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Lighten Up for Summer

© Barbara Bell

It's the dog days of summer around here, very humid and sticky - thunderstorms almost daily except when the temperature lurks close to the 90's. My cozy living room which exudes such warmth in the winter, suddenly seems claustrophobic and overbearing. But I haven't anything left in the budget for redecorating, so how am I going to improve the situation? By "taking away" rather than adding to the room...

One of the first things I'm doing is removing some of the larger pieces of furniture. We don't expect a lot of visitors this summer, and if we have some unexpectedly drop in it's likely we'll spend the time outside on the patio. So, that extra easy chair is moving to the guest bedroom. The ottoman that doubles as a coffee table is going down to the family room.

Now there is room to pull the sofa and other chairs a little farther away from each other, which opens up the space considerably. I'm not rearranging the furniture exactly, but putting more space between them.

The multiple items including arrangements of silk flowers are coming down from the mantel. Instead, a simple arrangement of an antique clock and two vases of similar height are going there. Much less "clutter" to dust, and it looks fresher.

All the upholstery in the room is dark - chenilles and heavy fabrics. I don't have money for new slipcovers (even the cheap ones), so I'm stitching together pairs of white bedsheets with running stitches (also called basting stitches) to toss over the sofa. Tucking it in securely, I've also taken a length of wide grosgrain ribbon and tying it completely around the base of the slipcover just below the seat cushions to add some interest and also help it stay in place. The stitches can be pulled out easily if I want to use the sheets again for their original purpose.

I've switched throw pillows from the guest bedroom, which are in flowery summer colors, with the heavy corduroy ones that were on the sofa.

A single white bedsheet in a tone-on-tone stripe will cover the other easy chair. Hidden safety pins and a couple of stitches help with the fitting.

The drapes are coming down for the summer and only the sheers remain.

The area rug is coming up, leaving the bare hardwood floor. Much easier to keep clean in the summer!

I'm looking all over the house for white accessories: an earthenware vase, some sea shells, two small figurines, a pretty tea-cup and saucer - and using them sparingly on shelves and tabletops. Fresh flowers are replacing the artificial ones.

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