Professional decorators have long known about the cooling effects of lighter fabrics and patterns. When you live in an environment with warm weather for much of the year, the last thing you want decorating your home is heavy fabrics and complicated patterns in dark colors. They’ll make the room feel heavier and warmer — and in Jacksonville, the weather is warm enough without your interior decorating adding to the effect. One of the smartest choices you can make is to use striped fabrics throughout the house. They’re breezy, they’re fun, and they lighten the look of any room you use them in.
Kitchens
Transform your kitchen to a pleasant gathering place with boldly striped curtains and accessories. Choose an energizing color such as tomato red or hibiscus pink for the colored stripes. Make or purchase breezy cotton curtains that can mute the bright sun when needed, but still allow for a glow of natural light year-round. For a bolder look, cover the table with a cloth made with chunky stripes. For a less-than-permanent change to your kitchen decor, collect towels, hot pads, placemats, and oven mitts in bright stripes and pair them with stark white dishes. You’ll get the cheerful look without the extra expense.
Living Room
A few decorating touches can also work as a nod to Jacksonville’s status as a seaside city. Give a living room or family room a cool, ocean-front feeling by transforming the furniture with blue and white stripes. Re-cover the sofa with a cotton duck slipcover in bold stripes of navy blue and white or cream. Add slipcovers to chairs and footstools in solid blue or creamy white. Add striped accent pillows to the furniture, or pile oversized floor cushions in a corner as extra seating. Take down heavy drapes and replace them with light curtains with thin navy blue pinstripes.
Outdoors
When decorating your home in Jacksonville, the patio or deck is a “room” like any other. The weather is warm enough almost year-round for dining, socializing, and family time in the backyard. Add some variety and visual interest by changing up the decorating scheme in your outdoor room. Replace the cushions on lounge chairs and seating around outdoor dining tables with striped versions in bold, tropical colors. Give your planters a bright, clean look by painting neat vertical stripes in white and summer green, then planting hot pink and bright red flowers as accents around the living area. Switch out your old dining table umbrella for a new, brightly striped version, and add punch to your table with striped cups, glasses, and pitchers for drinks or dinner.
Adding stripes is a simple idea, but it’s an easy one to overlook. The motif is easy to incorporate in a huge variety of accessories, and allows for a wide range of creativity. Pick a color or two, and try working them into your home.
Photo source: stock.xchng
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