44 Summer Decor Ideas for a Seasonal Sunny Makeover (2024)

The 13 Best Summer Home Improvement Projects to Cross Off Your List

Set a Colorful Table

Consider buying accent dishes and a vibrant tablecloth to add splashes of summertime color and pattern to your next dinner party. Mix bright floral, tropical, or nautical-theme dishes with your everyday plates and bowls. To ramp up your summer decor ideas, clear a small table to create an impromptu bar, and arrange bottles and glassware on a pretty serving tray. Fun elements such as stir sticks and paper umbrellas create a perfectly seasonal look.

Highlight Indoor-Outdoor Design

One of the best summer decor ideas is to connect your indoor and outdoor spaces. Mix patio seating and light fixtures with an indoor area rug in a covered sunroom, or add string lights above a farmhouse table on your porch to create a cozy dining space. Bringing the outdoors inside creates a soothing, relaxed atmosphere synonymous with the warmest months.

Bring Summer to MidMod Spaces

Decorating with midcentury modern style is a mix between retro and contemporary design. This can create a crisp, clean look for your summer decorating. Opt for whites and creams to keep the atmosphere bright. Choose furniture and decor with organic shapes and geometric lines. Add plants and flowers to the mix to create that indoor-outdoor connection.

Paint Your Front Door

Consider painting your front door for a summer decor idea that's a simple update. Whether you go for a bold shade of yellow or a soft pastel pink, creating a contrast between your door and your home's exterior creates a showstopping style statement. Pair your colorful door with a few planters, and you'll be ready for summer guests.

Update Old Furniture

Give a tired chair or side table new life using high-gloss spray paint in a summery hue, such as sky blue or grassy green. The glossy paint creates a fun lacquered look and gives an old piece a fresh and modern edge. Make sure to properly prime and paint the furniture to help the paint adhere to the surface and wear longer.

Redo Your Backyard for Entertaining

Whether you're planning a large backyard barbeque or co*cktails with a few friends, an outdoor bar is a must. Look for an inexpensive cabinet at a flea market or secondhand store to decorate for summer on a budget and store party supplies when not in use. Hang light fixtures for nighttime visibility and bring in a pop of color—bright oranges, yellows, and reds are ideal—to set the summer aura.

Add Summer Colors

If you're looking for an easy summer decor idea, add a bit of color. Whether it's a few pastel pillows or a bold area rug, you can easily create cohesion with neutral furnishings to tie it all together. Add a few plants, and you'll have an indoor-outdoor oasis, perfect for curling up with a good book or summertime sips.

Stay Neutral with Summer Decor Ideas

Summer decorating doesn't always have to include bright colors or lively patterns. Neutral colors and natural materials provide a sense of a serene summer afternoon. Materials like wicker, rattan, and linen are easy ways to add a summertime touch to any room in your house.

Go Subtly Nautical

Some of the best summer decor ideas come from the seashore. Find subtle nautical decor to make your home feel like a beach house. Navy blue hues and white stripes should do the trick, or pick up a boat-shaped relic from the flea market.

Let in Light

If you need summer decor ideas, change how you think about your space. Picture your home as a summer rental, and you'll see it in a new light. Throw open the doors and windows, pull back the curtains, and get rid of dark, gloomy, or fussy pieces. Stow away heavy accessories, throws, and unnecessary small decor items until it's time to cozy up for fall.

Coastal-Inspired Accents

Another way to decorate for summer is to focus on beachy elements or art pieces. Pair a nautical painting with blue bedding, or maintain a neutral color scheme with a few coastal accessories to create a cozy coastal bedroom. Swap heavy pillows and blankets for lighter fabrics, like linen and cotton, to quickly make your guest bedroom feel like a seaside resort.

Include Contemporary Summer Decor

Elevate your less-is-more look for the summer season. Opt for warmer tones instead of cool blues and grays for a cozy getaway. Choose natural elements and add a few vibrantly-hued summery accents.

Decorate Your Front Porch

With warm weather and a few extra hours of sunlight, the summer months are perfect for dining on your front porch or having a picnic in your yard. Outdoor summer decor ideas can be as simple as adding extra planters on the porch or more seating areas to accommodate guests. Eating outdoors will help you and your family enjoy everything summer offers.

