As temperatures rise, heavy textures and dark color palettes can make a space feel stuffy instead of serene. The good news? You do not need a full renovation to create a breezy, designer-inspired retreat.

This year, embrace the “High-Low” decorating approach: pair affordable DIY upgrades with a few intentional investment pieces to make your bedroom feel polished, layered, and luxurious. From creating a custom fixtures to styling with premium accents and greenery, these simple projects will help you transform your space without overspending.

How to Fill Dead Space in a Bedroom?

Dead space in a bedroom can be filled with functional decor, such as a cozy reading nook, tall indoor plants, twin bedside tables, or a wall-to-wall headboard. These design elements make awkward corners feel intentional while improving balance, storage, and visual flow throughout the room.

Once those empty areas feel purposeful, you can start layering in summer-inspired DIY projects that add texture, personality, and warmth.

Project 1: Design and Install a Custom Fixture

Lighting instantly changes a bedroom’s mood, especially during summer, when you want a softer, airy glow. Instead of investing in an expensive custom lighting company, try creating your own custom-made lighting with affordable materials.

Start with a thrifted wall sconce, woven lampshade, or vintage pendant frame. Then use battery-operated LED puck lights or a safe pendant cord kit to assemble your custom lighting fixture in under an hour.

Here’s a simple approach:

1. Clean and paint the thrifted fixture if needed.
2. Attach a lightweight shade or woven basket for texture.
3. Install a battery-powered puck light or plug-in cord kit.
4. Mount the fixture beside your bed or reading nook.

These custom-made light fixtures create the appearance of high-end design without requiring electrical rewiring. For an elevated summer aesthetic, choose natural textures like rattan, linen, or frosted glass to reflect soft seasonal light.

Project 2: The High-Low Bedding Refresh

One of the fastest ways to refresh your bedroom for summer is to swap heavy winter bedding for breathable fabrics. Linen sheets, lightweight cotton duvets, and gauzy blankets instantly make the room feel cooler and brighter.

To master the High-Low look, combine affordable basics with one or two elevated accents. For example, pair a DIY linen throw blanket with luxurious statement pillows from Crane Home.

This mix of budget-friendly layers and premium textures creates the professionally styled appearance often seen in boutique hotels and designer homes. Stick with soft summer shades like ivory, sage green, sandy beige, or coastal blue for a relaxed seasonal palette.

Project 3: Build a Coastal-Inspired Reading Nook

If you identified an awkward corner earlier, turn it into a functional summer escape with a DIY reading nook.

Start by upcycling a thrifted wooden chair:

• Sand rough edges
• Fill dents with wood filler
• Paint it in a soft coastal color
• Add linen cushions or striped luxury throw pillows from Crane Home

Layer the space with natural textures, like a jute rug, a woven basket, or a DIY macrame wall hanging. Then place your new lighting fixture nearby to create a warm glow for evening reading sessions.

This project works especially well in bedrooms with unused corners near windows or dressers.

Project 4: Propagate and Style Summer Greenery

Nothing refreshes a bedroom faster than live greenery. Plants brighten the room, improve air quality, and soften hard surfaces with organic texture.

Pothos and philodendrons are ideal for beginner-friendly DIY propagation projects. Trim a healthy vine below a node and place it in water in an upcycled sea-glass bottle, a mason jar, or a thrifted vase.

For extra visual interest:

• Hang a DIY planter near the window
• Style trailing vines on floating shelves
• Group plants in odd numbers for a curated look

The greenery naturally draws the eye upward, helping the bedroom feel fresh and layered for summer.

Project 5: Style Your Nightstands Using the 3-5-7 Decorating Rule

What is the 3-5-7 rule in decorating? It is a styling principle that uses odd-number groupings to create visual balance and interest. Designers often arrange decor in sets of 3, 5, or 7 because asymmetry feels more natural and appealing to the eye.

For a summer nightstand, try this simple trio:

• One vase with fresh blooms
• One stack of books
• One lamp

Together, the three items feel balanced without looking overly staged. This rule also works beautifully for dresser tops, shelves, and vanity styling.

For deeper inspiration, browse decorating examples on Pinterest or reference your favorite boutique hotel interiors.

Project 6: Paint a Summer Accent Wall or Faux Headboard

Instead of buying a new headboard, use leftover paint to create a faux architectural feature behind your bed. A painted arch or oversized color block instantly anchors the room while adding personality. 

