Getting The House Summer Ready*

As I mentioned in yesterdays Mid Year Round Up post, Saturday past saw one year since I officially moved into my home. I also mentioned since I moved I have done very little to make it feel like a “finished” product. We the year mark passing I’ve had an urge to do some more home improvements and I thought i’d share my plans with my readers, who if you followed Cocktails in Teacups last year will know all about my home from my house tours.

With the change of season I always feel like there are certain ways to improve your home. In the winter I want thicker bedding and curtains as well as a warm rug by the fire and a million candles to burn. In the Spring the urge to clear out and clean takes me.. and in the summer I want my home to be ready to host impromptu garden parties and barbeques as well as feeling light and airy during those long muggy days.

Starting with the garden as this summer it’s the place Little Miss and I have spent a lot of time. Since the fence went up my garden has felt a safe place that I can open my back door and let Little Miss run up and down on the bath. There is no gate so it’s completely inclosed and because of the way my house faces, a complete suntrap! Little Miss has a few garden toys but no where to store them. I’d love a little shed or hut to keep them dry and clean. Or even just a cover like these furniture covers from Argos. I’d also love to paint the fence that divides the lawn from the patio. I’ve always dreamt of a white picket fence but who knew outdoor paint was so expensive? At the moment we sit on an old rug, but eventually I’d love a patio table and chairs as well as sun lounger. Finally, I’d love an Express Bi-Folding Door as it would really open up my kitchen and make it a sunnier place. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and having a bi-folding door would really help me make the most of both my kitchen diner and my garden, giving Little Miss the freedom to run between both.

Now that I’ve mentioned the kitchen, I have recently been donated a couple more chairs for my dining table but they don’t match my old ones. I really want to paint the back and legs so they all match. But it’s finding the time and somewhere to put them away from little fingers! Speaking of painting, I still haven’t got around to painting the hall way! I really want to brighten the place up as it is the darkest area of our house. I have the paint ready just not the means or the time. And as it’s an area Little Miss uses it’s no doubt going to end up covered in finger prints!

This is lightened with sunlight!

The other room that doesn’t get much light is actually my lounge. It’s only very early in the morning before the sun moves onto the back of the house. Luckily I have an incredibly light colour scheme but to open it up a little bit more I’d really like a large mirror to hang over the fireplace as it gives the illusion of more light and space.

Finally, I’m working very hard to update Little Miss’ room from a nursery to a room fit for a little girl. Although this isn’t something to make my home summer ready, it is something I’ve left until the summer to do. Although she does adore Bambi I feel she’s moved past that. I have invested in some bedding for her from Just for Tiny People and I plan on packing away her rocking horse to make room for her Christmas present (again from Just for Tiny People). I also want to pick up a bed canopy for her which may be something I get when I come back from the US. Her wooden kitchen from her birthday is now in her room as she uses her pop up house in the garden. Her room is still very much my favourite place in the house. Not sure how long she’ll be okay with me sitting in it day dreaming for though these days!

Are there any home improvements you’d like to do this summer? How did it feel changing your child’s room from a nursery into a little person bedroom?