Arrange Summer Flower Displays

Interject bright, summery colors in your home with freshly picked flowers. To make the biggest impact, stick to arrangements featuring warm colors—such as bold oranges, radiant yellows, or vibrant pinks—and save rich reds and deep purples for other seasons.

Add Summery Accessories

You don't need to give your whole room a facelift to incorporate summer decor ideas. Turn a small space, like the top of a dresser or nightstand, into a statement area. Use vibrant art as a backdrop and build on its colors and style with smaller, joy-evoking pieces.

Create a Photo Gallery

Preserve your vacation photos by printing, framing, and arranging them on a gallery wall. This summer decor idea will save money on art and give you a great talking point at parties. Plus, the memories will cure your wanderlust as you plan your next summer vacation.

Spruce Up Your Patio

Summer is as much a state of mind as it is a season, so transform your outdoor spaces with lights, flexible seating, and ample room for gathering. String paper lanterns on tree branches around an outdoor patio to help you entertain well into the night hours. Or, should the weather turn stormy, cozy up by lamplight on a covered porch.

Focus on Color for Summer Decor Ideas

Some of the easiest summer decor ideas involve your outdoor spaces. If you're big into entertaining outdoors, low tables, floor pillows, and strands of string lights set a merry mood. Winning combos of bright colors, such as turquoise, pink, and yellow, create a festive atmosphere perfect for a party.

Keep Things Minimal

Summer is all about light, bright, and airy spaces. Consider painting walls a calmer hue and going for a minimalist approach with simple furniture and decor. Finish the breezy look with decorative lighting to brighten the space at night.

Go with Boho

Free-spirited and airy, boho-style interiors are perfect for a summertime makeover. Using a mix of fun colors and patterns, there are no rules to follow when decorating with this design aesthetic.

Plant Summer Greenery

Become a plant parent and spruce up your home with all kinds of greenery. With the proper love and care, houseplants are a summer decor idea that will enhance the liveliness and beauty of your home.

Hang Bright, Bold Wallpaper

One of the easiest ways to completely change the feel of a room is to hang wallpaper. Choose something with bright colors, beachy patterns, or both. If you aren't ready to fully commit to a look, opt for peel-and-stick wallpaper that can be swapped out later.

Create Casual Dining Areas

Summer weather offers ample opportunities for outdoor dining—fancy or less formal. Even when hosting something on the casual side, you can find unexpected uses for formal serving pieces. A silver tray can hold pretty glassware, a pitcher can be filled with a delicious summery co*cktail, and a champagne bucket makes a great container for an herb plant. Summer party decorations have never looked so good.

Bring In Color Contrast

While lighter shades are typically associated with warmer weather, you can easily decorate for summer by creating contrast in your living spaces. Focus on neutral hues for your walls and furniture, but opt for a darker area rug or curtains to ground the look without completely washing everything out. Add pastel pillows and lightweight throw blankets to add a cheery finishing touch.

Decorate with Warm Tones

Say goodbye to the cool blues of winter and hello to summer decor ideas that include bright, warm hues reflecting a sunny summer day. Go for wood tones like cherry, mahogany, and hickory, and accessorize with reds, cheery yellows, and vibrant oranges.

Put Up Summer Wall Decor

Don't overcomplicate your wall decor. Use peel-and-stick hooks or strips to easily hang lightweight decorations for the summer season, like these woven bowls. This method won't damage the paint or wall, and switching out your display as the seasons change is easy.

Incorporate Summery Scents

For a simpler summer decor idea, think about the aroma in your space. To create a summer aesthetic, switch out scents seasonally. While gingerbread and evergreen are great scents for the winter months, shift to ocean breeze or cucumber-melon when it warms up. Plus, candles are quick, inexpensive summer decorations for coffee tables and shelves.

Put Together an Outdoor Living Space

Warmer weather draws friends and family outside to gather. Spruce up your outdoor living space with comfort and color. Hang a day bed for a relaxing place to enjoy some alone time or a fun twist on outdoor seating for a get-together. Add welcoming color and pattern with weatherproof pillows.

