Get Your Dining Room Ready for Summer – 5 Great Tips

You might be the kind of person that keeps their rooms the same all year round. Aside from the addition of a Christmas tree somewhere in the house, the overall aesthetic sticks to the plan. You might never even have considered the opportunity to get your dining room ready for summer.

If that?s the case, then I suppose I?ll need to change your mind. For everyone else that likes to freshen things up throughout the year, this feature is for you.

I?m fond of updating the dining room and kitchen with the change in the seasons. The living rooms and bedrooms stay the same unless I go out of my way to replace something. However, I like to cook and experiment with foods, and it feels right to cook and eat in a subtly updated environment that reflects what?s current.

Crucially, my tweaks don?t have to involve the food itself ? although it could. Instead, I like to throw in just about anything relevant to the season. For summer specifically, this means holidays, brighter days, later nights and so much else.

Below, I?ve put together five tips and ideas to get your dining room ready for summer if you?re tired of the same old style.

1. Start with the Table Cloth

You?d be surprised at just how much of an impact the tablecloth can have on the overall aesthetic of the dining room. Before making a concerted effort to freshen up with the seasons, the only time I?d change the table cloth ? other than to wash it ? was around Christmas.

It?s hard to gauge the visual impact when you change with such irregularity, especially with other decorations playing their part. However, if you change nothing but the table cloth, you?ll notice an immediate impact.

What you do with it is down to you. I like to use a cloth that reminds me of the beach and al fresco dining. I eat quite a few meals outside when at home during the summer, weather permitting, and when that isn?t possible, I prefer to keep the same kind of vibe going.

2. Change the Plates for Something Summery

Once again, this tip is open to interpretation. I?m not one for fancy designs, so while colourful flowers are closely associated with summer, you won?t find any floral prints in my dining room. However, I like to use something darker during the winter ? my favourite set as I write, is black with just a few hints of white detail.

In the summery, I prefer white plates and dishes. They don?t have to be completely plain, although my preference for mixing things up usually stems from shapes rather than colours.

3. Draw Inspiration from Your Favourite Summer Destinations

If it?s not summer now and you want to think of summer, there?s undoubtedly somewhere that comes to mind. It might be where you spent your summers as a child, a favourite holiday destination in modern times or even a specific venue.

There are two ways to approach redecoration based on your inspiration. First, you could replace your year-round ornaments with collectables and keepsakes from your destination of choice. This can also extend to the walls, where you replace walls and hung pictures with imagery to support the theme.

Alternatively, you can get your dining room ready for summer through emulation of a favourite destination. If you?d rather be in a favourite bar in Spain, copy their table cloths and d?cor and set up a small bar ? it doesn?t need to be more than a table ? in the corner of the room with your favourite holiday tipples.

4. Introduce Aquatic Colours

If all goes to plan, it should be quite warm in summer. If you?re not fortunate to live within walking distance of the beach or to have a poo at home, you can still introduce a cooling influence into the dining room with aquatic colours.

Among the best ways to do so is with glassware. This way, you have the choice between purely decorative items and their functional counterparts, such as glasses and bottles.

If you?re happy with your existing glassware, that doesn?t mean you need to miss out. You could combine this tip with the first to make your table cloth search even more straightforward, or keep things extra simple and easy to change back with napkins and placemats.

5. Bring the Nature of Summer Inside

There?s some overlap between this tip and those that we have already mentioned, but this one is less specific. Even if you don?t have fond memories of venues and destinations in summer, there will be parts of nature that you closely associate with this time of year. If you love the beach, place some sand and shells in a decorative item. If you like to barbecue throughout the summer, position your favourite grill tools on display.

These tips serve as great ways to get your dining room ready for summer by freshening things up. Even if you have no particular passion for summer itself, there are numerous benefits to modifying your home environment.

If you have anything to add, I?d love to hear about it ? leave a comment below, and I?ll update this feature with the best ones!