5 Ways to Add Summer Decor to Your Home

Simple tips for adding summer decor to your home without redecorating your whole house! I love sharing my budget-friendly, simple, doable tips for bringing some fun into your "summer home"

I love, love, love summer and everything that comes with it. Trips to the beach and the lake, wearing out our welcome at the neighborhood pool. Pretty much spending as much time as possible outside near cool(ish) bodies of water, trying to escape the hot southern sun. That's where you'll find me in the summertime.

LOVE these tips! 5 simple ways to add summer decor to your home! — Making Large DIY Art with Color Engineer Prints

Did you know the ocean inspired my blog name and signature colors? Some might think a turquoise stone inspired me, but no, it's the beautiful ocean. When we were on vacation a couple of years ago, I was mesmerized by the gorgeous blue waters. And I kept thinking, these are my blog colors! Ha!

Every morning I would walk up the beach access, and as I got closer to the water, I was met with this view…

Breathtaking!

Side note: I ended up turning this photo into a beautiful piece of art. You can purchase the hi-res photo here to make your own!

And as I sat in my chair (for 2.5 seconds before I had to chase a kid), I would look out at this view …

Yep! Those are my favorite colors, which is why I work blues and greens throughout my home. Adding them throughout the house, whether it's summer or not, brings me so much joy! My home reminds me of the coast all year round.

But even if you're not headed to the beach or a vacation home, or you're not bringing coastal colors in year-round, you can bring summer into your home right now.

And you don't have to overhaul your house to do it. Yes, you'll want to swap any heavy draperies for sheers or trade dark throw pillows for pretty florals, but you don't have to change everything.

5 Ways to Add Summer Decor to Your Home

Over the years I have learned not to completely redecorate every season, and instead to just add and subtract a little here and there with each season. While I do have a closet in my home dedicated to my decor stash, I don't want to be a decor hoarder with piles of unused decorations lying around, waiting nine months for their turn to come out and play again.

DIY Weathered Rope Sign tutorial

Aside from my mantel, I like to add little touches here and there and keep most of my home the same all year.

I am always up for a little craft to celebrate the new season, usually in the form of a wooden sign. My fave!! I'm a sucker for decorating with typography. It's my go-to budget-friendly decorating fix. Well, that and clearance throw pillows.

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DIY farmhouse shelves tutorial // DIY throw pillows tutorial

1. Bright colors.

Summer is the perfect time to add a pop of color to your decor. If you already love color, go all in! Or if you love the neutral look, add a vibrant boost that steals the show in the room.

Spring sofa with pink windowpane throw blanket

I personally love turquoise (obviously) and pink, with a few touches of yellow or pink. I smile every time I walk into these color-filled rooms, and they remind me to relax and enjoy the season with my family.

a Simple Summer Dining Room Tour - with turquoise plates and a gorgeous farmhouse table — Summer Dining Room

2. Add White.

Lots and lots of light and bright just says summer to me. It's like bringing the sandy beaches or the white seashells along the shoreline into your home.

Faux dogwood stems in spring vase — Add white dogwood branches to turquoise vases for a simple summer touch!

Play up the items you already have in your home that are white, and maybe even paint some furniture white, like I did with my kitchen cabinets!

3. Fresh greenery and flowers.

This is the perfect time to bring the outdoors in, since we spend so much of our summer outside. Our home has some beautiful hydrangea bushes with gorgeous white blooms at the beginning of summer, and I love to clip them and bring them inside. There's just something about fresh blooms that makes your home feel bright and cheery!

I also like to stop at my Fresh Market whenever I can, because their arrangements are gorgeous, last forever, and are easy on my wallet. My green thumb is starting to blossom, so I'm excited to add more and more real greenery to our home.

4. Fill a vase with decor.

Glass vases are beautiful in any decor or season, but I especially love glass in summer. So fill a vase with shells from a recent vacation or matchbooks from your favorite summer eateries. It's a great way to decorate with little things that remind you of a special memory!

5. Outdoor Art

Bring the outdoors in with beautiful art that depicts the great outdoors. Maybe it's an abstract painting of the ocean or a beautiful walking trail. All of it is a way to bring summer into your home.

Solid Blue Linen Duvet Cover — My bedroom with coastal art for the summer. I swap it out for winter with a pine tree abstract art.

Another thing I love is citrus art in the summer. I made some free lemon tree printable art a few years ago, and I have some beautiful citrus watercolor prints in the frames in my kitchen that I love every spring and summer!