Choose Navy Blue

Navy blue is a nautical color that brings to mind a summer spent boating. Use this dark blue hue as a base color and bring it to life with bright, cheerful accent colors. It's a perfect transitional color for all seasons and can be toned down or livened up depending on the colors you pair with it.

Decorate Your Porch

Summertime is about cookouts and gathering over delicious home-cooked meals. Enhance your porch dining area for the summer season with inviting decor. Adorn your table with cheerful place settings, and add a bouquet in the center for a final touch.

Create a Statement Wall

While summer is known for lighter colors and hues, you can easily brighten dark walls with colorful art. Affordable pieces can be found online or at flea markets and resale shops. A large piece or a collection of smaller pieces also provides the perfect blank-wall solution for large, open rooms and can inspire other summer decor ideas as you match (or contrast) with other colors in the bed linens, pillows, or rugs.

Arrange a Small Bouquet

Not only will a bouquet of flowers smell delightful, fresh blooms will breathe life into any space. Place a simple arrangement of flowers on a side table for a subtle but elegant elevation to the decor. The display doesn't have to be extravagant; a few stems will look just as good as a large bouquet.

Add Succulents

Summer decorating is all about the greenery. Consider planting succulents in a large shell to add organic appeal to your DIY summer room decor. The tiny plants last long and require little care, making them the perfect addition to a summery tablescape. The natural elements also add texture and character to this chic table display.

Shift Your Living Room's Focus

While a fireplace is a great focal point, consider rearranging your furniture away from it during the summer. Rather than huddling around the hearth, shift the room's focus toward a beautiful window or French doors. Store heavy draperies and hang gossamer sheers that flow with the breezes.

Decorate Your Bedroom for Summer

Bright botanical prints (on bedding or pillows) instantly lift a room's mood—and yours. Keep the wall color neutral and other accessories minimal to make the motif shine. Seasonal duvet covers are a great way to save money while making a statement with summer decor ideas.

Shop for Antique Summer Flair

Summertime is the prime season for flea markets and antique sales. If your interior is more of a rustic, pre-loved style, take this opportunity to find vintage treasures to decorate your home with. Search for relics from the past that include floral patterns and muted greens and pinks.

Design a Wall of Hats

Both stylish and functional, creating a sunhat display on your wall is an easy way to decorate for the season. This effortless decor is also an organization hack to clear out some closet space and show off your hat collection.

Incorporate a Centerpiece

Elevate your dining room table with a sunny summer centerpiece. Find a unique vessel for a bouquet of fresh-picked flowers, then add a wicker tray and pretty dinnerware set for an effortless breakfast nook arrangement.

Head to the Beach

Whether you live on the coast or just love to visit, cover your home in coastal decor for a trendy summer look. Take a walk on the beach and find driftwood, coral, or seashells to display. If you're landlocked, consider a shell-patterned wallpaper or a fresh coat of paint in a coastal-inspired color.

Use Brown Hues

Like the sand on a beach, warm brown tones can infuse a room with a subtle summer scene. Adding the right decor can make your home feel like a quaint summer cottage. Gingham print, linen, and warm-toned wood complete this cozy breakfast nook.

Go Glam for Summer

Get groovy with your summer decor ideas. Not only are disco balls aesthetically pleasing, but by placing them somewhere that gets ample sun, your room will be dancing with the reflections of the tiny mirrors.

Paint it Pink

Decorating with pink is a summer decor idea that adds a soft, graceful feel to the space. Whether you want the pink decor to be a dramatic, eye-catching conversation starter or a subtle, elegant touch, pink will warm up any room in the house.

Add a Practical Pergola

Enjoy your outdoor entertaining area to its fullest by adding a pergola. Not only are pergolas functional, but they look great too. Dress up your pergola with string lights, hanging plants, or whatever will make it fit your style.

Add a Pop of Color

If your decorating style leans towards black and white or neutral colors, you're working with a clean slate. Choose a couple of elements to swap out for colorful additions. Choose sunshine yellow curtains or sky blue throw pillows. Adding just a splash of color will change the feel of your room without much effort.