Your Countdown to Summer Begins with These 10 Design Must-Haves

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start to summer! Time to get ready for long, sunny days and relaxed evenings. Bring summer style home with a few crisp, beachy pieces that will refresh your interior while celebrating the arrival of the year’s warmest season. Here are 10 design ingredients to enjoy as you look forward to 3-day weekends, delicious meals on the patio, and time with friends and family…

Breezy Curtains

Sheer, gauzy curtains shield you from the sun’s rays while letting some of the glorious light in. This sunset image from H&M Home is the epitome of breezy summer style…outdoor curtains and all!

Sheer is the name of the game, and this Belgian Sheer Linen Drapery from Restoration Hardware is wonderfully lightweight:

Breezy-linen-curtains — Breezy linen curtains

Beachy Art

Deck the walls with images of the ocean! Go abstract for an open-ended display of summery blues, such as this Water Wall Painting from CB2 (by artist Alexis Gourguechon):

Watercolor-art-in-shades-of-blue — Watercolor art in shades of blue

Or capture a snapshot of the ocean, as with Leslee Mitchell’s Beach Life photography print, also from CB2:

Vases of Greenery

Bring the outdoors in by keeping ceramic and stoneware vases filled with fresh greenery. You can go tropical with leaves displayed in textural vases (shown below with glazed pieces from Crate & Barrel):

Glazed-stoneware-vases-with-tropical-leaves — Glazed stoneware vases with tropical leaves

Or you can create a grouping of textured vases and fill one of them with sculptural flowers. Crate & Barrel’s Rati Vase is a summer-perfect receptacle (pictured at the front left of the vignette below):

Collection-of-white-textural-vases — Collection of white textural vases

Striped Table Textiles

Stripes are classic yet perfectly on trend this season. Plus, they’re always at home in the kitchen and dining room! Time for a new table runner? This striped neutral number from Zara Home is a breath of fresh air:

Crisp-striped-table-runner — Crisp striped table runner

RELATED: Simple Stripes for Summer

Black, white and earthy is where it’s at this summer, and it doesn’t get much better than Zara Home’s Striped Linen Tablecloth, pictured below.

Light Serveware

Entertaining this season? Set a refreshing table with light and easy serveware. CB2’s Narrow Rectangular Platter is perfect for serving little nibbles:

Long-and-narrow-rectangular-platter — Long and narrow rectangular platter

And these petite Marble Cheese Servers, also from CB2, can be grouped together for an artistic foodie vignette:

White Wine on Demand

White wine pairs beautifully with summer favorites such as seafood. Before you stock up on bottles, make sure you have just what you need to serve it up! There’s something subtly geometric about Crate & Barrel’s Tour White Wine Glass:

Sculptural-white-wine-glass-1 — Sculptural white wine glass

Present the vino in a beautifully designed carafe, such as this Lagos All-Purpose Carafe, also from Crate & Barrel (made from recycled European glass):

Modern-all-purpose-carafe — Modern all-purpose carafe

Water at the Ready

With all of the indulging in white wine, you’ll need to stay hydrated! When served in an artful carafe and infused with fresh fruit and herbs, water is taken to the next level. Crate & Barrel’s Pinch Carafe is designed for an easy grip and pour!

This Ona Small Pitcher from Crate & Barrel is sculptural enough to display all year long:

Infuse-water-with-fresh-fruit-and-herbs — Infuse water with fresh fruit and herbs

Spa Style

Less is more when it comes to spa style in the powder room. Freshly laundered towels are always welcoming. Bring the easy-breezy-woven look to your powder room this season with Zara Home’s Cotton Towels with Melange Border:

Cotton-towels-with-a-border — Cotton towels with a border

Restoration Hardware creates a resort-style shower statement with the Italian Hotel Satin Stitch Shower Curtain. So crisp for summer!

Hotel-style-shower-curtain — Hotel-style shower curtain

Comfy Outdoor Seating

In summertime it’s all about the lounging. Keep it refreshing by pairing lighter fabrics with wooden tones or opting for something woven. CB2’s Filaki Lounger with Natural Cushion is wonderfully modern.

Modern-outdoor-lounger — Modern outdoor lounger

We’re also smitten with CB2’s Ixtapa Blue Lounge Chair, which channels the blue of the ocean with handwoven cording over a powdercoated steel tube frame:

Woven-blue-lounge-chair — Woven blue lounge chair

Sculptural Planters

Sculptural style has never been more fresh and green, thanks to an array of interesting planters at the ready this season. And they only get more interesting as you fill them with greenery, shown below in a grouping of items from CB2: