It’s finally summer, and as usual I’m in the mood to change my home decor for the new season. I finished my spring cleaning long ago, and I’ve been thinking of new motifs for a couple of the rooms of my home – just in time for summer.

There are a variety of explanations for the history of spring cleaning. Some sources claim that it has its origins in religious observations. For myself, I think it’s all psychological. After several cold months of winter, the weather warms and new life begins to grow – brown grass turns green, trees give birth to new leaves, baby animals abound. It’s no coincidence that people get a surge of energy when spring arrives, and feel like cleaning their homes of the clutter that mounted up during the more torpid winter months. (Sure, some people enjoy winter and winter sports. Winter makes me torpid. It’s when the sun shines and the air feels like a sauna bath that I break out my bike and go for long, enjoyable rides.)

The kind of home decor you choose depends on the type of home you have and where you live, obviously. The east coast, the midwest, the southwest, the west coast…they are all represented by different types of architecture. Southwest homes have a Spanish feel to them, for example, the midwest has huge homes to take advantage of the wide open spaces, the east coast has tiny homes situated on narrow roads.

Regardless of the architecture of your home, there are a few pieces of home decor that fit in anywhere.

Take for example the handcrafted wooden sculptures offered by Upside Living. The sculptures have a “celebrating the seas” theme. The sculptures are tall and ornate, hand carved from a single trunk of tropical oak, featuring dolphins or koi capering amongst the coral. These are unique, three-dimensional sculptures, suitable for inside or outside display. They will make an incredible conversation piece during parties or when entertaining guests.

Hand-painted glassware also makes ideal accent pieces, and UpsideLiving has such a wide variety of designs that there are few homes that will not suit them. BELLISSIMO!, one of the most prestigious glassware firms in the US. Bottles, bowls, carafes, vases, a variety of specialist drink glasses, even picture frames are available. And the designs? Themes for golfers, fishing enthusiasts, party lovers, and so on…

I won’t dwell on the sheep skin rugs and area rugs, all of sumptuous quality and lovely design, and the hand-crafted Italian ceramics and Spanish pottery….imported from Italy and Spain, rather than mass-produced in China…take a look and begin your new home decor motif for summer.