How To Decorate Your Bedroom For Summer

Summer is the season of relaxation; a time for casting off heavy clothing and enjoying the sun, earth and water on your skin. Invite the light breezy feel of summer to your bedroom with a few quick and easy touches.

Getting Started: Working With Summer Elements

Even if you're not looking to make big design changes, these quick steps will bring a subtle feel of summer to your room:

• Get rid of clutter: Openness helps give your space that free feeling of summer, so get all unnecessary bedroom clutter out of sight. If you have large pieces of furniture that you aren't really using, you might want to take one or two of them out of the room to open up your floor plan. You may also want to thin out some of the knick-knacks you have displayed, or remove some hanging items from your walls.
• Lighten up: Replace heavy fabrics with light or sheer ones, and dark colors with lighter ones if possible.
• Bring in summer themes: Now is the time to take down winter themed items (such as last year's winter holiday cards or valentines) and replace them with summer themed ones. Some great themes to introduce include flip-flops, palm trees, surfboards, flowers, swimming, sunglasses, meadows, beaches, fruits, flamingoes, sailboats, fish and nautical items.
• Color for summer: No matter what your taste, you'll find a summer palette you'll love! Try white for a classic summer look, or pair it up with gentle shades of yellow and blue for a beach house feel. Any sun-bleached pastels will work for a summer bedroom, so feel free to experiment with pale pinks, lavenders and greens as well. If you prefer more dramatic, saturated shades, you're still in luck. Intense tropical colors paired with natural materials and sheer fabrics are still quite summery.

Your Summer Bed

Since your bed is the first thing most people see when they walk into your room, giving it a summer facelift helps define the entire room. Here are a few ways to give your bed a summer look:

• Replace your heavy bedspread with a lightweight blanket, either in a summer solid color or summer-themed pattern.
• Dress your bed up in all white bedding, or in pale pastels.
• Consider painting a dark headboard white or a pastel shade.
• Add a ruffled or lace bed skirt in white or pale cotton.
• Put up a romantic, sheer canopy or billowy bed curtains.
• Put away heavy blankets, throws and quilts.
• Accent with summer colored or themed throw pillows.
• Install a breezy ceiling fan over your bed.

Easy Summer Bedroom Furniture

Light, natural furniture materials are perfect for summer, giving your bedroom a bright, open feel. If your summer design plans include new bedroom furniture, consider materials such as:

• Wicker
• Raffia
• Rattan
• Bamboo
• Wood with light natural finishes, or white or light paint.

If you don't have the inclination or budget for a new summer bedroom set, lighten up dark furniture with a coat of paint or by covering it with white or light colored tablecloths, table runners and doilies in lace or light, natural fabrics.

Summery Bedroom Windows

Since summer is such a beautiful time of year, the view from your bedroom windows is already adding to your summer décor. Enhance that feel by dressing your windows up for summer:

• Curtains: Replace dark or heavy drapery with light fluttery sheers.
• Garlands: Surround your window with colorful floral or green leafy garlands.
• Summer sparkle: Hang some strings of colorful glass beads that reflect the sun's light.
• Sun catchers: Find some in pretty summer colors with happy summer themes.
• Ribbons: Use some light, streaming ribbons to tie back your curtains.
• Pale shades or blinds: When you need something opaque to keep out summer heat or outside light while you're trying to sleep, choose white or pale creamy shades and blinds.
• Fresh air: Open up your windows and let the fragrant summer breezes in.

Working with Walls and Floors

To stay true to that open, summer feeling, bare floors are the best choice for a summer bedroom. A few light colored area rugs in bamboo or natural fabrics are great accents to a cool, bare floor. If you can't or don't want to remove dark wall-to-wall carpeting, consider adding a large, light summery area rug on top of your carpet.

Summer walls are also light and airy. To achieve that summer look:

• Paint walls in white or pastel tones.
• If you've got crowed collections of artwork, consider thinning them out to open up the space.
• Display summer themed photos, prints and paintings in light colored frames, with plenty of open space between them.

Finishing Touches

Complete your breezy summer bedroom with pretty seasonal accents and accessories including:

• Seashells and beach glass
• Driftwood
• Beach or nautical themed sculptures and knick-knacks
• White candles
• Summer reading materials on the bed stand
• Fresh flowers in glass vases or woven baskets
• Essential oils and potpourri in summer floral, fruit or herbal scents
• Strings of white or summer themed lights
• Pale or white lampshades.

With a few decorative touches, your bedroom will be the perfect place to relax with a good book, or fall into sweet dreams as summer breezes drift through your window.