When you think of summer, what comes to mind? Fresh flowers? Long sunsets? Beaches? All of these happy associations are what make summer one of the most beloved seasons of the year. If you love summer, you're going to love decorating for the season. You can turn your home into a celebration of summer with these decorating tips.
1. Select Summer Colors
Decorate your home with summer colors like coral, turquoise, golden sand, and teal. Apply these colors in paint on your walls, or for a less permanent way to decorate with these hues, see below:
- Swap out your winter tablecloths for lightweight summery tablecloths.
- Remove your winter bedspread and apply a lightweight bedspread with summer colors.
- Switch your curtains for fabrics that are lighter weight. Linen fabrics are more summery and create a comfortable effect at home.
2. Incorporate Travel Shots into Wall Photography
Do you like to travel in the summer? Go through your old travel photographs and pick out your favorites. Blow them up to 5x7 or 8x10 shots, then frame them and put them on your walls. These pictures serve as nice reminders of where you’ve been, while also putting you in a summer frame of mind.
If you have enough summer photographs, group them by location and hang them in different rooms of your house. Go one step farther and decorate each room with tokens from each trip to turn your house into a journey around the world.
3. Incorporate Plants into Home Décor
Summer is a time of abundant plant growth, so it’s the perfect time to bring the great outdoors indoors with lots of healthy houseplants.
Decorate your home with healthy houseplants. If you’re not used to growing houseplants, or just don’t feel like you have a “green thumb,” philodendrons are the perfect houseplant for you. These crawling, draping plants require little more than regular watering to grow lush and healthy.
When you’re incorporating house plants into your décor, choose the most decorative and attractive pots you can find. Each pot is another expression of your personal style, so don’t hesitate to select pots in attractive colors or hand-painted pots.
4. Decorate with Fresh Flowers
Are you seeking another way to bring the outside in? Buy fresh flowers to decorate rooms like your dining room, living room, or bedroom. If you grow flowers on your property, you can cut them from your garden.
If not, many florists offer subscription services for customers who like to decorate with fresh flowers. Keep your home smelling fresh and beautiful with potted flowers. Use flower food to lengthen how long your flowers last.
5. Let in the Light
Summer is the season of light. If you’re seeking a home improvement or home remodel to make your home summery, consider the installation of a skylight to fill your home with natural light. Work with an experienced, reputable contractor to get the work done.
Another way to allow light into your home with a home improvement or home renovation is to install a four-season room or a solarium. Doing this adds valuable space to your home where you can spend time reading, entertaining friends, and enjoying your outdoor spaces from the comfort of an enclosed place.
6. Focus on the Outdoors
In summer, outdoor spaces become far more important than indoor spaces. One way to decorate your home for summer is to focus on decorating and upgrading your outdoor spaces. This is especially important if you’re someone who likes to entertain, grill, and spend time relaxing outdoors.
Update Your Patio Furniture
Is your patio furniture looking a little worse for wear? Most people have to replace their patio furniture on a regular basis, especially if they leave their furniture outdoors over the winter. Evaluate your patio furniture and if it’s rusted or stained from mold or mildew, it’s time to upgrade.
When selecting new patio furniture, choose furniture types that are lightweight, durable and unlikely to rust when exposed to moisture. Look for furniture types that have comfortable padding for long hours of lounging. The best furniture pads have removable covers that are easily laundered.
Landscape
Effective landscaping is what makes your house look cheerful and inviting throughout the summer. If low-maintenance landscaping is important to you, plant perennials that come back year after year. Remember to match the plants to the USDA growing zone. If you haven’t installed in-ground sprinklers to keep your landscaping in good condition, work with a contractor to get this finished.
Install or Update Your Patio or Deck
Decorate your backyard space with a functional, attractive deck or patio. This is the type of home improvement that can add value to your home while giving you a functional space to spend time outside!
If you're installing a patio or deck in your backyard, you'll have many choices to make. Start by making a budget that will make the decision-making process easier. Once you know how much you can afford to spend, you can make decisions about which materials, what size, and which contractor to hire.
Some tips:
- Patio pavers are more flexible and easy to repair than concrete slabs because you can swap out one paver for another if one becomes broken.
- Most decks are now made from composite decking, which lasts longer and needs less maintenance than wood.
- Get started with your outdoor improvements as soon as possible - contractors get busy over the summer!
7. Bring the Beach Indoors
Fill a jar, vase, or glass bowl with beach sand and seashells, then place it on your dining room table or coffee table as a centerpiece. You can use this beach motif elsewhere in your home - just get creative.
For example, put sand and seashells in a shadow box, then put other "beachy" items inside the shadow box - like sunglasses, a picture of yourself and loved ones at the beach. Spread beach items around inside your house to remind yourself to take a break every so often.
