My fickle friend...

The summer wind... ah yes....

Here's an interesting article if you're looking to hold on to that sunny feeling a little later in the year. Scroll down to "Recent news", third article down:

design interior room small Resources
"10 ideas to make summer decorating last (Groton Landmark)
Long after the season has ended and vacations are over, wouldn't it be nice to have a place where you could go to recapture the languorous mood of warm weather retreats? Take the time now, with your own home, to create a summer place that will give you pleasure every day of the year.":

A couple of observations

Color-- it's hard to say what a "lively" pallette is. If you're already getting a lot of sun when you use the room, you may want to stay away from reds and yellows; stick with blues and greens. If you're a "blue" person, you may have had trouble finding much variety the last few years. Blue is coming back in a big way.

Floral patterns-- If you like florals and you're in a position to re-do an entire room, try a one pattern room: window and bed treatments, pillows, upholstered headboard, even co-ordinating wallpaper. It's one of the most effective types of design, especially for small guest bedroom; you're not contrasting or cutting up the room, so you'll actually make it look bigger. Be careful about the size of the flowers, though. With small, "Laura Ashley"-type patterns, it can be hard to get a good design effect without using it everywhere, which can get expensive. Big patterns will give you more mileage.

Iron furniture-- always a great idea in my book. The good news is there's all kinds of choice on the market today. Koch Furniture makes a great line of value-priced iron pieces, from dining tables to baker's racks, with great attention to detail for a reasonable price.

Happy Decorating,

Mary Cynthia