If you’re like me, the onset of a new season brings excitement and resembles new beginnings. I love putting away the old and transitioning to the new. With summer around the corner and the warm weather we have been experiencing here in Westchester, it’s time to put away our spring decor and prepare our homes to welcome summer!
When thinking about summer, one can consider it a time for scaling back. Many of us work fewer hours, eat less, do less, and we attempt to simplify and enjoy all that this season has to offer before we find ourselves rushing back to packing school lunches and bus schedules.
Summer is meant to be enjoyed, and if we spend more time at home, we need to enhance the cheerful mood with seasonal decorating. Decorating our homes creates not only that feel-good mindset that pairs with warm sunny days but also makes celebrations more joyful and boosts the pleasures we experience when doing even the simplest activities.
Like summer itself, decorating does not have to be over-complicated! It can be as simple as a woven basket filled with lavender or a large vintage bowl filled with fresh lemons.
Here are my top 10 favorite summer decorating ideas you’ll want to try out this season!
1. Replace all heavy fabrics with light white linens.
If you haven’t already done so, replace heavy curtains with light white linen. This sets the tone of the room and allows for natural sunlight to enter the home, creating a nice bright space and helping the room appear larger.
2. Place large planters alongside front doors and fill up with easy-to-care-for plants or flowers.
To accent the area, use faux plants with a pop of color, such as some lavender. Fake plants are all the hype these days. When using large planters for faux plants, fill the base with the cut-up boxes your order came in and other items such as paper and tissue. Follow up by layering soil along the top and arranging plants accordingly. By doing this, you are cutting costs and not wasting soil that you can use for real plants or your vegetable garden!
3 Cycle out wall art.
Replace some wall art and decor with wall art that creates that summer vibe. Try finding wall art that incorporates neutral tones with a pop of color. An example would be a photo of a retro bicycle with a basket and flowers. It will create a relaxing summer mood. You can also find simplistic photos with nautical, coastal, or floral themes.
4. Use summer-inspired embroidered pillows and light quilts.
Keep it simple. You want to avoid any overly busy accents. Subtle and a pop of color is the way to go. A white or cream-colored pillow with navy or gray sea creatures is one simple example of how you can keep your home updated without overdoing it. This is another way to pull in themes that align with the wall art decor.
5. Use faux or display fresh fruits such as lemons, limes, pineapples, or peaches.
Place fruits in a vintage crate, rattan basket, or vase and display them on the kitchen countertop or island.
6. Place a rattan basket on the floor near a fireplace or bench or hang it from a door knob.
Fill with lavender, eucalyptus, hydrangeas, sunflowers, or olive branches. Along with baskets, wreaths are also simple yet elegant accent pieces.
7. Create an ice cream station displaying bowls and scoops on an open shelf.
Add clear jars filled with different cones and a vintage sign. Don’t like ice cream? Try a margarita bar. Display martini glasses, clear tequila, limes, coarse salt, and a shaker. This can also be done with tea! Create an iced tea bar. Coffee bars are all the craze, but an iced tea bar will really set the tone for summer!
8. Adirondack chairs in vibrant colors.
Place the chairs along the fire pit or outside on the front porch or backyard.
9. Decorate your mantle with nautical or coastal themes.
Use beach lanterns, faux plants, flowers, vases, or seashells. You can even try draping a heavy rope tied in a nautical knot over a bowl.
10. Don’t forget to accent your bedrooms and bathrooms!
Tie in the themes seen in the main living spaces and bring them into other spaces. It can be as simple as a decorative towel or small countertop accent in the bathroom and a light accent quilt or blanket in the bedroom.
Want to take this summer a step further regarding your home? Learn how to prepare your home for summer. If you have downtime this summer, taking on a home renovation or some upgrades may be in the cards. Before making any major changes to your home, check out the latest trends of 2023 or our Guide to Home Improvement & Maintenance.
Most of all, have a fun and happy summer!
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