Now that summer’s pretty much here it’s time to lighten up your surroundings.
And that means getting rid of those darker colored linen curtains, tablecloths and napkins. Instead, embrace the season of sea and sunshine with cooler fresh colors in shades such as mint green or lemon. Not only will this look suitable for the time of year, but it will also make you feel cooler.
Psychologist Sally Augustin at the American Psychological Association @APA says: “The ability of colors to change the apparent temperature of a space we’re in can be enough to make us feel comfortable, without added air conditioning.”
Summer linen in the bedroom
White and light grey will always be just the right shade for your bed’s linen sheets. And linen will always be the perfect material. That’s because linen’s loose weave allows it to wick away moisture much better than man-made fibres such as polyester, or even cotton. As a result, you will always have airflow which, in turn, means temperature regulation so that you won’t warm up too much.
White, ivory and cream also work well as a shade for bedroom – or sitting room - curtains, since they will pretty much match and other shades in your home. Either that or it makes a good contrasting color.
And don’t think white curtains will be dull either – you can have them embroidered or patterned, if you like. Having said that, we think they are stunning plain – especially when in a tall room and puddled on the floor. There’s just something so elegant about that look.
Light linen curtains with a thin pinstripe can have an equally sophisticated bearing on a room. Light rustic checks are perfect for a country-style look, especially in a kitchen.
Or, choose pastel shades in a sheer linen curtain for a subtle introduction of color. Sheer curtains may appear thinner but they will still do an excellent job of blocking out too much midday sun and heat.
Lighter linen in the kitchen
You can have lots of fun in the dining room and kitchen when serving up meals with summer linen. It’s not just the colors that are brighter, making you feel instantly more cheerful. No, there’s also the patterns. Serve up seafood on a nautical tablecloth with a white background and a few bold blue stripes for instance.
There are plenty of floral-patterned linen table runners and napkins out there today, while you can also buy them in lovely pastel ice cream colors, such as raspberry sorbet and mint green.
And, while you’re in the kitchen preparing all those messy summer salads and berry fruit sundaes, why not treat yourself to a summer-shaded linen apron to protect your lovely light-colored clothes? Again, linen is a great material for an apron since you're going to be heating up while cooking. Or you would be, were you not wearing a cooling linen apron.
Just make sure you get a linen apron with big pockets so you don’t have to dash around looking for knives, spoons etc all the time – just file them in your apron. And that’s another point – linen aprons can be machine-washed, you’ll be glad to hear.
