Summer Trends

Summer Trends

Summer brings a whole new attitude adjustment in home interiors. I find that as the sun shines even brighter, it brings on an attitude of leisure and the feeling that life in general moves at a slower pace. I find myself desiring to be surrounded with fabrics that have a luscious hand and are easy maintenance, both inside and outside of my home. I entertain more frequently and want the home to feel fresh and vibrant, echoing my guest’s laughter and the clanking of dishes. I’ve found some new fabrics that contribute to that look and the feeling of comfort that I want my guests to experience.
I had a preview recently of fabrics that are exclusive to the design trade. Kravet and Lee Jofa have beautiful embroidered linens and cottons that have an exquisite hand and luscious colors. The texture is fabulous, with the embroidery overlayed on the linens. The new designer fabrics are crisp, clean looking and ready to coordinate an existing look by adding window treatments, or even just to freshen up a neutral sofa with new pillows that include fabulous trims. The summer trend for the interiors seems to be an embroidered stitch, whether an extravagant floral or fern (bringing the outside inside) incorporating many colors, or even just a wavy loop stitch over a clean but vibrant linen. Key interior summer trends are linen and embroidery, which showed up on the entire collection.

I recently had a preview of Joe Ruggerios new fabrics for Sunbrella. He was inspired by his travels in foreign countries, including Japan where he picked up on the vibrant “Japan Blue” that is so intense. He translated that intense blue into several of his outdoor fabrics. The color options in the outdoor fabric line have never been better. Along with the blue mentioned above, there are cool greens, and calming beiges in many textures and patterns. There are so many fresh colorings and new designs available in outdoor fabric that it makes me want to recover all my outdoor cushions! (And put out some of those embroidered linen pillows on my enclosed porch). I know that with the Sunbrella name behind them they have a warranty against loss of fabric and color strength from sunlight, mildew and “atmospheric chemicals”. Imagine a fabric that you can really hose off if your barbeque lands on it! No more worrying about the dog landing on the sofa, or a small child’s dirty feet!! Key term for outdoor summer trends is ease of maintenance and fresh new color. Look around your outdoor living spaces and see which cushions need new life to them. The fabrics can also be made into panels that can be hung from outdoor (meaning weather proof) hardware giving privacy or filtering the sun as needed.
Now let’s tie the trends all together. Imagine a velvet sofa on the interior of your home…with the Sunbrella warranty. Even though the velvet is an outdoor fabric, it has the soft touch needed for indoor usage allowing us to entertain without constantly fearing what may land on it. (I had this fabric in my hands, never guessing at the beginning it was an outdoor fabric). Then imagine you have a beautiful embroidered linen that is loosely drawn across the windows to filter the sun as you read the morning paper, your back pressed up against the down pillows in a coordinating embroidered linen, when suddenly, the dog bounds across the room jumping up on you, spilling your coffee all over the velvet. No worries. You just pick it up and wipe with a damp cloth, because it is a Sunbrella fabric. Now you are ready to entertain inside or out in a beautiful home.
The main summer trend I predict…..no worries….because you planned ahead and used the right fabrics. Now is the perfect time to start working with your interior designer on the outdoor ease of living everywhere in your home. Plan now for a fresh start to a worry free summer….and in Florida, outdoor living is year round!