Summer is undoubtedly my favourite time of the year, those warm balmy evenings, long post-work walks, pub gardens and the fact that it’s actually still light at 9pm. Nothing depresses me more than short winter days. With summer comes a bit of a shake-up in routine, and especially now we’re actually living in the house we’ve been renovating for two years!

It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point but the novelty of living in our home hasn’t worn off just yet. Whilst we still have some finishing touches to put together we’re pretty much there. There’s just some paint work for downstairs (you wouldn’t think Charlie owns his decorating company – his own house is always last on the list!), a few bits of skirting board to finish, a garden makeover and a shower screen to be fitted in our bathroom.

Here’s what my summer routine looks like!

Getting creative in the kitchen

As I work from home, I usually plan out a few meals for the week ahead. When Charlie gets home we’ll start all the prep and cook up something (hopefully) delicious. I’ve definitely been getting much more creative in the kitchen now that we have a lovely space to enjoy, it’s definitely one of my favourite rooms in the house. I recently bought a few new vegan cook books for some recipe inspiration, including Katy Beksow’s 5 ingredient vegan, which includes some super easy and quick meals, ideal after a busy day at work.

A bath time pamper

We recently purchased a new shower screen, but we haven’t fitted it yet so it’s been a lot of bubble baths! Yep, dreading the water bill. I do love a wind down in the tub though, it’s the perfect time to take a few minutes to clear your head and reflect. I usually take a magazine or book with me to enjoy a bit of me-time alone. I’ve actually been looking at bathroom mirrors this week as the one we purchased turned out to be a little small, so I’m either going to replace it or make a bit of a feature wall with a few mirrors. Stay tuned…

Mastering the skincare routine

I tend to change up my skincare every few months but there are some staple products that I do use time and time again, such as Dermalogica’s daily microfoliant. My skin has actually broken out a bit recently due to wearing face masks (anyone else find this?) so I’ve been using a few different products to try and support it, and of course, plenty of moisturiser. To give my skin a bit of a radiance boost for the summer, I’ve been using a face mask every couple of days to try and achieve that healthy, effortless glow. Not quite there yet, maybe a few facemasks time, ha!

A bedtime read and relaxation

When we were designing the bedroom, I was adamant that I didn’t want a TV in our room, which Charlie was a bit miffed with. Fortunately, it turned out to be the right decision as we’re both enjoying a better night’s sleep and I find it much more peaceful and relaxing slipping into bed with a book rather than having my eyes fixated to a widescreen before trying to switch off for the night. I’ve just finished up Simon Reeve’s ‘Step by Step’ and I’m just about to start a fiction – Little Fires Everywhere, I haven’t seen the TV series yet but I’ve heard good things! Reading before bed is the ultimate relaxer for me, and there’s nothing like getting lost in a great book.