We're busier than ever, and yearning for lazy days at the beach, the pursuit of water sports, fishing, barbecues, hiking and enjoying quiet times with family and friends. Our summer dreams have taken to simpler times and have left the city in pursuit of the cottage. Somehow we must bring balance to our crazy life. It's imperative that we find the time in our busy schedules to relax and refresh ourselves - body and spirit.

The simplicity of cottage life can help - the ease of dinners cooked around the campfire; relaxing with a good book while lounging in a hammock; sipping a glass of lemonade on the dock with our toes dangling in the lake. The breeze, the view, the water, the scents of summer can do more to renew the soul than any other form of retreat. In order to survive and thrive, we need time to get back to the simple things. What could be simpler than spending the summer at the cottage? Whether you call it the cabin by the lake, your seaside retreat or the lake house, one of the challenges to cottage decorating is combining style and creativity into a home that is designed for easy living and is only occupied for a few short months of the year.

No one wants to be inside cleaning when everyone else is outside enjoying the sun! When designing a summer home think au natural, long wearing and low maintenance. Water, sand and mud are constantly running through the house on the bottom of summer fun-loving feet. Choose products and finishes that have been designed for easy care and minimal maintenance - surfaces and finishes that won't have you yelling at the kids every time they drip on a floor or bring half the beach into the house on a sandy towel. Natural, or natural-looking finishes in a home that is designed to celebrate the outdoors is preferable. For floors, laminate hardwood flooring is water-resistant, hardwearing and easily cleaned with a broom and damp mop. Alternatively, slate, porcelain and roughly textured ceramic tiles are excellent hardwearing, low maintenance, stylish flooring options. Inexpensive area carpets made from sisal or sea grass will add a tropical feel and texture to the floor.

Cottage walls provide the perfect opportunity to add pizzazz and personality to your summer home. Walls are canvasses begging to be covered with texture and colour that has been inspired by Mother Nature herself. Great summer colours are moss green, earthy browns, spicy terracotta’s, watery blues, creamy whites, brick reds and pineapple yellows.

Choose colours that radiate with natural warmth and personality. Textured natural stone, wood planks, wallpaper or faux finished walls are the most durable and the best low maintenance options for vertical surfaces. The textured surface will hide fingerprints and any flaws in the drywall much better than flat paint. Remember that your ceiling is the fifth wall in your room - it also deserves colour and creativity. Add an exposed timber beam or paint the ceiling a sky blue. Furniture must be comfortable and easy to live with.

Think chic and shabby; oversized and over stuffed. The slipcover is an excellent design tool for the cottage, giving a collection of mismatched upholstered furniture and hand-me-down pieces a uniform look in addition to being easy to care for. Choose machine washable fabrics made from natural fibers. Printed fabrics will hide dirt and stains better than solids. Choose distressed wood; wide weave rattans or painted finishes for tabletops and cabinetry. This way, when a tabletop gets scratched or dented it will blend right in with the existing finish. Wood cabinetry also hides fingerprints better than melamine and laminate options.

The best summer options include surfaces that allow glasses to be set on the table without coasters, and your husband being able to relax with his feet up on the coffee table. Window coverings should be designed to celebrate the view. Think simple! Curtain rods can be as simple as a bamboo branch or a twisted piece of wrought iron. Ready-made fabric panels can then be casually looped over the rod or tied across the top with tabs. If you prefer blinds, two-inch Venetian blinds are less obstructive to a view of the lake than one-inch Venetian blinds. Two-inch Venetian blinds are available in a variety of PVC (plastic) and natural textures such as wood.

Alternatively, wooden shutters or grass cloth roman shades give you a Mediterranean or beach front feel. Hot, hot, hot for home decor this year is the island look. Add a silk palm tree in a corner of the bedroom, a pair of iron palm-inspired candlesticks; a pair of throw cushions embroidered with a palm tree motif on the front and a framed print of a tropical beach. Accessorize the cottage to further enhance the look and feel of summer. Enjoy!

Designer Notes

Do your lamps need a makeover? Often updating the shades on your lamps could be all it takes to bring new light into a room. Color, is always, a big consideration in a choosing a lampshade. Well white or beige is the most common choice for a lampshade consider gold. A shade lined in a golden paper is a great neutral color that blends well, yet complements many other fabrics, wallpapers and paint shades in a room. A gold shade will give off a warm glow when lit.