How to Reset Your Home for Summer — 8 Tasks for the Next Month to Bring Calm Back to Your Rooms

To me, summer is all about embracing the warmth. And when you live in a city like London, it's important to do all you can to bring the season indoors so you can truly experience summer the way you're meant to.

Don't worry, it's more than just summer decluttering. To help your home feel in tune with the ambiance al fresco, you can give your home a beautiful summer reset.

Think nostalgic scents to emulate a citrus garden, vibrant colors to brighten the space, seasonal art to set the mood, and plenty of other summery ideas, as explored below.

1. Map Out a Reset Plan

Before you get to resetting your home for the summer, it's important to outline a plan of action. This will allow you to work your way through your home, room by room, for a home that feels totally summery.

Just as you would with a Sunday reset, this is a clever first step to ensure no space gets left behind. As someone who loves a list (yes, I'm type A), I recommend physically writing down everything you need to do for a full summer reset.

I find that an upbeat summer playlist and a refreshing cool beverage of choice are a great way to set the mood as you blueprint your reset. Bad Bunny's DTMF and a matcha tonic were the key to my planning routine this year.

2. Adjust the Warmth

First things first, you can embrace the warmth while also keeping it comfortably cool. And while it does help to learn how to cool down a room with a sleek standing fan (like this Shark TF200SUK Flex Bladeless Tower Fan) or otherwise, it goes beyond appliances and tricks and crosses over into design choices, too.

"Even in a physically cooler home, fiery elements like red walls, animal prints, and a lot of geometric shapes create an energetic heating effect, yielding excessive passion or activity," says holistic interior designer Gala Magriñá.

"If your walls and furniture are already activated with color, I suggest swapping out some accent decor pieces, like throw pillows, blankets, and drapes, in soft, light colors and natural textures like linen. These, both visually and physically, make everything feel more easy breezy."

3. Cull the Summer Clutter

Although carrying out a seasonal reset isn't all summer decluttering, that's not to say it isn't a key part of the process. In fact, it might even be the best first step to take for a clean slate before you dress your home for the season.

"Summer starts with subtraction," says interior designer Rachel Blindauer. "Tuck away the heavy throws, moody candles, and winter layers. A decluttered room allows natural light to become the main design element."

Now's the best time to declutter and truly make space for a refresh. And if you need a quick chore to kickstart the process, look to our five-minute decluttering tasks for instant results.

And in keeping with the vibe of the season, I also recommend taking inspiration from the biophilic decluttering trend.

4. Revive Your Indoor Garden

What would a summery space be without a relaxing indoor garden to make your home feel lush and comforting? "Plants create a connection to nature for an instant mood boost and have even been reported to lower stress and blood pressure," says Gala.

"I love to style plants with a mix of playful art to create a sense of warmth and happiness. A few of my air-filtering houseplant go-tos include lady palms and dragon trees, but snake plants and pothos are other great options for those of us with browner thumbs."

Plus, if you're looking to keep up with houseplant trends, there's nothing like a flourish of moss to keep your home green. For one, Sofia Vergara's coffee table moss centerpiece is a stunning example.

5. Refresh Your Bedscape

One of the first things I aim to do once the weather warms is switch out bulky warming bedding for moisture-wicking linens and bamboo sheets instead. "I recommend swapping out heavier textures for breathable cottons and gauzy sheers," says Rachel.

Look to summer color palettes to give your bed linen a splash of vibrance that feels right for the season. But instead of going overboard and risking a busy bedroom, find a happy medium in bedding colors to improve sleep.

Not to mention, you can also enliven your bedroom with charming summer decor. And good news, our summer round-up, 'The Fifty', just dropped, and it has all the hottest homewares of the season.

6. Reset Your Gallery Wall

As the seasons pass, consider lending your home a beautiful new look by bringing in art that suits the spirit of summer. "We rotate linens and clothes. So why not wall art?" says Rachel.

"Consider trading out deeper-toned or moody artwork for prints that feature open skies, coastal scenes, or botanical illustrations. It’s a simple change that recalibrates a room’s energy almost immediately."

And you don't have to rethink the art in every room of your home. You can begin with your living room wall art and continue with any other hosting spaces that catch a lot of foot traffic over the summer.

7. Embrace Negative Space

Rachel tells me that summer invites us to pause, and I couldn't agree more. With the energetically colored decor and the vignette of textures you're building, you also need something to ease the space.

"To take a pause, it's best not to fill every corner," she notes. "Let some surfaces remain unstyled. Open space becomes its own form of luxury, especially when the rest of life is so full."

The Japanese concept of 'Ma' (間) is built on this principle, and if you've ever felt like your home is overstimulating, take this as a sign to let your home breathe.

8. Complete the Reset with Summery Scents

"Don’t overlook the power of a scent," says Rachel. And if you have been so far, trust me, a summery scent or two can make all the difference. Consider garden candles, these Malin+Goetz room sprays, or even an incense bowl to bring the ambiance together.

"Especially in the entry, bathrooms, and scented linens," she advises. "Move away from musks and into sea salt, citrus, basil, or fig. It’s the sensory cue that tells the brain: We’re in a new season."

And if you want to go beyond the mainstream scenting avenues to make your home smell good, I recommend Courteney Cox's laundry care. It'll make the chore a tad easier, and you'll be rewarded with clothes that smell wonderfully clean. And in the case of the Neroli Leaf Linen Spray, garden fresh without having to sun dry your clothes at all.

FAQs

When Does Summer End?

Since summer always ends at the start of the autumnal equinox, as of 2025, the last day of summer will likely land on September 22^nd. Typically, this is around the time that the days and nights are of equal length.

What is the Best Temperature to Leave an Empty House in Summer?

If you plan on jetsetting this summer, it's important to ensure that the temperature inside your vacant home is properly regulated. A temperature of 78° F to 85° F or 25° C to 29° C is ideal to keep your home mold-free and safe from potential heat damage.

And if you're enjoying the season but you can't seem to get a good night's sleep, I recommend looking at our guide to summer insomnia for expert advice (from actual sleep experts) on how to beat the heat for sound slumber.