COOLING OFF In The Hot Days Of Summer- 8 Ways To Design Your SPace Can Help Beat The Heat
You’re hot. You’re sweaty. What are you ever going to do to cool off?
Here are my go-to suggestions for cooling off in the summer – indoors.
1. Dress To Refresh
Create a summer look by dressing your sofas and chairs with linen slipcovers.
Linen has natural wicking abilities that pulls moisture away from the skin and used for centuries in hot climate countries. Linen has natural anti-bacterial qualities.
2. Cool Off With Fans
Living through a hot summer without air-conditioning seems impossible.
Ceiling fans such Casa Blanca, are romantic looking and create air movement that cools you off by evaporating the sweat from your body. More evaporation means a cooler human.
For immediate relief, have a fan that can be directed towards your body or your feet! A fan at my feet seems to cool off the rest of me. (I have very hot feet.)
3. Feel The Freezer Burn
If linen sheets are outside of your price range then stick your cotton sheets in the fridge or freezer, a few minutes before bed. Granted, this won’t keep you cool all night, but it will provide a brief respite from the heat and humidity.
4. Cool To The Touch
Enjoying a cooler home might be on the counter or under your feet.
Stones such as granite and marble located on tables, counters and under your feet are cool to the touch. Stones have a dense structure that absorbs heat from warmer objects. Heat dissipates through the stone quickly, making it feel cooler.
Warning: If the floor or counter is hotter than your body temperature, the stone will transfer heat to your body faster. That’s why the pavers on an uncovered patio can feel scorching on a hot summer’s day.
Stone is virtually indestructible, which makes it ideal for high-traffic areas. Requires little or no refinishing, replacement or maintenance.
5. Make It Dark
Rolling down your blinds and closing your curtains for the day will help block the sun’s rays. Close all window treatments the night before and through the hottest part of the day.
Closing blinds are necessary if you live in a condo with large windows. Especially facing south. No matter how much air conditioning you have, you’ll feel the heat and be blinded by the glare of the hot sun.
Take advantage of natural light as much as possible, cooling rooms after dark by minimizing the use of light fixtures. Even LEDs can give off heat through their electrical housing and transformers.
6. Get Wet
Take a shower, especially a cold rain shower. This brings down your core body temperature and rinses off sweat, so you can hit the mattress feeling cool and clean.
7. Sleep In The Lower Level (aka The Basement)
Basements make a great alternate summer residence. Since warm air rises and cool air sinks, the lower level is usually 10-15 degrees cooler than the upstairs part of the house. A great place to sleep at night.
Finishing off the basement is always a worthwhile investment for the summer and winter too. (See my article on basements.)
8. Psychologically Speaking
Cool colours - blues, greens and white - can promote your brain’s capacity to visually cool off.
Blues remind us of the sky and the cool wet sea. The colour green is, the colour of nature which always brings up thoughts of spring. And white can remind us of winter, ice and all things cool.
Embrace the summer and enjoy your home whether it’s located in the sky, on the ground, or by the water.
And ask yourself:
How am I going to create a refreshingly cool summer mood for my home?
Need help with cooling off your home? Contact me to see what solutions are right for you.
Dolores Pian is a Master Interior Designer who crafts luxury residences, penthouses and purse parking. Successful people seek her expertise to Design Reclaiming Time ©
Because time is their true luxury.
Drop her an e-mail to say hello and let her know what you thought of this blog post.
Dolores Pian’s blog posts are meant to inform and entertain. Please consult Dolores Pian directly if you need any specific information for your specific spaces.