You may have spent all winter working on that summer body, but what about your home? Summer is the perfect time to refresh your indoor living space with some bright colors and themed décor - and the best part is, if you do it right, you won't have to redo everything once fall comes around.
Get some fun and creative summer décor ideas and tips, and how to transition them for any time of the year!
Decide on your project
First things first - are you doing a major summer decorating overhaul with paint, furniture, and window treatments? Are you just going to swap out a few key pieces and add some accents? Figure out how big or small your project is, which may be
due to budget, then plan what to do next.
For large summer décor projects
- Choose your paint: No matter what kind of décor you are going for in your household redesign, your paint will ultimately be the foundation to your theme. If you're the kind of person that likes to change things up quite often, it is probably better to go with colors that will stand the test of time, and your particular mood. In this case, go with neutrals like whites, grays, beiges, and creams, and keep your bright colors to an accent wall or two. If you know you want bright colors and are certain you will not tire of them, consider bold, statement-making summer colors such as:
- Coral
- Aqua
- Navy
- Yellow
- Sea foam
- Choose your furniture: Depending on your budget, you may be looking to buy everything new, or just a few key pieces to make your summer theme noticeable to visitors. If you live in an area that is warm year-round, you can go with furniture upholstered with lighter, airy fabrics in softer "beachy” colors. A sand colored couch with accent pillows adorned with bright poppies could do the trick (then all it takes is a simple swap of accent pillows to transform your décor from summer to fall, if you choose).
Pieces to consider:
- Wood kitchen table (you can toss a seasonal tablecloth or runner on top to match the season)
- Wicker accent chair or love seat (for living areas, sun rooms, or even an outdoor patio)
- Area rugs or runners (living room, dining room, kitchen)
- Framed wall art of summer items (anchors, sea shells, summer flowers)
TIP: For those who are crafty, you can design your own rugs or runners by purchasing some light fabrics or canvas, and painting (or stenciling) directly onto the piece.
Choose your accents: You may want to just go with summer colors--or maybe you want to have an entire summer theme. You can get the message across with items like:
- A lamp covered in rope or twine
- Lighthouse figurines
- Mason jar candles (or anything in a Mason jar, really)
- Seashells (from your trip to the beach or purchased)
- Leafy or striped tablecloths
- Garden inspired items (a vintage watering can turned into a candle lantern or flower vase, for example)
For small summer décor projects
If you're content with your décor but want to add a few things for that "at the beach” feel, there are a variety of subtle and tasteful accents to add some summer to your home(without going overboard with the full-on nautical theme):
- Kitchen: If you have a breakfast nook in your kitchen with any refinished/painted country chic type of furniture, you can easily stencil in some summery designs that can be quickly painted over later when you tire of them. Go to your local craft store and pick up leafy or floral stencils, get a can of spray paint and let the seasonal revamping commence!
- Dining room: Change out any existing centerpiece in your dining room with something that reflects the season (and you). Get a large vase shaped like a seashell and add your favorite foliage for summer - daisies, asters, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas - or silk flowers and choose flowers from any season!
- Bedroom: Want a tropical sleeping oasis? You can find plenty of wall art, posters, and photo frames of beautiful exotic sunsets and palm trees to hang on your walls. If you have a down comforter, pick up a duvet cover in a soft yellow to complement the different colors in the sunset photos. Pick up a CD with some ocean sounds to play as you sleep, or purchase a small tranquility fountain to plug in by your bedside, to give a "waterfall” feel right in your home!
Living room: Maybe you'd rather go with a Hawaiian summer theme in your living room. You can purchase a vibrant color slipcover for your couch if it's dark, and add some Hawaiian-print accent pillows. For the coffee table, make your own "tiki torches” with an empty coffee can! Peel the label off, wrap the coffee can in burlap, tie with a bright colored ribbon, and add place a medium-sized candle inside. Or, take that pineapple you planned on eating and cut a circular hole on the side, hollow the insides out (set aside to eat later), turn it back upright, and place a small votive inside! Now, your living room will not only look Hawaiian, it will smell like it, too. Just don't forget to discard it once it starts to turn. For something simpler, place a fruit bowl on the coffee table and fill with a whole pineapple, coconuts and limes.
Don't forget to play around with textures, and materials, too! Popular summer materials for furniture, accents and upholstery include: linen, burlap, terracotta, cane, bamboo, rope, and canvas. These types of textures go great in your
outdoor décor for your patio or
indoor/outdoor sunroom as well!
Of course, these are just a few of the many things you can do to make the summer season everlasting in your home (or at least until you're sick of it). If you're still deciding how you'd like to decorate for the season, take a walk outside and see what you can find for inspiration.