Colourful interior design updates for summer

20 Jul 2022 | Updated on: 27 Sep 2022 |By Zoe Gunn

Forget a full overhaul, adding a few vibrant hues to your home is all you need to make it feel fresh again

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Anew season is always a good time to give home and hearth a refresh. But, before you start stripping your wallpaper and pulling up your carpets, consider the impact that a few smaller edits can make – especially if you’re brave enough to go bold. From a vibrant linen tablecloth to a lavish velvet sofa, swapping just one or two pieces can give a room a completely new, modern feel. Here’s our guide to the colourful interiors updates that will have your home feeling summer-ready.

Living room

Baverstock Heritage throw, £83 each, heals.com
Golden Eye LED neon sign, from £625, yellowpop.co.uk

If your Netflix consumption has been anything like ours, the living room is where you’ve spent most of your time during lockdown. Time, then, to rid yourself of a now overly-loved sofa and replace it with a centrepiece design. Jonathan Adler’s powder blue Ether Cloud design is the showstopper to design your room around (and it pairs perfectly with Heal’s Baverstock Heritage throws, which come in versatile shades of navy, mustard and raspberry).

Jonathan Adler Ether Cloud sofa, £4,150, amara.com
Sabine Marcelis Splash mirror, from £380, brownsfashion.com

If you’re still a little too attached to your sofa for anything as drastic as that, the easiest way to refresh a room is with new wall art. Mirrors are a favourite of interior designers for their ability to make a room look larger, but why settle for any old mirror when you can have this limited-edition piece from RiRa’s recent collaboration with Sabine Marcelis? Finished in a bronze-tone and hand-splashed with resin, each is unique and only 500 will be made. Likewise, Jonathan Adler’s partnership with Yellowpop has resulted in some vibrant neon pieces guaranteed to bring some sunshine to your living room. The perfect icebreaker now you’re hosting parties again.

Kitchen and dining

Plates, from £17 each, ottolenghi.co.uk
Cabana Magazine tablecloth, £345, matchesfashion.com

The kitchen is the heart of your home and, with dinner parties back on the menu, chances are you’ll be looking to make a splash with your next table arrangement. And who better to turn to for help than the king of the sophisticated spread, Ottolenghi? The famed chef’s tableware range, Feast, ranges from glassware and cutlery, to bowls and serving dishes, but, for us, it has to be the mix-and-match plates. Pair them with pastel-coloured glasses atop Cabana Magazine’s bright and bold dahlia-printed linen tablecloth for a tablescape guaranteed to induce envy.

Le Creuset signature cast iron casserole, £330, harveynichols.com
Wonderlust tea cups and saucers, £54 per set, wedgwood.com

When it comes to brightening up your kitchen cupboards, you needn’t stray far from the brands you’ve always relied on. Take, for example, Wedgwood’s elegant Wonderlust range. Crafted in the same fine bone china as its classic collections, the five vivid patterns in the collection have been designed to work in harmony when mixed (and make for a truly chic afternoon tea table). Elsewhere, Le Creuset is your go-to for quality cookware in gorgeous shades that span the rainbow.

Bedroom

Beaufort bedding collection, from £131.50, bulan-uk.com
Etro Exeter Somerset cushion, £300, amara.com

Your bedroom should be a haven of calm but that doesn’t mean you can’t fill it with joyful shades that will always have you getting out on the right side of bed. For summer, step away from classic white bedding and embrace something bolder. Allow us to point you in the direction of UK-based interiors brand Bulan, and its rich forest-green bed linen. You could simply pair the duvet cover with your favourite white sheets and pillowcases but we recommend going for the full set and finishing with Etro’s embroidered velvet cushion. Their burnt orange hue makes for the perfect pairing.

Aberarth table lamp, £125, oka.com
Moire dragonfish jacquard chair, £5,800, gucci.com

Continue the colour scheme with Oka’s tactile sea-green Aberarth table lamp. Ideally sized for a bedside table or dresser, its handmade glass base reflects light in a way that is soothing while creating romantic highlights around a room. Finally, no bedroom is complete without a statement armchair, and this season’s finest comes from Gucci’s homeware range. It may not be cheap but this Moire chair, embroidered with a jacquard dragonfish scene, is so worth it.

Read more: How to style a London garden, balcony or terrace

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