Living naturally in summer: How to make your home light and airy with linen.

Summer brings with it a feeling of lightness – long evenings, soft light, bare feet on warm floors. And this is exactly the feeling you can bring into your own four walls. You don't need new furniture or a major renovation. Often, it's the small changes that make the crucial difference: a textile update, a new color nuance, a different arrangement of your favorite pieces.

In this blog, we'll show you how to give your home a light, summery feel with colors, materials, and a few conscious touches - in the spirit of Kanela: naturalness, timelessness, and a sense for the essential.

Colors: Summer thrives on soft tones and natural nuances

Colors have a direct effect on our well-being. Light, powdery tones are particularly suitable for creating an airy feeling in summer – such as warm white, sand, linen, sage, or a delicate sky blue. These colors reflect light, make rooms appear larger, and have a calming effect at the same time.

Tip:
You don't have to paint the walls right away. Simply swap heavy pillowcases for linen in natural tones or complement your sofa with a light throw. Even small color accents—like ceramics in soft terracotta tones or vases in light green, can noticeably change the mood of the room.

Materials: Summer calls for structure – not heaviness

In winter, we love soft wool and heavy fabrics. In summer, things can be more textile-based, but still airy. Linen, rattan, untreated wood, lightweight cotton, or handwoven rugs add texture and naturalness without adding weight.

Linen, in particular, is a true all-rounder: temperature-regulating, breathable, durable and yet naturally elegant. Whether as bed linen, tablecloth, or pillowcase, linen creates that subtle balance of restraint and character that gives your home a summery feel.

Tip:
Set aside wool rugs for the warmer months and replace them with a Berber rug or woven cotton rug, this adds lightness and texture. A seagrass basket or wooden stool provides a visual and functional replacement for heavy furniture.

Styling with existing products: Less staging, more letting it breathe

Summery decorating has a lot to do with simplicity. Rooms breathe better when they're not cluttered. Use what you have – but differently. Don't line up your favorite ceramic vases in rows; group them freely on the dining table or sideboard. Remove heavy curtains and let the daylight flow in. And instead of buying decor, use natural materials from everyday life – fresh herbs in jars, lemons in a wooden bowl, shells from your last vacation.

Tip:
Instead of a classic mood board on paper, turn your home into a summer mood board: a mix of materials, sounds, and objects that remind you of warm summer days – arranged intuitively.

Light: Naturalness before artificiality

The right lighting is key to a summery atmosphere. Open windows wherever possible. Avoid artificial light during the day and opt for warm, indirect lighting in the evening – for example, with linen lampshades or handmade ceramic lanterns.

A big effect with little effort: Mirrors reflect light and make rooms appear brighter. Place them deliberately opposite windows or in darker corners.

Rethinking spaces: Creating transitions

Especially in summer, it's worth blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Open your living space to the balcony or terrace, design windowsills like mini gardens, or consciously bring nature indoors – with dried flowers, branches, grasses, or a bouquet of wildflowers.

Tip:
Instead of decoration in the classic sense: Combine seasonal foods such as peaches, fresh bread or olives in a beautiful ceramic bowl – it looks good and smells wonderful.

Conclusion: Summer is in the details

You don't need new furniture or a major remodel to give your home a summery feel. Often, a conscious eye for color, materials, and light is enough. A gentle makeover with the things you already own -combined with natural textures and a few hand-picked favorite pieces.