Whether it’s heat wave or monsoon this month, we can capture the essence of summer in our interiors with the season’s hottest designs — happy homewares dressed in dazzling colour and lively pattern.
Fruit and flowers are classic summertime motifs and, printed big and bold, they add an upbeat vibe to kitchen accessories. My favourite examples are by the Swedish designer Lotta Kuhlhorn. Her apple print, on bone-china mugs and birch-veneer trays, is an iconic Scandi pattern, and the retro graphic looks just as good on her melamine-coated chopping board.
Reinforce the feelgood factor by investing in pieces that simply make you smile. Rob Ryan’s bunting will do the trick for all but the most determined miserablists, as will Klaus Haapaniemi’s funky, folkloric prints (see cushion, above). Kay Bojesen’s wooden animals always work for me. The new additions to this great Dane’s menagerie include a cheerful hippo, a rabbit and a walnut dachsund — instant sunshine, whatever the weather outdoors.