Here's How to Make Your House Feel Summery All Year Long

Here’s How to Make Your House Feel Summery All Year Long

For all those panicking as we enter the beginning of the end of summer, take solace in Jo Alcorn’s nine design secrets for creating a summer vibe, anywhere, any time. Even mid winter!

Jo Alcorn is a design specialist and designer on HGTV’s Home to Win. She has her own furniture collection, lighting line, pillow and dog bed line and is known for her savvy design concepts. Visit Jo at www.whitewashco.ca.

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Summer Cool

When summer arrives, everyone’s thoughts turn to a great holiday get-away. Even if you don’t have a family cottage, or can’t slip away to one this year, here are some tips on how to create an easy, breezy, cottage feel right in your own home.

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Summer Cool

Cottages are all about the outdoors, so why not bring the great outdoors inside? Get creative! Tree branches or beautiful stones from your own property are budget-friendly and look beautiful on display.

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Summer Cool

Cottages or lake properties are all about quiet escapes where you can put your feet up and relax with a good summer read. This year, change up some of your artwork to be nature inspired. Posterjack.ca is my go to for great photo options. All at the click of a mouse, I can have an entire nature-inspired feature wall created. Best of all, they deliver to your doorstep so you can spend more time enjoying the summer heat.

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Summer Cool

Summer is a great time to gather with out-of-town family and friends. Gatherings often include meals, so what better time to infuse some cottage feel? For this table setting, I used bright and bold patterns from HomeSense that were mixed and matched to create this gorgeous brunch setting.

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Summer Cool

Make a great first impression with a statement entrance. For this entrance I opted for stylish bench seating and a sturdy coat rack from Urban Barn. I topped it all off with more nature inspired prints, but this time I chose gorgeous blues and greens in more abstract nature pieces, again from posterjack.ca.

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Summer Cool

I love the light and breezy look of white seating contrasted with greenery to really capture the cottage feel. Grab a Mason jar or large vase, add some greenery and you’ve brought the cottage feel right into your home.

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Summer Cool

Fresh flowers are a staple in any nature inspired décor. I bring fresh flowers into my home weekly all year round but especially in the summer, it’s a great way to bring summer inside.

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Summer Cool

There is nothing like a cold drink on a hot summer day. A bar cart is a great idea but if you don’t have space for one, you can still set up a nice bar area on your counter. Add some faux greenery and you’ve got your own little sipping station.

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Summer Cool

Nothing says summer like a picnic table. I love how many people can fit around it and it really brings me back to summer times as a kid.

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Summer Cool

Adding some durable, comfy and fashionable pillows to your space is sure to brighten it up for summer. Try a few from my new Jo Alcorn Pillow collection available on Etsy.