In this post: Decorating doesn’t have to be expensive. These 15 summer decorating ideas are easy & stylish to make. They are perfect for anyone with small living spaces or budgets.


Want to give your home a little summer loving? Here are 15 summer decorating ideas to bring the best of the season inside and make your home feel all summery! 

hello summer free printable art on dresser

I started Home Made Lovely in 2010 (back then it was called AKA Design) as a wee little DIY blog. Now there are over 500 blog posts about: 

And I’ve also created courses, guides, and workbooks through the Lovely Home Academy to help lovely home-makers create the home they’ve always wanted right where they are. 


15 Easy Summer Decorating Ideas

Try one or try all of these summer decor ideas to bring comfort and welcome the summer season. 

1. Clear Out The Clutter

If your house looks cluttered, there’s no point in decorating. Clear out the clutter first and then add decorative touches. Otherwise, you’re just adding to the mess. 

If you need help with decluttering, check out a few of our decluttering and organizing articles: 

2. Put Out a New Welcome Mat

Once you’ve got the clutter cleaned up, putting out a new welcome mat is a simple way to “welcome” spring – and guests – into your home. 

You can choose a basic welcome mat or layers of lovely mats.

Here are a few of my favorite entry mats:

3. Hygge for Summertime

Hygge isn’t just for winter. At least not in my opinion. I believe our homes should be cozy all year round, even in the summertime. 

Try adding a few light throw blankets to the living room to cozy up with after a summer swim for summer coziness. Keep throw pillows out, but swap out heavier chunky knit fabric covers with light linen ones.  

Beige Sectional with Earth Toned Throw PIllows

4. Remove Heavy Draperies and Linens

Heavy curtains and blankets are the perfect weight and texture for wintertime but have no place in our summer homes. Change your draperies to lighter linen versions for the summer months, or even flowy white cotton panels.

Think of a cottage-y or beach house type look and feel. 

5. Use Lighter Fabrics on Your Summer Beds

Changing out rugs and curtains is great, but don’t forget about the bedding!

There’s no need for flannel sheets and heavy duvets and quilts in the summer. Switch your bedding to lighter sheets like linen, and cotton. Also, include lighter quilts or duvets instead of bulky cold-weather bedding. 

master bedroom with dark wood king size bed

6 New Throw Pillows on Your Couch

Swap out throw pillow covers (and rugs too) for lighter and brighter versions. Linen and cotton are summer fabrics that will also serve you well in the summertime. 

white sectional ikea

7. Hang a Pretty Summer Wreath on Your Front Door

Wreaths make such lovely statements on front doors and changing them with the seasons is one of my favorite things. If you find good ones, you can reuse them year after year. 

Tip: I store our off-season wreaths on large nails in our furnace room. You could, of course, use hooks too!

black front double doors with red berry wreaths

8. Plants Make You Happy

Add Fresh Summer Florals

Buy bouquets of simple summer flowers like sunflowers, hydrangeas, dahlias, and peonies to add color, life, and fragrance to your summer home. Use simple clear vases or mason jars to contain them. 

Decorate with faux flowers

If real flowers aren’t your thing, buy faux summer flowers from shops like Micheals, Homesense, or even Walmart and use them again and again. Simply store them in totes in the basement when they’re not in use and give them a shake to get rid of the dust before you bring them out again. 

9. Add just a few splashes of color

Summer is a great time to try out some new colors in your home. Especially if you’ve got an otherwise neutral color palette. Perfect summer colors include yellow, pink, purple, blue, and green. 

Check out this article for some ideas for using color in your home

Oversized Lake Painting in Gold Frame in Neutral Living Room for summer decorating ideas

10. Display vacation memories

Another way to bring the feeling of summer into your spaces is to frame and display past summer vacation memories. Pictures of you and your family at the beach, the amusement park, camping, or at the fair are all great examples of photos that should be on display! 

11. Sneak in Some New Patterns

Summer, like any other season, tends to have patterns all its own. Much like plaid and tartan tend to go well with winter, stripes and florals for example are perfect for summer looks. 

12. Change Your Artwork

If you can consider changing some of your artwork for more summery images. Beach scenes, trees, and floral art all scream summer, in the best possible way. It’s easy to find downloadable art online. 

summer decorating ideas: entry from hall wood church pew black doors gold framed art

13. Change Your Scents

Another way to bring summer in is to change the scents you use in your home. Florals and citrus scents work well in summer. Swap out your:

reed diffuser on coffee table

14. Create Summer Vignettes

Decorate your summer mantel, tabletops, and counters with summer vignettes. If you want a super summery vibe, include things like: 

  • flowers and summery plants
  • natural items like seashells, sand or driftwood
  • summer fruit like lemons
  • nautical items like decorative anchors, small boats, or knotted rope
  • free printable art
  • lanterns
  • summer hats
coastal summer mantel

15. Don’t Forget the Front Porch and Patio

Give your porch or other outdoor spaces a summer refresh with these summer decorating ideas:

  • Add summer potted plants or planters
  • Bring out the welcoming seating
  • Put down a summer rug
  • Include summer outdoor throw pillows
  • Keep a table nearby for iced tea or lemonade to share with friends
  • Add string lights where ever possible for beautiful summer nights
Front Porch twinkle lights to show summer decorating ideas

And there you have 15 summer decorating ideas for any space or budget. Happy summer, lovely!

Finally decorate your own home – with confidence!

You’re so much closer to a beautifully-decorated home than you think. You just need a little help to get there!

shannon photo and sig oct 2022

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7 Comments

  1. You’ve got such a warm and welcoming home, Shannon and I love the simple touches you’ve added for summer. It looks so beautiful with your recent changes! Thanks for being part of this series and sharing such a beautiful tour:)

  2. Thanks for the tour! Just love your style! And I forgot to mention – I bought your book recently! Have made it all the way through yet! But enjoying it!
    Now I gotta get to work and finish my living room! đŸ™‚

  3. Everything looks so nice and fresh. It’s amazing how simple little changes make a big difference.

  4. Your home looks so inviting – I especially enjoy your laundry room, “wash, dry, fold and repeat” – LOL!

  5. What a stunning home! Where did you get the rug in your living room? I love how simple the pattern is and it looks very cozy. I have to get the rug in my living room deep cleaned by a rug cleaner every several months because it gets so dirty with my kids and pets. I’m considering just replacing the rug, and I would love to get the one you have!