Simmering Summer

Summer is a time of processing all the fruit and veggies for the pantry. I'd like to explain how I plan my seasonal decorating.

Summer to me, and in keeping with our 30's style farmhouse, is a casual cottagey feel. Not too fussy, but friendly, relaxed. Perhaps clean laundry flapping on a clothesline says it best. How the main theme is interpreted is determined by me, the homemaker, but it is the foundation upon which I gather my main accessories.

Because I luv to change things up I have deliberately kept my floors, walls, furniture, and curtains somewhat neutral so I can easily add or subtract a throw rug, move pictures, change pillows or valences, and even shuffle some of the chairs and tables from room to room. A lot of my favorite things just move about the house as the seasons change. I may group them in a small vignette with similar things. I may collect all things of like colour for another season. I may shuffle them to fill spaces for large, medium and small spaces. But move around they do and I have to lift and dust them so why not move them! lol I also have a kinda pantry for storing the extra. If I had a closet I'd delegate one for my decorating paraphernalia but 30's farm houses are closet challenged so I have the deep dark basement where I have 4 metal bookcases. (That's my indoor clothesline in the background hiding a multitude of plumbing, wires and floor supports.)

This is where my acquisition line is drawn. This is my acessory stash. Not to exceed the four bookcases, but it is always changing. Thrift shopping is a pleasant diversion and I bring home 'must haves' and take back the 'hoody hums'. I'm constantly editing, upgrading, changing but hopefully not increasing. 8)

Then I begin to gather the things that currently appeal for interpreting this seasons look. I'll even make little piles for the various rooms, sometimes in the rooms. Continuity is maintained by identify or assigning recurring items. Every room must have 2-3 of the 4 main items in various amounts. Summer has certain colours, flowers, white lace, tea things, glass, 'cute' ornaments, bunnies, quilts, all with an old timey feel.

Summer's colour pallet is pastels, pink, blue, yellow, green. I like lots of white as well. Flowers! I'm not a floral fabric lover but that is definitely a summer theme. I have my grandmother's doilies but I tend to use them in winter and find the white Battenburg lace more summery. Flowers need vases so I use lots of glass as it keeps things light. I'd luv to have more of the pink depression glass, especially the cranberry so I'm always looking for that. Summer tea parties; I have my mum's teacups and her glass cream and sugar set. But it also has to be fun so there are things like bunnies. And of course quilts.

Flowers are a good example of carrying the theme thru the house. The gate leads up to the front door where a container of flowers awaits. Potted plants are on the veranda window sills. The entrance table would have a vase and perhaps a bunny holding a basket of flowers. The front dining room is all about flowers, real, porcelain, fabrics, pictures, etc. All the stops are out. But the sitting room which adjoins and looks out to the bush is a resting place, maybe only a subtle picture or fabric pillow. The bathroom again has a small amount in the shower curtain fabrics. The kitchen is likely a glass canning jar with a loose bunch of cut flowers, some patterning on the dishes and some place mats. The upstairs hallway has minimal light so fabrics, pictures or an ornament do the trick. Our room has a vase but a more faded fabric style and the pictures are more pastoral. The guest room has some embroidered doilies, a botanical print and its easy to set a fresh vase should I have guests. My farmer doesn't want rose petals on his papers so hopefully the calender page has a sunflower in his office. The main picture in my playroom has a few flowers; no spilled water, thank you.

I have a designated shelf for seasonal projects in my playroom. So projects that can be added to summer are stacked on the appropriate shelf. It also helps me keep track that I'm adding a good variety of colour and styles. Hopefully it keeps me from starting something I really don't need when another would serve better use of my time.

My next post will put these principals to work. The ugly old cupboard stopped on its way to the barn and stayed in the veranda over winter. I managed to get it back on its journey so I'll post the 'vision', the before and the possibles. Not the best one to start with but if it works for one situation, it works for all. I hope!

Triple F is working. The focusin the house is summer decor, the overview is set and I'll fiddle with a room each week and get it finished. I'm still keeping the Sunshine room as the major makeover so it is running parallel and is still moving along. My goal is to have it ready for the summer photo.