Interiors: bring a splash of summer to your decoration AMilton & Manor cushion Change your outlook Out with the heavy interlined drapes, in with the floatier summer fabrics. "If you start with a good material, which has been woven well, then new curtains do not have to cost a fortune," says Joanne Cassabois from Prêt à Vivre, a company specialising in English fabrics and wool linens from third-generation weavers in Italy. Cheaper, more lightweight fabrics, which still hang well and feel luxurious to the touch, include the mixed blends linen viscose (from around £33 a metre) and wool linen (£38). "A lot of home owners rip out the back of their house to extend, installing bifold doors, but haven't given any thought to what to do with the light flooding through; heavy voiles diffuse the light and give a little more privacy," she says. Vintage linens, which are treated before they are woven, "give a two-tone effect" to window dressings. Beyond France stocks beautiful hand-spun vintage linen, including caramel striped grain sacks (from £45), which can be transformed into attractive window blinds. Botanical prints on blinds dress up a tired bathroom or kitchen (the Delilah Moss roman blind, below, costs from £138, through Hillarys). Hillarys" Delilah Moss roman blind Colour and texture Christine Chang Hanway, an editor for Remodelista, the celebrated website for budding interior designers, suggests sticking to a neutral palette of beige or grey sofas or chairs and highlighting with colours such as dusky pinks or burnt orange in your cushions or fabrics. Otherwise, for those who are feeling a little more adventurous, clash colours - otherwise known as "colour blocking" - with bright pinks and reds and fluorescent accents, she advises. Mint green is very popular at the moment. Pastel pinks, orange and bit of fluorescent coral combine well, and painters' dropcloths can be used as tablecloths or as instant casual slipcovers if you are tired of your upholstery. The home-improvement (one-woman) empire that is Martha Stewart has an entire section devoted to "dropcloth decor," cushion covers and pillowcases dyed in bright citrus hues, similar in texture and colour to muslin but a fraction of the price (available from fabric shops or DIY stores). Bodie and Fou, the top interiors blog and shop, recommends lightweight Moroccan rugs and sunshine-yellow throws for a "beachy feel." Also try the beautifully hand-spun cotton dhurries (flat-woven rugs) or runners from Mahout in lime greens and deep reds, with bold chevron, chain-link and diamond patterns. Be bold with colour with Ashley Wilde patterned fabrics Richard Ward, who runs Wawa, an interior design company known for its bold and bright modernist approach, champions "statement oranges, yellows and reds against barely there blues and natural tones" in his fabrics. Give simple furnishings a seasonal boost by combining florals with strong colour and feisty pattern for a more contemporary feel. He mixes botanics with bold stripes, delicate voiles and satins, in a palette of acid limes, turquoise blues and pillar-box reds, "an eclectic mix of styles and colours, with a nod to Fifties retro, to create that holiday feel within the home."