Hot design

Damn. It's hot in Japan. It's high summer up here on the north coast now. And it's humid. And I don't like it. Summer was my least favorite season before I got here. But it's reason to switch it up and make the house slightly more comfortable. I mean, as much as I can with only one dinky air conditioning unit for an entire house that has no insulation.

In my last living room post the space was pushing the warm factor because, uh, I still got trauma from winter. But now I've scaled back on textures and stuff in general to create the cool, breezy illusion I'm chasing. You know, the one where I sit under the a/c and blithely deny global warming.

Okay, the shag rug remains because the dogs love it and yeah they rule my life. Also, Japanese homes don't have dining areas so, um, we sit on the floor and use the coffee table. Whether that makes me white trash notwithstanding, I refuse to sit directly on a hard floor. It hurts like a motherfucker – you try it. The rug stays.

So if you haven't yet and you're melting out there this summer, ditch the heavy stuff in your space. Clutter, warm colors, furry textures, that sort of thing. Try cooler and lighter colors, fabrics like linen and cotton, and a glass vase with simple green leaves.

It helps me deal with summer heat but maybe I'm mental and you think it's all bullshit. Your call. I'm going to make sangria now.

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