6 Tips On How To Keep Your Home Cool In Summer

We can pretty much guarantee those reading this blog are without the luxury of air con. Much like houses in warmer climates don’t have central heating built in, most houses in the UK don't have air conditioning. In fact, one estimate suggests less than 5% of British homes have air conditioning units. So, with summer on the horizon, it’s time to look at easy steps you can make to keep your house cool. 

Step 1. Install air con. 

No, no. I jest.

One of the easiest ways to achieve a cooler room is to change the furniture layout. So, moving  furniture in a living room, adding curtains and blinds to windows, or opening windows. That being said, there are a few other steps you can take. In this blog, we will list out the simple yet effective ways to make your house cooler this summer. 

Follow these six steps to create the perfect room layout for summer:

• Let the natural light in 
• Open spaces by rearranging furniture
• Bring the outside in 
• Use cool colours and fabrics 
• Go minimalist, especially with clutter 
• Need to create good ventilation 

Let the natural light in 

Move the furniture and sofas away from windows or hallways to make sure natural light is optimised to the fullest. Position the sofa or next to, or underneath, the windows, so they don’t cover up any light. 

Closing curtains or blinds is great for keeping the heat out, but not good for capitalising on natural light. A good workaround would be to add white, cream transparent blinds or soft curtains. Not only will this keep a lot of the sun’s heat out of the room, but it will create a nice ambiance and natural light setting. 

Open spaces by rearranging furniture

Move furniture away from being placed opposite windows. This will also ensure that when sitting on the sofa the heat from the sun is not focused on the sofa, or on you. 

Move a small armchair into the conservatory, bring it out in the garden for extra seating. Use it for more than indoors. Creates space in the living room, which means you can have more space to move the sofa away from the window and keep cool. 

Bring the outside in 

Usually when we say bring the outside in, we’re talking about plants. This time, we’re not. Although, adding a selection of plants to your living room is always encouraged. This time, we mean moving your furniture around, if possible, to face your outside space. So, if you have a garden, patio or balcony, face the furniture away from inside walls and towards the outdoors. This will not only help increase the size of your home and, or room, but make it feel light and airy. We all know of the benefits associated with nature and green space; so moving your furniture to face the outside can only be positive.  

Also, this will make sure you have easy access to your outdoor area.  

Use cool colours and fabrics 

The use of cool colours and fabrics is perfect for creating a summer oasis. Make sure you move any upholstery away from the windows. Exposing fabric to direct sunlight causes colour fading, which would be a bigger nightmare than a slightly sweaty living room. 

Using neutral or natural colours for your upholstery is an incredibly effective way to add a touch of summer to your living room. Off-whites, greys, pastels, greens and blues are a guaranteed win, if you want to lift the room and make it feel light. Not necessarily a quick fix, but if there is a will, there is a way… I mean, some companies can deliver sofas and armchairs in as little as 24 hours. 

Choosing specific fabrics for your sofa is another way to help keep the house cool in the summer months. Original cotton is one of those fabrics; it’s incredibly durable because it doesn’t absorb heat. That means, cotton sofas naturally stay cool. Original cotton is also known to reduce moisture collection, unlike other materials, which regulate body temperature. 

Linen has similar breath-ability components to cotton, which means it holds up well in summer. Linen and cotton sofas are perfect for summer; both fabrics ensure your sofas won't feel hot, sweaty or sticky.

Go minimalist, especially with clutter 

Are you a hoarder? If the answer is yes, read carefully. Remove clutter. Do it. Do it now. 

Not only is clutter a headache and creates brain fog, but it makes us feel stressed. Seriously, there was a study in 2009 which found clutter dramatically increased stress hormones in mothers. 

Clearing out all of the unwanted, unnecessary rubbish from your home, will not only give you a clear head, but create more space. Increased space will provide more air flow throughout the home. And, more Feng Shui. Or, for us non-interior-design-types, a better walk flow. All-in-all, a perfect activity for a better summertime home.  

Need to create good ventilation 

Apologies if I’m pointing out the obvious here, but there’s no harm in highlighting the importance of opening windows and doors. Having doors and windows that are wide open, will guarantee  air from outside, and other rooms can easily flow throughout the home. Ensuring there's plenty of airflow throughout the room, making sure there is a draft really helps with the air flow. The only problem with this is it encourages flies – not that we want to promote fly genocide, but there are  sprays that are effective at eliminating that problem. 

And, last but certainly not least, buy a fan. An aesthetically pleasing one.