15 Simple Summer Decorating Ideas That Take Only Minutes

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Aaaaahhhh…. As the song says,

“Summertime and the livin’ is easy…”

We want to spend our time outside right now doing all of the fun summer things.

Like going to barbeques, hanging out by the pool, and resting in a hammock with a cold drink, right?

And who wants to spend their precious summer on a major decorating overhaul?  It’s too hot and there are so many other things we would rather be doing. 

But if you’re like me, we want our homes to have that same laid-back, carefree summer vibe inside too!

What if I promise all of the summer feels when you walk into a room will only take you a few minutes?

You know the feeling when you bring home a fresh pair of throw pillows in a color you’ve been crushing on? And that one little change makes you happy every time you see it?

I’m talking those kinds of tiny things to give your home some summer lovin’.

Let’s take a look around at my favorite easy ways to make my house match my summer state of mind.

1. Add Green Plants and Summer Flowers.

I love to decorate with different types of greenery for every season, but nothing says summer more than plants and florals at their peak. So of course, I’ve used them in all of these rooms. 

In the kitchen, a large outdoor rustic garden pot filled with white hydrangeas and airy greenery is the island centerpiece. And on the dining table is a simple sprig of green fern in a big wine jug.

I used all greenery and no flowers in the family room, and mostly in the form of ferns. Here’s one tucked into my coffee table vignette:

And some magnolia branches sit on the fireplace mantel. One more fern plus a little green tropical plant peek out from the built-ins.

The dining room sideboard holds a pedestal bowl filled with faux orchids from Ikea and more airy, light ferns.

And over in the living room, my large DIY moss bowl on the coffee table brings in the green in a cleaner, more modern way.

All of my plants here are faux, but when the mood strikes, I bring in a potted plant or cut some fresh flowers from the yard and plop them into a vase in this room.

2. Keep Tones Light and White.

The more white, cream, ivory, sand, and other lighter colors you use in a room, the more cool, bright, and ready for the summer season the space will feel. You’re ahead of the game if you’ve got white or light walls and furniture!

But if not, you can still switch out less permanent accessories like decorative accents, drapes, rugs, and pillows.

The pillows in the den really help lighten up my dark leather sofa for summer.

Because I like my rooms to be full of light year round, I tend to use a lot of light colored accessories already because I have to balance out a dark slate floor in the family room and kitchen, and dark furniture. 

And one of my favorite decorating tricks is to use white dishes as decor.

3. Add a Bright Pop of Color.

Nature is at its brightest during the summer. So once you’ve lightened things up to bring the sunshine in, try a pop of happy color in a bright shade! It’s the perfect time to inject a little liveliness, especially if you usually stick to neutrals. Try adding a dash of fun with vibrant colors in pink, yellow, orange, blue, or green.

I keep the backdrop for the main living spaces neutral so that I can easily change the color palette with just a few accessories.

I stayed with a neutral color palette in the family room, but in the formals, I used one of my favorite color combinations this summer. The color scheme changed instantly with pillows and accents in the colors of green grass, blue skies, and white fluffy clouds.

I’m swooning over this crewel throw pillow that brought in all of the colors. I bought two and displayed the two different sides because I love them both. The green side is there in the Bergere chair.

I also brought in the green with these lattice pillows and the oversize green velvet pillow covers that were an Amazon bargain.

Other than with pillows, I added blue with a temple jar on the mantel and my mother-in-law’s heirloom blue and white elephants.

If you hop on over to the dining room, you’ll find more blue and white ginger jars on the sideboard. And some fun green cut velvet pillows in the chairs.

4. Change Out the Throw Pillows and Blankets.

Cozy up your reading areas and summer up sofas and chairs with throw blankets in lightweight fabrics and tones.

And switch out the throw pillows on the couch for some in light, summery fabrics like linen, cotton, chambray, or natural fiber.

These throw pillows in my family room really lighten things up. And I kept the color palette neutral and natural with a couple of soft moss green throws.

And we’ve already chatted about how these pillows brought my summer green and blue to the living room!

5. Bring the Outdoors in With Texture. 

We automatically associate some materials with “outdoors” so when we bring them in, we bring in the summer.

