Cozy Summer Decorating & DIYs
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When I think of cozy summer decorating and DIYs, I first think of light airy rooms with curtains billowing in the summer breeze.
I think of lighter colors, wicker furniture and decor, and garden fountains. Of watermelon and peaches and tomatoes fresh and ready to eat.
Beach Decor:
Beachy decor with the requisite seashells and sea glass can be put in glass containers and placed on end tables. Or the mantel or whatever surface you prefer decorating.
Add mementoes from past vacations and the photos you took to remember them by.
Summery Neutral Living Room
This was a summer refresh at Cindy Hattersley’s home. She decorated the room in neutral colors. The look is casual and fresh and cozy. Inviting you to come in and sit down for a while.
Seashell Tablescape
Deborah at Hip & Humble Style created a seashell-themed tablescape for her home in East Texas.
Bring A Flowering Plant Indoors
If I had more indoor light, I’d bring my pot of white geraniums indoors like Yvonne from Stonegable did. It speaks of summer there in her living space.
Mementos From The Beach
If you’re lucky enough to vacation at a beach, you’ll probably come home with lots of seashells and sea glass. Display them on a table surface like Lynne at My Family Thyme did, and the memories will be there with them.
Create A Patio Fountain
DIY a tiered patio fountain with the addition of flowers. What could be prettier and more relaxing than a water fountain within a pot of flowers?
Garden Style Dining
This beautiful summer-inspired table is decorated with elements from the outdoors. Terracotta pots are used in the centerpiece. The wood frames on the wall are reminiscent of lattices from a garden in Alicia’s home at Thrifty & Chic.
Decorate With Natural Elements
Add a French label to a whitewashed terracotta pot and put Lamb’s Ear stems inside. Berry baskets are another reminder of summer. Cindy from Cloches & Lavender has the right idea for light summer decor.
Vignette In Wicker Tray
Gather decor and plants and odds and ends and create a vignette in a long rectangular basket. Add various kitchen elements to make it feel at home here, as Amber from Follow The Yellow Brick Home did in her whimsical vignette.
Create A Beachy Nook
A window seat is perfect for a cozy spot to read and relax. I’d spend a lot of time gazing out the window here at Kim’s gorgeous home. She has a magnificent garden close to the water in the Pacific Northwest.
Style A Summer Console
Sarah at the Sarah Joy blog found this console on Facebook Marketplace. She styled it with an adorable wicker lamp I’ve had my eye on for about a year at Amazon. Sarah did a great job of styling her new find.
Summer means decorating with a seasonal refresh. Wicker and rattan furniture and decor work well for the summer season. Though I like to use this style year-round.
For a fun DIY, make your own candles. On a hot day when it’s miserable outside, you could be indoors creating your own candles. Invite friends over and have a candle making party.
If you have new terracotta pots and want them to look old, you can age them with various techniques. Consider whitewashing terracotta pots for more of a French country look. Add a transfer for a fancier addition.
You might consider trying a different color scheme in your home. Or different shades of the colors you already love. Try plaids or stripes for pillows and cloth napkins to switch and changes things up just for fun.
Decorate with seasonal produce such as fruit or vegetables gathered in a basket or other container.
Creating A New Look:
An economical way of changing up your dining table is to purchase new accent pieces, then mix them with your regular dinnerware. I like pairing white dinnerware with more colorful salad plates.
If you yearn for a window seat, buy an upholstered bench to fit underneath a window. Or upholster a bench yourself using quilt batting and fabric. Then dress it up with throw pillows. It could be a wonderful cozy place to read a book and enjoy what’s outdoors.
Style a table surface with coastal decor like seashells and sea glass. Create vignettes in a dining space with kitchen decor and vintage milk glass pieces.
Consider hanging a garden trellis on the wall for a summer accent. You could dress it up with empty seed packets or leave it plain for a cleaner look.
Cozy Summer Decorating & DIYs In An Outdoor Space:
Add garden art to your outdoor space. Create a garden vignette of various sized pots filled with plants and herbs.
Plants that are gathered together in odd numbers make a bigger impact.
Change up the pillow covers on your porch or patio. Create a DIY water fountain with plant pots or galvanized containers.
Add new string lights in an outdoor area for entertaining after dark. Or add solar lights to large plant pots filled with summer flowers.
You don’t have to give your entire home a summery face-lift. Just choose a few areas and make a big statement.
There’s some really good summer decorating ideas posted here, thank you! I’ve been wanting to do a little refresh in my living room and kitchen.
I, too, love the bench seat. It looks so cozy and comfy.
Your flowers are still looking good. Enjoyed the pics of your vignettes. So pretty. Several fun and pretty things to look at in this post. Really enjoyed “Follow the Yellow Brick Home” and her use of baskets. So many good ideas.
So many amazing and beautiful ideas. Thank you, Brenda.
I can’t wait to see the changes you’re making to your blog. Have fun!!!
Oh, some of those rooms and displays you picked are so pretty, Brenda. No way for me to live up to – not enough energy or the desire to do so! I’m lucky to have a large patio and privacy fenced back yard that I can see out of my dining area patio sliding doors. I have a small 10’x10′ aluminum gazebo in one corner of the patio that is framed with netting to keep the bugs out. I can sit at my dining table and look outside while I scroll around on my laptop and still enjoy the view of the backyard and some of the garden beds and bird baths out of the patio doors when it’s too hot and humid outside for me to handle. Until this week, I haven’t been able to sit outside in the gazebo much at all, but have been able to enjoy 3 days outside this past week and if the forecast holds will be able to sit outside this evening too. Unfortunately the dew point is creeping back up into uncomfortable zone for me, but I’m out in the gazebo when I can bear the weather. My gazebo isn’t anything fancy but it has a comfy small set of table and 2 chairs and an extra chair with a tall adjustable back that with my foot stool is ideal for leaning comfortably back and taking a nap. I feed all the local birds and critters, so they’re used to being around me and aren’t scared when I’m out in the yard, even if I’m mowing the grass with the electric mower, they’re around looking at me for a hand out of food. Decorating inside is pretty much pink accents, birds and floral prints on the wall and I love to clip some of my pink hydrangeas for a display on the dining table. They last a good week at a time and make me smile. This year they shot up in abundance after an early season pruning and monthly doses of Miracle Grow. With daily hand watering and all the sunshine, the gardens have gone into overdrive blooming this year.
I had a gazebo at my other apartment for one year, then the wind blew it down. I loved that gazebo.
On my “home” bucket list: A window seat where I can drink tea and re-read my favorite books.
I think for a woman a window seat might be right up there with wanting a white picket fence.
Good morning. What a beautiful array of lazy day summer reading. I love your new format with lots of extras to delve into. Wishing everyone a wonderful week.
I’m having the entire blog redone in a somewhat different format that will be live in a few weeks.