature wall to cheer up–less effort and more effect! You don’t have to go for a solid colour either. There are tonnes of other ideas, like masking stripes or patterns and painting in those.

And why not make is a social affair and ask a friend to come and help you?[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]