WHAT a miserable summer this has been thus far.

As I sit gazing out across the glen under grey skies with a gale blowing, I wonder what I can do to make the house feel more summery. If, like me, you found it hard to get motivated about the spring cleaning, that part of your summer preparations may be running late. But giving your home a deep clean makes a huge difference to give your home a deep clean.

After that I suggest you start with some new paintwork, which instantly perks up the place. If you freshen the woodwork, and attend to any outside areas that need a coat of paint (all of which should probably have been done in May), you will create a sound base for all the other things you can do.

At the same time as I tackle the painting, I like to sweep the chimneys and give the fire surrounds or stoves a good polish. In a traditional house an embroidered or trompe l'oeil fire screen looks good, and for a modern open fire I like to use fir cones or new logs.

I love the idea of summer and winter curtains. If you have the space to store the heavy winter drapes you can replace them in summer with something much lighter in texture and colour. Unlined sheers or lightweight linen make wonderful curtains for the summer. I love that French look of billowing linen in neutral colours or simple stripes. Old table cloths, embroidered sheets and bedspreads can all be chopped up to make summer curtains and blinds.

When you buy sofas and chairs it is worth considering having a spare set of loose covers made for summer. If you are buying a suite which comes with covers (Ikea's Ektorp range comes to mind), you can easily pick up a contrasting summer set, so continuing the French theme a room with heavy curtains and a dark sofa in winter now has lightweight linen at the windows and cream cotton on the sofa. If having two sets of covers sounds too complicated, you could simply use a couple of throws to make the room look lighter. We use Moroccan bedspreads in our family room. They are very easily laundered, which is useful in a house with as many dogs as humans.

On the sofas and chairs you are bound to have cushions, and changing the covers with the seasons makes a huge difference. Look out for sale bargains and you can build up a fine collection to ring the changes for not much outlay. Velvet, wool or faux fir in winter, and linen or cotton in summer will make the room feel quite different, and who wants to sit against velvet on a rare hot day when linen is so much more comfortable for bare skin.

Moving into the bedroom, a change of bed linen, particularly the duvet covers and pillowcases, will help our seasonal mood change. Unless you keep everything determinedly white, you will find plenty of scope for mixing lighter florals or chambrays in summer with heavier solids and stripes in winter. I am not so concerned with changing summer curtains, but that is possibly because we virtually never pull them whatever the season. If you like to use a bedstead and scatter cushions here is another chance to gather winter and summer sets.

Our next stop is the dinner table. My American friends are adept at collecting crockery, table linen and the rest so that they can lay a table to suit every season, mood and event. Even if you are restricted by budget or space you can have fun with a few difference pieces. Place mats? Napkins? Tablecloths? Glasses? Plates? Over a couple of years you can put together enough to change your table not just from winter to summer, but for high days, holidays and family days too. I love laying the table with different coloured glasses, and you can get some wonderful, inexpensive sets of cups and plates for casual summer meals in the sort of bright colours which spell instant sunshine. When I am in the USA I always go to Crate and Barrel for inspiration. They do very clever seasonal place setting and room sets which send me back to Scotland determined to make the effort to do more of the same at home.

Of course in three months' time we shall enjoy reversing the process ready to hunker down for winter, and your heavy curtains, velvet cushions, wool blankets and all the other bits and pieces which you cleaned and stored with care can come out and give you back the cosy interiors that cocoon you in winter. My grandmother did it every year and I think we should too.

Mary Leslie BIID practises at Mary Leslie Interior Design, The Bothy, Rait Antique Centre, Rait, Perthshire PH2 7RT

www.mhleslie.co.uk