Summer Decorating: How to Prepare Your Home for Summer

In this post: Are you looking to get your home ready for summer? These summer decorating ideas will help you prepare your home for enjoying the season.⇒

Do you prepare your home for summer?

I’m not talking about the yard or the patio. Yes, we clean up the outdoors, open pools, check the air conditioning and that sort of thing. But that’s not what this post is about.

I’m talking about the inside of your home. The decorating. The pretty aspects that make life at home enjoyable.

You may be thinking, “I don’t spend time indoors in the summer. Why would I worry about summer decorating?” But indeed you sleep, dress, eat many meals and may even work inside your home.

Even in summer.

Summer Decorating

When I was a kid, my mom made a huge deal about changing the linens for summer.

We had summer blankets and sheets that were a special treat and, to this day, I can still see the sweet little patterns that differed from our all-year bedding in that they wore vintage-inspired delicate motifs in cool cottons that evoked a summer-in-the-country feel.

I romanticized that bedding to such an extent, that when my parents passed and we cleaned out their home, I secretly hope to find some remnants that survived the years. Alas, they seemed to be among the only things my parents had thrown out!

Still, the experience of having a taste of the country in our city home was enough to encourage me to be a lifelong proponent of summer decorating.

Today I’d like to look at 5 ways to prepare your home for summer.

Clear Away the Clutter

Ok, it’s true, I could pretty much start every post with this mandate. It is indeed my mantra and likely my number one piece of decor advice. But it’s all the more salient for summer.

If there’s one thing you want your summer home to be it’s light and airy and therefore free of detritus.

And summer is the perfect time to clear the clutter. The end of the school year marks a natural turning point for most of us, even if we’re long past having school age children. Perhaps it’s just habit or maybe it’s that many seasonal subscriptions end at the same time, but the approach of summer brings with it an inclination to weed through the past year’s junk and unload what’s no longer needed.

Toss the half-dead plants and plant new. Throw out the stacks of magazines you haven’t read in years. Take a fresh look at the mountain of pillows on the sofa and pare back.

Your summer rooms need space to breathe.

Add Summer Color

If spring is the time to bring in soft pastels, summer ramps it up a notch with vibrant color. Take a cue from your garden where even the flowers display more saturated hues.

In my living room this year I’ve accented the neutral cream base with rich fuchsia, berry and coral.

You can do the same in your home with the lively palette of your choice, using featherweight throws and cotton or linen pillows, and an abundance of florals representing your color story.

Add vases and ginger jars to punctuate your rooms. Just remember to use a light hand when adding back. You don’t need a lot when working with vivid color.

Lighten Up

As I mentioned above, summer is a great time to lighten up your linens. Change to a pretty lightweight quilt. Use breezy linen or cotton voile drapery panels. Enjoy crisp percale sheets to keep cool. Put away anything heavy to the feel or to your eye.

So what do you do if you have very dark furniture? The key is in the balance. Dark woods look gorgeous next to crisp whites. Lighten up where you can. If you have dark wood furniture, don’t mix it with a range of heavy dark colors. You can get away with one. Not a full palette. Have a navy sofa? It works great with white and one bright color. Have a dark brown leather chair? Toss on a natural linen pillow.

If at all possible, this is the time of year to put away the burgundies and golds. You can bring them back out in all their glory in the fall.

Add Summer Fragrance, Tastes and Sounds

Preparing your home for summer goes beyond the merely visual. If you really want to enjoy all the season has to offer, be sure to please all the senses in your decor.

Use summer scented candles, potpourri, and other room fragrances. Add a bowl of citrus fruit for a pop of color. Open the windows, not only for the breeze and lovely fresh air, but to allow the sound of birds chirping to filter into your surroundings. And of course music throughout the house is the icing on the cake.

Blur the Lines Between Indoors and Out

Most of us spend summer moving easily between the indoors and out. I can walk through the patio door countless times each day. I like to think of the patio as an extension of our home and I decorate it as if it were another room.

Conversely, in summer it’s wonderful to bring the outdoors in, too. For me, this mostly takes the form of fresh flower bouquets. If you have a cutting garden, how lucky you are! If not, you can usually find grocery store flowers that won’t cost a fortune. Leave room in the budget for this special treat, at least for the summer months.

I promise they will make you smile!

A Few More Ideas

• Hang a grouping of botanical prints
• Use cotton eyelet table linens or curtains
• Try throw pillows in homespun fabrics like grain sack or ticking
• Place a market basket at the foot of the bed filled with dried lavender
• Use a garden bench in the entryway
• Set the dinner table with colorful outdoor melamine dishes
• Nothing says summer like gingham and stripes
• All rattan, all the time
• Consider displaying a vintage flag
• Above all, keep everything relaxed and casual

If you love summer as much as I do, why not decorate your home to make the most of the season? It can add a bit more joy to everyday living and enhance the experience of a lovely summer day.

Your home should be a place to relax and recharge and these simple summer decorating tips will underscore the little pleasures found at home.

Why should fall and holiday have all the fun?