Make the most of this summer and turn those long warm evenings into relaxing moments you can enjoy by updating your rental apartment. The new décor will make you feel like you’re in a perpetual holiday whether you’re by yourself, or with friends and family.
All you can think of during summer is vacation. You dream of pristine beaches, the warmth of the sun on your skin and the silky, foamy waves cooling you down. Or maybe you prefer spending your summer in an enchanted forest, with green light filtered through the foliage and the air heavy with moisture and scents.
The bad news is that no, you can’t spend your entire summer on a beach or in a forest. If you’re lucky, you might get a week or two of a getaway, then it’s back to reality. But there’s some good news, too. With just a few simple and inexpensive design tweaks and tricks, you can turn your apartment into a veritable summer oasis.
The first step would be to pick your theme for the summer. Do you want to be on a tropical island or would you rather lose yourself in a cool, shadowy forest? Keep reading and you will find three different home decor suggestions that are so easy to put into practice, they will keep your longing for another vacation at bay!
The Enchanted Forest
The “Enchanted Forest” theme is ideal for people who thrive in a calm, serene, and somewhat mysterious environment. Think different shades of green and earth tones like browns, tan, ochre or sienna, gentle natural light that mimics the way sun glitters through the foliage, and a variety of textures (soft, like the moss that coves the forest floor, and rugged, like tree bark). Focus on the windows and the way sunlight enters your home. Pick flowy, light-colored curtains combined with heavy drapes in shades of dark green. That will protect your home from the harsh mid-summer sun and allow you to relax in a cool, calming, greenish light.
- Play with different textures. A few soft, plush pillows on your sofa and a small rugged carpet on the floor made of natural fibers (hemp or jute, for example) are reminiscent of the textures and dimensions of the forest.
- Get some lush green plants, like ferns. It’s remarkably easy to keep, it doesn’t need a lot of natural light, just plenty of water. Another great foliage option, which grows really fast and it suits the theme perfectly, would be ivy.
- You don’t need to spend a lot of money on decorations. A simple walk in your local park or nearby forest will get you plenty of items you can use to decorate your home. Pinecones, interesting pieces of wood and bark, acorns, leaves, and moss – use all of these to create DIY baskets to adorn your home. A few drops of pine oil in each basket, and you’ll enjoy forest vibes as well as forest scents.
Wildflowers Meadow
Probably nothing says “summer” like a meadow with wildflowers in full bloom. The bright colours of the meadow – red from poppies, yellow, white and black from daisies and Black-Eyed Susans, the delicate blue of bluebells – can be used to create a striking and bold interior.
- Pick white curtains that allow plenty of sunlight to come into your house and add some colour and volume to your window dressing by pinning some flowery décor to it. You can also use already-made poppies or daisies bought from dollar stores, for example, or, if you have a love of crafting, you can DIY from fabric or even paper.
- Oversized wall stickers are currently all the rage, and there are plenty of wildflowers patterns to pick from. Tall poppies on a white wall will bring volume and depth to the room. Generally, wall stickers are very safe, and you can peel them off easily when you move without damaging the paint. However, if you’re still worry about that, you can put your stickers on other surfaces, like doors, the sides of a large mirror, framing it, or even on kitchen cabinets, for a cute, happy little kitchen.
- Plant your own meadow. Most home and garden stores have mixes of wildflower seeds, which you can plant at home in pots. Pick a spot that’s in full light, use large pots for a dramatic effect, water daily, and your meadow will bloom in no time.
- Don’t overdo it! If every item in your home, from the sofa pillows to the carpet and the window drapes is flower-themed, the effect will be rather chaotic and way too crowded. Better focus on a light-colored décor for the interior and add flowery accents and statement pieces: a large wall sticker or wallpaper décor, an oversized poster leaning against an empty wall, the flowerpots we already talked about, and a happy mug decorated with poppies for your morning coffee are sufficient to create the desired effect.
Tropical Island Paradise
Salty air, sand, waves, and cocktails – yes, you can imagine living in Miami this entire summer, and you don’t even have to travel for it. You can transform your home into an exotic tropical island by following these simple tips and tricks.
- Choose a modest, clean color scheme that’s based on white, blue, and bleached wood. Don’t be discouraged if your sofa is dark-colored: simply cover it with a large blanket made of soft, light fabric, throw a large, blue pillow on it, and your “summer boat” is ready to sail into the sunset.
- Use beach rugs made of seagrass or jute instead of regular carpets. Not only do they look great and create that beach vibe you’re after, but they’re a lot easier to clean, so it’s a win-win.
- If you’re a beach lover, you probably already have an impressive collection of seashells so now it’s the right time to display them around the house. If not, you can always find plenty of shell-themed decorations to buy.
- Zen-type sand gardens are not only calming but also remind you of the beach. Buy or DIY one and display it on your coffee table.
- Get a pretty beach chair that fits into the color scheme and put it in your balcony next to a large tray filled with sand and seashells. You’ll be able to drink your tropical cocktails every evening on your private little beach with your feet buried in sand.
- Speaking of cocktails, prepare a cocktail corner in your living room or kitchen and supply it with all the ingredients for delicious, exotic cocktails. What would your island paradise be without a pineapple-flavored drink in a tall glass decorated with a small umbrella? And most of all, don’t forget to invite your friends to the party!
Vacations are nice, so decorate the place where you spend most of your time to make it feel like a retreat – your home. Enjoy every minute of this summer in your newly updated décor!
A creative writer for RENTCafe.com with 15 years of experience, Maria
