Style: Welcome summer into your home

With the garden beckoning, it's easy to forget about interior decoration during the summer months.

Yet there are many ways to benefit from the sunshine, while indoors.

Claire Hornby, creative stylist at Barker and Stonehouse, explains that creating 'summer rooms' is key to making the most of the weather.

Just as we change our clothes when the seasons change so, she says, we can re-vamp our homes.

The key to a great summer room is creating a calm, tranquil space - perfect for relaxation on hot days, or lightening your spirits when the weather doesn't oblige!

"Substituting more delicate fabrics for curtains and throws, decorating in lighter shades, and featuring more natural materials will all suit summer rooms," adds Hornby.

Check out the experts' top 10 tips for transforming rooms ready for summer.

:: Making an entrance

Set a tranquil mood by clearing out your hallway and letting in the light.

"Make a cramped area feel bigger and maximise light by painting the floor and skirting boards in a light, pastel shade," advises Jane Burdon, author of Room Rescues.

Dulux's Light & Space range claims to reflect twice as much light around a room as normal paint. Emulsion, £21.09 for 2.5 litres, and Satinwood paint, £12.29 for 750ml.

Get the look: Louvred shutters maintain privacy and allow light to flood in from a window. Shutters by Shutterly Fabulous, £250 a square metre, including installation.

Don't waste time looking for misplaced keys, sunglasses, or pens. Get organised with a Key Cupboard Clock, £90, Laura Ashley.

:: Cook up some peace

Adhesive window film is a neat way around the problem of troublesome views. Available in a variety of designs, window film will still let light in while keeping ugly views hidden from sight. Applying it is reasonably easy if you're neat and methodical, but be aware that an air bubb le or wobbly edge will quickly spoil the effect.

Some stockists offer to cut the film to size - a useful service for those who aren't as confident in their DIY skills.

Get the look: Frostbrite window film, from £25, from The Window Film Company.

:: Get on board

Breezy blue and white stripes, fresh white paint-work, neutral flooring, and lots of nautical bits and pieces bring to mind lazy days by the coast.

Karen Thomas, head of home design for Sainsbury's, says that the allure of the sea is strong this year, with all things nautical in vogue.

"Refresh a living room with an airy beach house palette of blues and understated neutrals," she adds.

"Cool cottons for throws, loose covers for sofas, and natural rattans and prints of seaside scenes are the ingredients for this gentle, relaxed style."

Get the look: Get ship-shape with a blue striped throw, £10 Tu cream cushion, £5 Tu blue stripe cushion, £ 6. Add accessories such as Tu beach hut frame print, £15 Tu wooden & wire boat, £7. All from Sainsbury's.

:: Sweet summer dreams

The bedroom is probably the one and only room in a family home that a decorator can call their own.

It shouldn't just be a place to sleep, but a refuge from the hurly-burly of family life.

"Sleep's vital for our whole wellbeing. It restores the body, refreshes the mind, and even helps boost the immune system," says Chrissie Rucker, founder of The White Company.

"A perfect summer bedroom is an airy sanctuary. Small changes, such as changing heavy winter curtains for light, gauzy ones and adding a light-coloured bedspread, will help achieve that."

As we spend nearly a third of the year in bed - on average 106 days - a good mattress is also key. Manufacturers recommend replacing a mattress every seven years.

Get the look: Clermont bed linen, double duvet cover, £70, pillowcase, £18, The White Company.

:: Make a splash

"A comfortable bathroom is one where all the necessary accessories, such as bottles and jars have a place," says Caroline Clifton-Mogg, author of The Comforts of Home.

"You can never have too much storage. If a bathroom's really small the space behind a fixed panel on the side of a bath can sometimes be adapted to make a small cupboard. It just requires cutting and hinging a panel to create a door."

Get the look: Littlewoods white bench, £99, has three rattan pull-out baskets which could be ideal for storing towels and toiletries.

:: Work in peace

Take advantage of some time off during the holidays to turn even the smallest corner into a space where you can sit and work on your own projects.

Make a room feel larger by painting floorboards in a light coloured shade of hard-wearing floor paint. Use a long handled roller for easy application and make sure floors are clean and dust/grease free before starting.

A junk shop desk and folding chair could easily be revamped with a coat of paint.

Get the look: Floor paints by International Quick Drying Floor paint, £12.99 for 750ml. Choose a light shade like Sandstone.

Make a shabby desk and chair look new with International Furniture and Cupboard paint, perhaps in a soft green shade such as Lovely Olive, £16.99 for 750ml.

:: Magical candlelight

Soft, dappled candlelight calms the body and the mind.

"A fireplace can still be a focal point in summer even if it's empty," says designer and TV presenter, Linda Barker.

"Fill it with a mass of candles for an appealing, flickering glow."

And don't forget to add to the atmosphere on sultry nights. Make a patio feel special and light it with twinkling lights in glass lanterns.

Get the look: A pair of fretwork lighthouse lanterns, £22.50 (candles not included) from Really Linda Barker.

The White Company's Metal and Glass round lanterns from £60 and glass hanging lanterns for tea lights from £15.

:: Blooming lovely

Flowers connect us to nature, bringing colour and a soothing scent to a room.

"Cut flowers should be a finishing touch for every room. Keep arrangements simple to allow the natural colour and shape of the blooms to speak for themselves," says Atlanta Bartlett, stylist and director of online lifestyle store, Pale and Interesting.

Get the look: Small glass bottle vase, £1.95, Pale & Interesting.

:: Spray on style

A mix of accessories in different shapes and colours can be jarring in a room, and detract from the cool, calm space you are trying to create.

Bring harmony by spraying ornaments and vases all one colour using Plasti-kote Super spray paint. It dries fast and leaves no brush marks.

"Spray painting is one of my secret quick-fix design tools," says interior designer Danielle Proud.

"It's so easy to revamp anything from a piece of furniture to an accessory and it can freshen-up a room for summer."

Get the look: Try easy-to-use, Plasti-kote Super spray paint, £5.49 for a 400ml can, from DIY stores.

:: Private corner

Create a quiet spot for sitting, daydreaming, or enjoying hobbies. Find a space on a landing, under the stairs, or a corner of a room, and make it feel all yours by displaying the objects you love.

Get the look: Handmade white shell heart, £37.50 driftwood heart, £119, Not On The High Street.

Display souvenir shells, pebbles and tiny souvenirs in a Curio Cabinet, £24.95, The Handpicked Collection.