6 Simple Summer Decor Ideas

Do you want to add some summer charm to your home without breaking the bank? Below are some of my favorite simple and affordable ideas for decorating your home for summer.

Summer is right around the corner, and although I don’t go all out on decor for summer like I do for fall and Christmas, I still want my space to reflect the season and set the tone for our home.

When I think of summer, I think of light and bright, and I consider that when looking for ways to incorporate summer decor. For me, summer is all about being outside, enjoying the warmth of the sun and nature. I try to use those as a foundation for my indoor summer decor.

Summer decor doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.

These simple and affordable tweaks will have you transforming your home without a complete overhaul or breaking the bank.

Simple Summer Decor Ideas

1. Add Fresh Flowers, everywhere

One of my favorite ways to decorate seasonally is with fresh flowers. If you are lucky enough to have a cut garden, you can get these flowers right in your backyard. This year I attempted a small cut garden in our backyard although it was a complete failure (there’s always next year!).

If you don’t have a cut garden, you can easily find seasonal flowers at your local farmers market, Trader Joe’s, grocery store, or local big box stores. My favorite place to pick up fresh flowers is currently my local Trader Joe’s, but it just to be the farmers market when I had easy access to one.

The beauty of fresh flowers is that you aren’t limited to just the kitchen like most people are inclined to think. You can use fresh flowers in any room and on any surface.

If you need a little inspiration for locations to place those beautiful cut flowers, here are some of my favorites:

Kitchen: Place your flowers on your kitchen counter, island, or even a window sill to make your space feel more inviting.
Dining Room: You can easily decorate your table with fresh flowers, but if you have a hutch, this is another beautiful location to add flowers.
Living Room: Add a vase of flowers on your coffee table or side table.
Bedroom: To create a calming space, bring flowers into the bedroom by placing them on your nightstand or even on your dresser.
Bathroom: One of my favorite places to add a touch of warmth is in the bathroom, where I add fresh flowers on the vanity or shelf.
Entry Way: Use your console table or shelf near the door to greet you or visitors into your home.

Maybe you don’t want the maintenance of fresh flowers but still want the look? Consider adding realistic faux summer florals to those areas instead. Some flowers that are typically associated with summer are: sunflowers, dahlias, zinnias, hydrangeas, peonies, roses, lavender, lilies, marigolds, snapdragons, and cosmos.

Here are some of my favorites:

2. Summer Fruits

If you’re not a fan of florals for summer decor, consider adding summer fruits to your home decor. You can easily place real (or faux) fruit in bowls, in trays, or as decorative pieces around the house to add a pop of color to any room.

Fruit inspired pieces are a great alternative if you don’t want actual fruit, think utensil holder, plates, salt & pepper shakers, bookends, & candlesticks, wreaths, & rugs. One of my favorite places to shop is of course, Home Goods! They have so many cool finds. A second favorite is thrift shops

A few summer fruits to use around the house for decor:

Lemons: This is the most commonly thought of fruit for summer decor, and you can easily find both real lemons and faux lemon decor at home stores.
Oranges: Oranges are a close second to lemons in terms of popularity. Their texture and color make them a great addition to any home decor.
Pineapples: This fruit brings a lovely tropical feel to your space. I’ve seen a lot of pineapple front door mats this season.
Watermelons: This summer, I’ve seen a lot of watermelon-inspired decor. One of my favorites has been the watermelon soap dispensers.
Berries: I group blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries together for summer fruits. This isn’t one I’d leave out “fresh fruit” as it could go bad, but I’ve seen some cute soap dispensers and salt and pepper shakers.

3. Add Greenery

In addition to adding fresh flowers for your summer decor, consider adding greenery to your spaces. This is one of my favorite ways to add summer charm to our home. I love adding houseplants to spaces for a pop of green.

You could also consider a mini herb garden for your kitchen window sill.

Some of my favorites “easy” houseplants are: snake plant, ZZ Plant, Monstera, and pothos.

4. Incorporate Seasonal color

Summer is the season of fun bright colors and the perfect way to add them to your home (without painting) is by incorporating them into your textiles.

Here are a few ideas to ge you started:

Living Room: Blankets, throw pillows, curtains, rugs
Dining Room: Tablecloth/Runner, placemats, chair cushions
Kitchen: Your dish towels, drying mat, rugs
Bedroom: Bedding curtains, throw blankets, & pillows
Bathroom: Towels, shower curtain, bath mat
Entryway: Rugs

When you think of a summer color palette, keep in mind, this is the time of year you can get away with bright colors. Summer colors tend to feature those bright, vibrant hues that reflect warmth, sunshine, and outdoor beauty.

Sunset Shades: Inspired by the beautiful sunset, shades of pink, oranges, and yellow can brighten up your space and make it feel fresh and new.
Ocean Blues: You don’t need to be by the beach for this one, summer time is the perfect time to incorporate shades of blue, to create a calming environment.
Pastels Vibes: If vibrant shades aren’t your vibe you can opt for a more subdued feeling with soft pastels such as baby blue, mint green, pale pink and lavender for a more tranquil summer scene.

5. Summer Scents

If you’re into candles, summer scents are the PERFECT way to bring summer into your home. I love Bath & Body Works Candles. I’ve also found a few candles at Target that I’ll pickup while I’m here.

Here are a few of my favorite summer scents:

6. Front Door

You had to know I couldn’t leave this one off my list. I LOVE decorating my front porch to reflect the season and summer is no different.

I usually try to pick decor in the spring that’ll flow through fall with subtle changes. This year I used beautiful lavender wreaths I found at Home Goods with faux ferns. I tried real ferns last year and they died pretty quickly since it’s direct sunlight (lesson learned).

I’ll change this over the summer by adding simple touches like a red, white, and blue bow to my wreaths for Memorial Day weekend, the 4th of July, and then again for Labor Day. I’ll also probably change my “hello” doormat around the 4th of July to a red, white, and blue theme until Labor Day and then switch it to fall.

All that to say, you can start with the front door basics, a wreath, and doormat, maybe flowers or ferns (if desired) and use them all summer long or add subtle changes during the season. You don’t have to switch your front door decor every month during the summer, or at least I don’t until we hit early fall.

Summer Aesthetics

Keep in mind when looking over this list, it’s simply for inspiration. I hope you have found a few summer decor ideas that you are excited to incorporate into your own home this season. And if you do, I’d love to see them. You can always leave an image below in the comments or tag me on instagram (@tandranicole).

Stay In Touch!

If you’re propagating houseplants this season to add touches of green, be sure to read my Guide to Propagating Monstera’s in Water for some helpful tips.

For more inspiration on nurturing homes & hearts for the season, join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, & YouTube !