Summer is in full swing, can you feel it?  I can, this week especially.  July’s days are drifting into one another as we sleep in a little bit extra in the morning, and spend afternoons sipping lemonade out by the local pool for an hour or two.  I love all the kids in their bright swimsuits and towels and the moms in their swimwear in shades of turquoise, coral, orange, and pink.  Summer is the season for wearing and decorating with the brightest hues! 

I invited Shannon from AKA Design to share her thoughts on summer color, or “colour” as our Canadian friends say up north!  Please welcome back Shannon.

“Hi everyone, it’s Shannon back again to talk summer colour!  Summer is the perfect time to lighten up and have a little fun – with the colours inside and outside your home!   Whether you spend your summer days soaking up the sun by the beach or keeping cool in an air-conditioned office, your home can give you that little extra bit of summer lovin’ when you dress it up for the season.

I’m not talking about gutting and redecorating an entire room just for the summer.  What I really mean is changing up the accessories for the season; the throw pillows, the vases and maybe even the artwork.  Of course if you are blessed enough to have outdoor spaces to call your own, you can take your decorating a step further by having summer furniture, throw pillows and colourful outdoor tableware too.

Blue is most often cool in hue; perfect for spaces that you want to be calm or sedate.  It’s the colour of the sky, the ocean and twilight and commonly associated with clarity, creativity, and summer!  It is extremely relaxing to settle into a space filled with blue accents after a hot day out in the sun.  

 

Sources:  Vogue, Restoration Hardware, Mary McDonald 

 

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Hello everyone, it’s almost Memorial Day Weekend, and this year we will spend it at home sprucing up our outdoor sitting area in preparation for summer.  I know many of you will be doing the same thing, shopping the stores for upgrades to your yard in order to enjoy them during the longer nights and warmer days ahead. 

Today Mr. Courtney Lake of Courtney Out Loud is back as a Contributor with his story about how he chose pavers for his own backyard setting, and offering some very valuable tips on selecting the proper pavers for your outdoor space too.  Enjoy! 

“Spring is in full bloom and the heady sent of the first blooms are beckoning us to light up our grills, put on shorts and enjoy our yards. Yet for many of us, our outdoor spaces are long forgotten dumping grounds of mismatched furniture, yard supplies and kiddie pools or worse, the outdoor spaces are just vast barren patches of concrete, grass, or in my case, gravel.

When my Partner and I opted to invest in our outdoor space last year, we were completely at a loss on what to do with it. We inherited a barbell-shaped space that was half French limestone pavers surrounded by pea gravel and dirt. Functional but not very user friendly is how I would describe the old space. The major issue was the pea gravel which (1) the neighborhood cats assumed was their personal litter box, (2) didn’t allow the patio furniture to rest evenly as the legs always sank an inch and (3) wood floors and pea gravel don’t mix unless you enjoy refinishing and patching scratches every few months.

We opted to spend the majority of our budget on replacing the pea gravel and dirt with something a bit more “friendly” both underfoot and to our interior floors.  Since the builder had already started with the limestone pavers, we decided to continue with the look because it was economical since we only needed enough pavers to complete the space, the limestone is pretty durable and finally, we actually liked the neutral look of the pavers.

 

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One of the things I’m looking forward to most in summer is lingering outside with friends and family on a warm evening while we sip beverages, barbeque, and enjoy the cool breezes that blow through the yard.  I’m sure you feel the same about your summer evenings too!  I invited my friend and fellow blogger Shannon of {aka} Design to be a contributor here and today she’ll be sharing a few ideas for creating that perfect inviting outdoor conversation zone which will guarantee your guests linger longer during the warmer summer months.  Please welcome Shannon as she shares her best tips on creating an inviting conversation area in your own yard. 

“Outdoor dining areas have long been popular in the warm summer months for parties, barbeques, and family get togethers.   There are so many fabulous ideas to be found both online and in print to inspire you to create a cozy eating area and conversation zone outdoors. 

With so many beautiful and affordable outdoor furniture sets available these days, it’s easy to create an outdoor conversation zone that works for your lifestyle.  But creating an area for lingering conversation is about more than just plopping down an outdoor sofa and some chairs.  Here are some tips for creating an inviting conversation outdoors in a space large or small!  

1. Create a Focal Point

HGTV

Parker Palm Springs

Build your conversation area around something interesting by creating a focal point.  This can take the form of a fire pit, a coffee table, or an outdoor ottoman to rest your feet.  By gathering your seating around something you make it easier to have face-to-face conversation.  The nice thing about a fire pit is it creates a campfire-type atmosphere for sharing stories – of the ghost-type or not – and is great for toasting marshmallows.  A coffee table or ottoman provides a place to set your drink or put up your feet, which is always a reason to stay a little longer. 

 

2. Layer Greenery

Elle DECOR

BHG

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Greetings and happy (almost) weekend everyone!  I’ve invited Michelle of Ten June back to be a guest contributor on the blog – she has an amazing eye for design and we both agreed that right now we’re big time loving the bold floral patterns reappearing in interior design.  These aren’t the itsy bitsy pastel florals of previous decades, in this century florals are bigger, bolder, and full of unexpected color combinations.  Please welcome back Michelle of Ten June and her five tips for bringing back floral into your home. 

Take it away Michelle!

Don’t you love when old trends make their way back into our lives? I’ll bet you thought you’d never see this fad again… floral décor!  Gone with the days of acid wash jeans and slap-bracelets was flouncy floral décor, right?  Think again! The use of big, bold flower patterns is making a big comeback in interior design these days.

If you, like most of us, love this look but are unsure how to bring it back into your home with style, I’ve compiled five fabulous tips for bringing back floral décor. Ready, set, flower power!

1. Use floral designs with bright, bold colors.

There’s nothing like a graphic pop of color to make floral patterns feel modern and fresh. Forget the pastels and let your flowers shine in bright pinks, purples and yellows. These hues show that you’re proud of your floral décor and you aren’t afraid to show it!

Design*Sponge

 

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