Forget Euro-Summer, Here’s How We’re Bringing Santorini-Vibes Closer to Home

After years of dreaming of an overseas holiday thanks to Covid robbing us of cocktails by the pool and endless sunsets, you’d be forgiven for spending much of your time scrolling Instagram in search of wanderlust, or looking up the price of flights to Europe between Zoom calls (just us?).

Yet when you take into account the rising cost in living, flight prices that are higher than usual and every person in your team likely asking for leave dates in June, that trip to Santorini might be further away than you hoped.

But does it have to be? Not when you incorporate the Greek island vibe and aesthetic into the core areas of your life. And it’s easier to do than you might think. From homewares to activities, here’s exactly how you can achieve a Santorini-style summer from the comfort of your own home:

Spritz a Santorini Smelling Fragrance

It’s incredible the way the smell of a fragrance can transport you to a different time and place. Every fragrance in my collection triggers a different memory each time I spray it.

So there’s no better way to close your eyes and feel like you’re in Santorini than by breathing in the scents of luminous jasmine petals, sensual pink peppercorn and juicy mandarin sorbet. Santorini Sunrise is a new fragrance by Escada that will take you straight to the vivid blue seas wrapped in bright, white architecture that you dream of.

Spritzing it not only on yourself, but around your home will immediately make you feel like you’re walking along the coastline of Santorini. I promise.

Redo Your Home for Summer With Santorini-Themed Furnishings

While you might not be ready to commit to a complete revamp of your home décor, you can bring in elements of the Santorini style in your furnishings that are easy to replace with the seasons like pillows, blankets, throws, rugs, prints, vases, and lamps. The list goes on.

It’s obvious to opt for varying shades of blue and white, but don’t forget to include burnt orange and blood red to reflect the sunsets. And who could look past the vivid purples, bold fuchsia pinks of the bougainvillea flowers?

Use the whites as a base in rugs and throws, add accents of blue in prints and vases and then find bright pink and purple flowers to put inside them and voila, your living room has now become a Greek island.

Turn on Some Santorini Sounding Tunes

Thanks to the wonders of music streaming apps like Spotify, all of the hard work in this department has been done for you. All you have to do is look for a Santorini themed playlist and you can have all the sounds of the island right in your living room.

If you want to go the extra step and put together your own playlist, go for songs that include the sounds of traditional Greek instruments such as the lyra, souravli, laouto, kithara or bouzouki. The Ancient Greeks believed that music was a gift from the gods, so the sounds of these instruments are deeply rooted in island life.

Make a Cocktail That Tastes Like Island Life

There’s absolutely no denying that the best part of an island holiday is having a cocktail while floating in a pool. And while we have the smell, sight and sound of Santorini down pat, we’re now turning to the taste.

If you’re looking for a spirit the incorporate, you should try using ouzo, mastiha or raki to provide a traditional base. Adding in citrus flavours such as orange, lemon or mandarin will help to add that lying-by-the-pool vibe. Top it with a champagne of your choice and you have the perfect drink.

So there you have it, combine all of these elements and you have a Santorini-style summer without having to leave your front door.

Santorini Sunrise by Escada Fragrances is available for purchase exclusively at Chemist Warehouse.