Staycations: Savouring summer at home
The carefree vibe of summer beckons us to unwind and savour the moment.
For urbanites, it's a chance to break free and seek solace by the shore.
Image of Ronaldo by FibreGuard
The easy-breezy atmosphere of summer basically compels us to let go and relax. For some city dwellers, it’s an opportunity to enjoy a change of scenery and escape to the coast. But, there are other ways to enjoy a summer break.
Back in 2008, the term staycation entered our lexicon. According to the Cambridge dictionary, a staycation is defined as a holiday “you take at home or near your home rather than travelling to another place.” It originated as a result of the market crash in the USA that forced many families to cut expenses, including their holiday budgets, and vacation at home.
“Home is where the holiday is with smart design and soft furnishings.”
It’s great fun to play tourist in your own city and, if the budget allows, enjoy local hospitality like hotels or even AirBnBs in another area of the city or province. But, you can also create the same feel of a vacation within a home. With the right decor and styling of specific spaces, a home can be transformed into the perfect sanctuary for a little staycation.
Space for gathering
Look at any resort, hotel, lodge or short-term rental and you’ll find a space where people can gather. This space for meals, watching television, games night or just some great conversation, and must be inviting and comforting. In a home, this space would typically be a lounging area but can also work if it’s the eat-in area of a kitchen.
The key is seating. Whether it’s comfortable dining chairs, ottomans or the fluffy embrace of a friendly sofa, it should entice those in the home to sit down for a while. If the piece is the anchor furniture of a room, ideally it should be neutral soft furnishings to ground the overall design. But, there is always room for fun so, don’t be afraid of bold upholstery choices if that speaks to your personality. Great options for summer vibes all year round include Rocco by FibreGuard where the fabric’s chunky linen texture adds a softness and a touch of beach house chic to any home.
Light also plays an important role in creating the right atmosphere. If the sun is quite harsh at certain times of the day or there’s a desire to create a cocoon in the space at night, top quality drapery makes all the difference. Again, there’s nothing wrong with a neutral choice but there are some fantastic patterned or colour options for the more adventurous design. Block out or dim out drapery is also a sterling choice if the space is used for those summer movie nights.
Space for relaxation
Outdoors is the best place to be on staycation. No matter the size of the outdoor area, it’s still good to get some sunshine and enjoy the fresh air. Patios, balconies and poolside areas can be overlooked as part of the interior design of a home but, considering the great weather of Southern Africa, it makes perfect sense to invest in creating an enjoyable space.
The latest trend in bringing the outdoors in is fabrics that work both indoors and outdoors. The Out collection by FibreGuard is a high-performance fade-resistant fabric range, which has been developed for both indoor and outdoor use. This range is stylish and easy to clean, water repellent, stain-free, odour and mildew resistant and durable.
You can also turn your home into a little resort with eye-catching design choices. Whether it’s a bright colour or the inviting texture of Staunch by FibreGuard, you can certainly make a splash.
Space for the children
The little ones also need their own place to play and let their imaginations run wild. Playrooms offer a designated area for arts and crafts or fun times with friends without toys spilling into the grown-up lounging areas. Small furniture pieces like ottomans or an armchair can also provide a comfortable spot for guests or reading on lazy staycation afternoons.
FibreGuard is a fantastic fabric choice for children’s spaces. Its stain-resistant technology offers peace of mind and easy cleaning with just water for those inevitable spills and messes. There are also multipurpose fabric options that can be used as drapery and, with its soft touch and feel, FibreGuard is an excellent choice for headboards or accessories such as throw pillows. With the Mingle Mangle design, you have 26 colours to choose from that will be a delight in any child’s room.
Image of Mingle Mangle by FibreGuard
Another exciting option is a modular sofa just for the kids. Let them build castles, crash mats, imaginary cars or forts with MINGO modular furniture. Available in 5 different colours of FibreGuard fabrics, this innovative sofa for kids offers hours of comfortable soft play fun that is also easy for parents to maintain and clean.
Stay a while
If change is as good as a holiday, redecorating a home to become a summer retreat no matter what time of year is an investment that yields very relaxing results. The appreciation for the sanctuary of home has grown with the challenges everyone has faced in recent years and it makes perfect sense to capture that holiday feeling for an everyday staycation.
Image of Touchstone by FibreGuard
The slow tourism trend is also a contributing factor to the popularity of staycations and households being able to support local businesses and communities contributes to recovery and better long-term prospects along with local pride. There’s also something special about inviting loved ones into the home to reconnect and relax so that guests also feel they’re on vacation during their visit. It’s all possible with some clever design and great quality soft furnishings.