Trending summer shades include:

• Soft sage green
• Coastal blue
• Warm ivory
• Pastel blush pink

If you love feminine interiors, this is also an easy way to create a coquette room aesthetic. The coquette trend blends vintage-inspired decor, bows, delicate frames, and romantic pastel tones for a dreamy, layered look.

Pair a blush-pink painted arch with thrifted gold frames and soft linen bedding to achieve the look affordably.

Project 7: Refresh Cabinet and Dresser Hardware

Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference. Swapping outdated drawer pulls, switch plates, and cabinet hardware is one of the quickest DIY bedroom upgrades you can complete in an afternoon.

For a brighter summer look, choose finishes that reflect light beautifully, such as:

• Brushed brass
• Polished nickel
• Matte champagne bronze

To keep your bedroom cohesive, match your hardware finishes to your custom-made lighting details. Coordinating metals instantly makes the room feel intentional and professionally designed.

Refreshing your bedroom for summer does not require a massive budget or full renovation. By combining affordable DIY projects with a few strategic luxury accents, you can create a space that feels elevated, airy, and uniquely personal.

Whether you paint a faux headboard or style your nightstands using the 3-5-7 rule, each project adds warmth and character while helping your bedroom feel ready for the season ahead.

Photos By: Lisa Zhu

When you are getting a bit tired of the way that your home looks, it can be tempting to start a full overhaul project of your décor. This can be extremely expensive and time consuming and by the time you’re done, you’ll probably want to start again. The best way to get around this is to choose things to refresh rather than completely redecorate. Here, we are going to take you through some of the ways that you can refresh your home this summer so keep reading to learn more.

Spend Time in Your Garden

You may be prone to investing in new furniture or redecorating your living room, but do you ever think about your garden? Changing up your garden can be a really effective way of refreshing your home without having to do too much work. If you wanted, you could add a new shed, or you could even start growing your own vegetables. Don’t overthink it and get a landscaper in, you just need to think about the small changes that you could make that can totally transform how it looks. Play around with DIY ideas and you’ll have a refreshed garden in no time.

Invest in Some Paint

Just because you can’t afford to redecorate your whole house doesn’t mean that you can’t update the paint. It is likely that your paint in your living room or hallway has started to fade or peel off and it might be time to give it a fresh coat. If you really want to make a difference you could always change the colour of the walls but for a quick fix to refresh how it looks, you just need to paint another coat. This will actually make a huge difference and you’ll be surprised by how much your walls just needed a little attention.

Bin Your Ready-Made Curtains

Curtains are great for adding an extra layer of privacy to your home and if you choose the right ones then you can add a lot to your home. Unfortunately, curtains are often chosen that do not fit the windows properly and the bottoms of them get very dirty because of the length. This is why you should bin your currents and invest in some made to measure curtains. You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference curtains that actually fit your windows can make and you’ll love that they won’t be trailing on the floor catching dust. Choose a bright colour of curtains and your home will be refreshed in no time.

Rearrange Your Living Room

Looking to refresh your home without spending too much money? Why not move your furniture about and see if you can come up with a better layout? If you have a big enough space, it is likely that you will be able to really make a difference with this and it might even look like a totally different room. Play about with this until you find the right layout but don’t revert back to the old one if you really want to refresh your home this summer.

Give It A Clean

Of course, you clean your home all the time but if you really want to make it feel really fresh, give it a deep clean. This means cleaning the things that you never even think about like the tops of your door frames, under your bed and the very back of your kitchen cupboards. If you really want to refresh your home, you could even do a clear out and donate a lot of your things to charity. It can become very easy to hoard and you need to try and get rid of the clutter if you want to refresh your home. Get your whole family involved and make this into a project to get the job done faster.

Final Thoughts

Refreshing your home doesn’t need to be difficult as there are so many different ways that you can do this. You don’t need to spend thousands of pounds on new furniture or move your entire family out so that you can renovate. Take yourself to the local DIY shop and grab some paint. You’ll love how you can make your rooms look amazing by simply adding an extra coat of paint to the walls that you haven’t touched in the last five years.

You should also make sure that you give your home a deep clean if you want to make it a lot fresher. You’ll feel a huge relief when you get rid of those things that you have been hoarding and you’ll love how your home looks and feels. Don’t be afraid to replace things like curtains with made-to-measure ones that will really make a difference in the end.