Want to know the easy home décor wins for summer? As the days grow warmer and brighter, our homes naturally follow suit — interiors become lighter, fresher, and full of optimism. It’s the perfect moment to explore inspiring summer decorating ideas, reassess how we want to live, and introduce thoughtful updates that bring joy into everyday spaces.
From painterly linens to playful printed velvets, Linwood’s new-season fabrics offer endless ways to refresh your home for warmer days.
‘I love switching things up as the season changes,’ says Interior designer Uns Hobbs, who describes her projects as ‘timeless elegance with playful charm’. ‘In the winter you want to hunker down; be warm and cosy. As summer comes, you need something that’s more invigorating. It’s actually the small changes that make a big difference. A new cushion, for instance, feels fresh and uplifting.’
Below, discover our edit of summer interior style ideas. Each one brings a burst of positivity and enduring design appeal – trends you will love long beyond the season.
Play With Playful Pastels for a Lifted Summer Palette
This season’s pastels are spirited, punchy and feel way more grown up. Be wary of going solo with these colours. Instead combine with each other for sure-fire sophistication, as shown in the Omega Prints II Crystal velvet above. Upholster an occasional chair or a kitchen banquette in a multi-coloured block pattern and then tease out the colour combination across walls and accessories. ‘The change of weather makes you want to have brighter colours,’ says Uns Hobbs. ‘I recently designed a conservatory with oranges, blues and greens and it’s really uplifting. These colours wow you because they are invigorating.’
Bring the Outdoors In With Botanical Prints
Steal your style inspiration from the world of botany and you can’t go wrong. Intricate tree motifs, such as English Oak Cornflower (seen here on a striking upholstered sofa), artistic florals, or trailing botanicals are trending now. For a summer refresh that’s budget-friendly and beautiful, Uns Hobbs recommends Relaxed blinds (similar to a Roman blind except that the centre of the blind gently swags). ‘They create a cute scrunch of pattern at a window,’ she says. ‘A kitchen, for example, that often feels quite utilitarian can be softened with a romantic floral Relaxed blind.’ Uns recently chose Albertine Summer Rose for exactly this purpose.
Revisit Retro Motifs With Nostalgic Flourishes
Retro designs reminiscent of times gone by are big news right now. Sentimental and wistful wallpapers are a quick and fairly easy way to bring story-telling visual interest to humdrum spaces. Try a mid century design, such as the 1950s wallpaper Off Piste Alpine (shown), in a children’s room, boot room or downstairs loo as a decorative conversation starter.
Swap in retro and vintage pieces, like a coffee table, for a summer-fresh feel. ‘You can also update existing furniture with a fabric summer skirt topped with a piece of glass – maybe something Oriental that reminds me of holidays in Thailand. Linwood does some lovely Chinoiserie type fabrics,’ says Uns Hobbs.
Introduce Bold Textiles for Confident Summer Energy
Stylised fabric designs have the guaranteed ability to energise neutral backdrops. Conceptual and expressive, they make clever use of shape and form to boost visual excitement and create an inviting atmosphere. Search for fabrics with free flowing movement, such as Big Top Dominoes with Big Top Snakes & Ladders (shown). Mix two colourways of the same design for a double-sided effect on drapes or a scatter of cushions. ‘Door curtains are a good way to add fabric to a functional space,’ says Uns Hobbs. ‘It’s easy to be brave on a door curtain. You can change a hallway from being just a walkway to one with warmth and colour with a bold textile.’
Embrace Quiet Luxury With Soft Neutrals and Natural Textures
Dressing down for the summer never looked so good. Simplicity is the key to this ongoing decorating trend that eschews visual noise and keeps things cool as temperatures rise. Mix varying degrees of a warm neutral palette – from Elba Dove (shown) through to beige and earthy tones. To achieve a luxurious feel with this minimalist design approach, select only the purest materials and highest-quality pieces, such as slubby linens, fine wools, polished stones and artisan-made wooden furniture. Beware of the look becoming too bland. ‘I always encourage my clients to have a little bit of colour even if they want muted,’ advises Uns Hobbs.
Channel Refined Coastal Style With Fluid Motifs
Sophisticated seascape motifs herald an ultra decorative approach to coastal style. Undulating waves (The Wave Mauve shown), mesmerising corals and intricate shells in elegant colourways, such as aqua, purple and mineral blues, feel elegant, upmarket and will flex year-round. A classic stripe makes a good companion to these designs to create balance and harmony. Pop a wide stripe cushion onto chairs indoors or out, or revamp a table lamp with a jaunty shade. ‘I like to use Imgoen Pope for unique frilled lampshade designs and Alice Palmer for box pleated shades,’ says Uns Hobbs.
Choose Sustainable Fabrics for a Conscious Summer Refresh
Eco-friendly décor choices continue to be at the top of the interior design conversation. It’s an under-rated fact that reupholstering or adding loose covers to existing pieces of furniture will transform a piece from old to new. ‘It’s good for the environment and a client’s budget,’ says Uns Hobbs. Seek out high-quality sustainable fabrics, such as recycled wool, cotton woven from fashion offcuts and naturally-grown materials like linen. Linwood’s eco velvets, such as Omega IV Lawn (shown), are made with 60% recycled polyester and have a soft and luxurious handle that is stain resistant, fully washable – just right for late summer decorating.
Add Geometric Flair for Pattern-Led Sophistication
Geometric shapes are a light-hearted way to introduce a change of pace in a room’s rhythm. Repeating lines, circles and free flowing forms create dynamism and appear subtle or powerful depending on the scale. Use zig zags, spots, checks or the wavy Wiggle Emerald (shown) to give a standout silhouette to a stuffy chair, or saturate dull walls with movement using an idiosyncratic wallpaper, such as Helter Skelter Sage. In a recent Cotswolds cottage project, Uns Hobbs chose the block-printed geometric, Khiva Rose, for a matching headboard and bed skirt to bring a soft and romantic feel to a bedroom in the eaves.
Create Harmony With a Tone-on-Tone Colour Drenching Approach
If you’re fearful of colour combining, then consider using just one shade to wrap a room. Known as colour drenching, this here-to-stay decorating approach is all about taking one shade from ceiling to floor, including woodwork and soft furnishings. By creating cocoons of colour, you’ll feel enveloped, calmed and comforted. The secret to getting this look right? Textures add depth, so be sure to sit smooth alongside nubbly on all the room’s touchpoints in order to enhance dimensions. For instance, a matt paint on ceilings and walls, a bouclé fabric, such as Sienna Fjord (shown) on soft furnishing and a tufted carpet underfoot.
Lean Into Natural Materials for Relaxed, Country-Inspired Comfort
The tried-and-tested interior design recipe for the ‘Modern Country’ look is organic fabrics, pale and painted woods and woven flooring. No effort required! Look to 100% pure linen with its soft and tumbled appeal as your starting point for a relaxed scheme refresh. Loose covers in soft shapes, easy-on-the-eye blinds and frilled and scallop-edged cushions are your go-to soft furnishings for a style statement that gets even better with age. Charming florals and small-scale geometrics (Ashfield Shamrock shown) work amiably alongside each other. ‘I like to layer a small print with a larger print,’ says Uns Hobbs. ‘It’s all about balance. But often some of the most successful schemes are the ones where you just put together the things you love.’
At Linwood, we believe that great design endures. These summer decorating ideas celebrate fabrics, wallpapers, and details that feel uplifting now – and remain beautifully relevant year after year. Explore our collections and start shaping a summer-ready home that reflects your style, your mood, and the joyful spirit of the season.