Summer is here!

We’re planning on making the most of the sunny days by swimming in the warm ocean, exploring our beautiful country, savouring fresh summer foods and generally taking life slowly. Whether you’re travelling to visit family and friends, or hosting guests in your home, we hope you have a relaxing and joyful summer break. We’ve all spent more time at home than usual over the past few months so before our guests arrive to stay, we’re making time for a quick room refresh. Read our tips on prepping your home for summer guests.

Getting ready

The key to relaxed hosting is planning ahead – especially if your loved ones are anything like ours who tend to arrive on the doorstep with very little notice! There are a few things you can prepare ahead of time to reduce the stresses of hosting an unexpected crowd. Have easy and delicious recipes which you enjoy preparing, along with the main ingredients on hand ready to throw together a last minute dinner. We recommend a summery salad with beautiful fresh seafood. Pick blooms, leafy green foliage or stems of rosemary from your garden to add to your table. An indoor or outdoor dining table looks all the more put together with a touch of nature. Plan outings to show your guests around the local area. We love taking friends and family to nearby beaches, weekend markets and our favourite café’s.

The guest room

Prepare your guest bedroom in a classic, simple style which makes your guests feel comfortable and requires minimal effort from you between visitors. Choose timeless, beachy furniture pieces such as rattan headboards and bedside tables and add warmly lit lamps and fragrant candles. Consider what your guests may need during their stay. Leave a basket of beach towels, a bottle of mineral water and perhaps a chocolate or two for a midnight snack. Stack a selection of novels and beautiful magazines on the bedside table.

The guest bed

Our tip for managing your guest room is to style the bed with linen suitable for sleeping in all seasons. This will reduce the amount of bed linen you’ll need and keep a simple but beautiful guest room ready all year round. Our Purity organic cotton sheets and duvet cover sets are wonderfully soft to sleep in and perfect for every season. Lay a throw over the end of the bed for your guests to snuggle under for an afternoon siesta, or to wrap up in for cooler evenings outdoors. Between each stay, air your pillows and duvet inners in warm sunshine to loft the feathers and remove any dampness. Freshly ironed linen always looks beautiful, but if you’re short on time – hang your laundered bed linen out to dry by its corners to minimise creasing.

The guest bathroom

Take the time now to have a good declutter and clean of the bathrooms in your home to be guest-ready. Add fragrant diffusers, fresh handwash and soaps for beautiful, thoughtful touches. Treat your guests with fresh, soft and absorbent bath towels to use. Our Oasis Towel Bundle offers everything you need, and creates cohesive style in the bathroom. For a special touch, add the luxury of plush hotel-like robes for your guests to enjoy during their stay. If your guests need to share the family bathroom, create a space for them to sit their toothbrush and bath bag, and somewhere to hang their bath towels to dry.

Entertaining

With sunny days and long evenings to enjoy, eating outdoors is relaxing and effortless. The pleasure of summer entertaining is using the abundance of fresh, sun ripened, seasonal produce to make light crisp salads and tasty vegetable dishes to accompany your BBQ. Create easy delicious desserts with summer fruits and berries and a dollop of coconut yoghurt. Style your outdoor spaces ready for entertaining friends and family with our Crusoe collection of comfy bean bags, cushions, chair pads and place mats in a tropical leafy or classic stripe design. Now it’s time to relax and pour a glass of something chilled to share and enjoy.