Cozy · Changing seasons
My home gets ready for summer
There is this one point in the year when I open the window in the morning and think: this isn’t spring any more. This is already summer. The air smells different, the light falls differently, the birds sound different. That’s exactly when I fetch the summer box from the attic – and take an afternoon to give the house a new outfit.
Summer mood · when the home grows lighter
Really, that’s all it takes. An afternoon, a few well-aimed touches, a bit of box-shuffling – and suddenly the whole home feels like summer.
What has to go · the winter things disappear
First, the heavy things disappear. The thick wool throws from the sofa, the tweed cushions from the armchair, the fir wreaths from the buffet – everything moves into the big drawer under the bed. I swap the curtains for a light linen version, the checked cushions go away, heavy candle scents too. It really makes a difference. The living room breathes a proper sigh of relief.
The spring tulips still standing in the jugs on top of the buffet I gradually replace with white hydrangeas from the garden. They last forever in the vase and simply look so summery.
What comes in · unpacking the summer box
And then the nicer part begins. Every year the same favourites come out at my place – over the years I’ve learned which pieces simply work again and again.
Small maritime accents · instant summer
What comes out at my place every year
- Striped cushions in blue-and-white and navy · the biggest change of all, instantly gives a Riviera mood
- Linen throws in off-white and sandy tones · instead of the wool blankets
- Small maritime accents · shells in shallow baskets, porthole mirror, “Bay View” cushion
- Lavender, daisies and hydrangeas · in simple white jugs
- My “Le Jardinier” mug · moves onto the sideboard as a little still life with herbs
- Fairy lights · go back up outside for the long evenings
It may sound like a lot, but I do all of it in two or three hours. With a big cup of coffee, a little music – and at the end you sink onto the freshly decorated sofa for a moment and say: yes. This is what summer feels like.
Three little vignettes · to recreate
If you’re now thinking: all well and good, but where do I start – here are my three easiest summer still lifes, which you can recreate in 5 minutes.
The summer table
A linen table runner, a plain white vase with hydrangeas or meadow flowers, plus a stack of magazines and a candle in beige. Done.
The buffet cabinet in summer mode
In the buffet, swap whatever looks like winter for something light: white jugs, a carafe of water with a few limes in it, blue-and-white tins, a few stems of lavender in an earthenware jug. That’s it.
The summer reading corner
A striped blanket (happily just tossed down), a cold lemonade on the side table, a shell or a porthole next to it – and the corner instantly feels like a holiday.
My start of summer · ten minutes into happiness
My favourite summer ritual
When everything is ready, there’s always the same little ritual at my place: I set up the beach chair with fresh cushions, hang the fairy lights anew, fetch a cup of homemade lemonade from the kitchen – and sit down inside it for ten minutes. Just because. Eyes closed, sun on my face, a gentle breeze in the hydrangeas.
That is my official “start of summer”. After that, everything runs.
The fabrics I use all summer long
In case you’re sorting through your own summer box right now – these are the fabrics that travel through my rooms all summer.
- Linen · for throws, table runners, napkins (creases beautifully, looks just right that way)
- Striped cotton · for cushions, ideally classic blue-and-white or navy-cream
- Jute & sisal · for rugs and small coasters
- Towelling in sandy tones · for the bathroom corner (that counts as cosy too, I think!)
- Striped outdoor fabric · for the beach-chair cushions, lasts forever
“Changing the seasons at home is no longer a big deal for me. One box up, one box down, swap a few well-placed accents – and the whole house feels different. Fresher. Lighter. More alive.”
Honestly: that’s the beautiful thing about a home that moves with the seasons. Every time I rearrange, I look forward to what’s coming. To the first warm evenings, the fairy lights, the long breakfasts outdoors, the hydrangeas that are slowly opening now. A summer feeling you bring into the house yourself – no suitcase, no airport, no long journeys. That’s exactly how it’s allowed to be at my place.
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