Every summer I have great plans to make changes in my home.  But then reality sets in:  the kids are home all day, summer vacation arrives, the weather is so nice I simply have to go outside, guests come to visit ……..  It happens to all of us – big plans, no time.  So I suggest making a few little spruce up touches in each room so that they feel fresh and different and then go outside and play with the kids.

QUICK AND EASY BEDROOM CHANGES

• Nothing says “summer ease” like a clutter free area.  Clear dresser and nightstand tops of all extra accessories and clutter.  Then put back ONE fabulous item.

Nate Berkus pillow - simple in white

• Add lots of light, breezy white:  pillows, billowy curtains, a lightweight throw, a fluffy rug – crisp white always personifies summer.
• Bring out a couple of family pictures of a vacation at a beach or summer house or running through the sprinkler.  Don’t have a summer picture?  Grab the camera and go outside and take a picture of your garden or a bee in your garden or garden tools leaning against the house …. what says summer to you?

Nate Berkus pillows for color punch

• A super easy change is, of course, to change the accent pillows on your bed.  Even just one or two in a bright, fresh, summery color can make your bedroom feel new.
• Bedrooms should be the cocooning, restful place in the home.  Embrace the calm by picking your favorite quiet music and stocking the nightstand with a few favorite magazines or books you’ve been meaning to read.  Then close the door and enjoy the peace and solitude.
  

  introduce summery colors with a throw rug from HSN

• Don’t feel like painting a whole room when the sun is so inviting?  Try adding a block of new color by changing the draperies, changing the bedspread, adding a colorful throw rug next to the bed.  For the more ambitious, paint just one accent wall – easy to complete in an afternoon leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors.
• Add some new scented candles or potpourri in your accent color.  Keep the scent light and subtle.

You should easily be able to pick 2 or 3 of the ideas above and complete them in an afternoon.  Then spend the rest of the summer enjoying a bedroom that feels fresh and new.

(Bye the way, the Nate Berkus pillows featured are on sale (perfect!) so look for his line in your town.)