And it’s so easy to work them in right now because they are on trend for this year— wicker, rattan, caning, rush, and jute are hot, hot, hot.

6. Set the Summer Scene at the Front Door With a New Wreath.

New season, new wreaths! For summer, I like to fill the front doors with summery, lush greenery and flowers for a fresh look.

This year’s summer wreaths sport fresh white and green with faux hydrangea and fern, and a crisp black and white gingham bow.

I was done with these in ten minutes and reused wreaths I already had! (See the easy way I made them in the post “DIY Ten Minute Summer Fern and Hydrangea Wreath“.)

7. Go Coastal.

I love the coastal decorating style, but it’s not my main decorating style. I do however, like to mix in a few coastal-inspired accents during the summer months.

No overly theme-y beach house or nautical decor, but coral, shells, rope accents, and the like are a nice salute to summer.

I added this gold crab to the coffee table to bring the beach:

You can take a cue for summer decorating from the new hot girl of summer, the “coastal grandmother“. If you study her look, it’s made for a beach house in the Hamptons! It’s the perfect classic summer style with light, gauzy fabrics and inviting, casual rooms filled with natural light.

8. Swap for Summer Scents.

Switching the scents out in your home is a quick, inexpensive way to set the summer mood.

Plus, candles can double as decorative accents. I set this wicker candle (outdoor texture!) on the kitchen island with a heavenly “Havana coconut” scent:

Other wonderfully fresh summery fragrances include florals, ocean scents, melon, cucumber, and citrus. 

Don’t stop at candles. Layer the summer scents by switching your cleaners, wall plugs, room sprays, and diffusers.

See more tips in the post, “How to Make Your House Smell Incredible: Real Estate Expert Secrets“.

9. Add a Squeeze of Citrus.

Adding some citrus fruit in a bowl to the kitchen counter instantly makes a room feel happy and bright—and it’s so simple!

I have a bowl of lemons on the counter, but you could also use limes or oranges. Their colors are just as bright and happy!

10. Dress the Bed for the Warm Weather.

If you live in a cold climate you probably change your bed seasonally for comfort and put lighter weight covers on. So it’s time to pack away the flannel sheets and down comforters. Linens, cottons, and light and summery colors just make you feel cooler.

11. Add a Splash of Summery Patterns.

Mix in some summer pattern like lattice, florals, and stripes. I’ve brought some in with my throw pillows. I used summery stripes in the family room:

This soft green stripe Pottery Barn pillow cover is one of my new favorite things since I bought it to decorate for spring.

And again, that floral crewel blue and green pillow!

12. Prep the Patio and Porch.

These last three tips for summer decor ideas don’t really cost anything!

We’ve mostly been talking about decorating the inside of our homes. But we can’t not talk about the outdoor space in a summer decorating post—because it’s where we live so much of the summer.

The back porch is our outdoor living room here in the summer. You can see more details in the post, “15 Southern Porch and Patio Decorating Ideas and Tour“.

So make sure to give your patio and front porch as much attention as the inside.

• Switch out for fresh summer pillows.
• Buy a new welcome mat.
• Spruce up the planters with summer color.
• Set up a bar cart on the patio.
• Set the table for dining al fresco on the patio with some summer placemats and a live plant centerpiece.

You can see more free ways to freshen up your rooms here.

13. Clean Up.

Rooms in the summer should feel uncluttered, clean, and relaxing. So the first order of business before you even think about decorating is to tidy up.

And after everything is put away, clean and polish mirrors, windows, and shiny objects so they reflect that beautiful summer sun.

In the kitchen, the summer is a great time to polish my copper pots and decor to be bright like the season. Some of these pots are from the 1800s but shine up like a new penny with a little copper cleaner.

14. Move Things Around.

Consider a fresh perspective in a room for summer. A different arrangement of the furniture. Maybe one that focuses on the view outside the window as the focal point.

15. Display Summer Vacation Photos.

Aren’t some of our best photos taken on vacation and during the holidays? That’s why I love to change photos on display out seasonally.

This summer on the family room shelves, I have a throwback of me and my husband on the beach in Cabo at sunset. We look so relaxed!

If you missed it, you can see the first part of this summer tour here.