5 little switches I'm making to transition my home from spring to summer

A wooden table with bowls, plates and a fruit bowl on top within a pale pink room — (Image credit: Future PLC/Mark Scott)

Content creator Lucy Kalice is one of Ideal Home's Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on cleaning, home decor and making the most of small spaces. See the rest of her articles here.

The start of the best season is just around the corner and I couldn’t be happier. I am a summer girl through and through! The lighter mornings, the longer days and the warmer evenings – what’s not to love?

I find it a season filled with so many fun activities. There’s more social plans, more hosting opportunities and more importantly – holidays! And maybe I am a little biased because my birthday is in July but let’s ignore that little detail for now…

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That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the other seasons, I’ve said before how I think all seasons should be celebrated and reflected within the home. In autumn we have Halloween and everyone starts to bring out the cosy cushions, the plush blankets and drinking hot chocolates. In winter we have Christmas where we transform our homes into sparkling winter wonderlands. Spring brings us Easter and this is when the home decorations start to get a bit more colourful. Then finally in summer that’s when the garden furniture comes out and it’s a bbq every other weekend…dreamy.

And there’s some things we do to transition our home from spring to summer, which sounds extra but I promise you it’s not. It’s just little tweaks and touches around the home to represent the season we are in. It doesn’t have to be expensive or bougie but hopefully the below will give you some inspiration for preparing for summer and summer-fying you’re home. So let’s get into it…

1. I add colour to my tablescapes

Our kitchen is the hub of the home, as I’m sure it is for most of you too. It’s where we spend most of our time so it’s important to me that it gives off the right vibe at the right time. So I’m switching my dark green place mats for our pink and red placemats to add a pop of bright colour.

I also love decorating the table with a colourful vase and adding some seasonal flowers like some gorgeous hydrangeas. These simple swaps to the dining table brighten the whole kitchen!

2. I switch my duvet for a lower tog

Neutral painted bedroom with cream curtains and white/cream bedding on the bed, with a shelf on the wall above it

Ok this one has nothing to do with aesthetics, but everything to do with comfort…comfort is key after all. We have two duvets, our summer duvet and our winter duvet.

Our winter duvet is a high tog of 13.5, it’s like sleeping underneath a cloud and it’s just absolutely perfect…for winter. Sleeping with that in summer when the temperate is warmer is a form of torture.

There’s nothing worse than having a bad nights sleep because you were too hot! So to help you get the perfect night sleep you need a lower tog duvet which is usually 2.5-4.5 tog. This is a non-negotiable for us in summer!

3. Quirky tableware

My favourite thing to buy at the moment is colourful and quirky bowls, plates and mugs. I’m over the plain white set we currently have, that was so winter 2025.

I’ve started to build up a small amount of colourful tableware and it makes me so happy whenever I use it. Breakfast on my pastel pink flower Le Creuset plate? Yes please! Aesthetic 10/10, Vibe 10/10, Mood 10000/10.

It’s the little things that really brighten your mood and your home.

4. I open up the house to the outdoors

a dining room with table set for a meal and rattan chairs and a matching oversized rattan pendant overhead with open patio doors leading out into a garden

Living in the UK means we can have some temperamental weather in the summer, so when it’s good it’s important to make the most of it. And what I mean by that is opening the doors and the windows!

Aerating your home is so important all year round as it improves air quality. But in the winter when the weather is cold I think we can all agree it’s not very tempting. So in the summer we like to have our bifold doors and windows open as much as possible to make the most of it!

5. I switch up my scents

As much as I love my cookie dough, apple pie and pumpkin spiced scented candles, they do not scream summer. They get put away and I bring out the summer scented candles and reed diffusers. We’re talking lemon and grapefruit, fig & citronella, lavender.

I find this is such an easy to bring summer into your home and it doesn’t have to break the bank.

Small changes really can make a big difference – what will you try?

Lucy is a content creator with a Masters degree in Broadcast Journalism from City University of London. Ever since buying her first home in 2022, she’s been obsessed with finding ways to keep spaces sparkling clean and organised.

From genius home hacks, to everyday cleaning routines, her content shares tips and tricks that inspire others to create homes that feel as good as they look. She shares her home with her partner, Sam, and their adorable dog Dudley, who often steals the spotlight of her videos.