How to Decorate Your Home for Summer

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By PajamaMommy
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A summer centerpiece for your table.

Summer is the time for lightening up – our schedules, our diets, our wardrobes and our homes’ décor. With some simple changes, a home can go from winter warm and cozy to summer light, airy and lovely.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Change your window dressings. A good place to begin lightening up your décor for summer is with the window treatments. Switching out heavier, dark draperies or curtains for light, sheer panels will both give an airy feel to a room, and help let in the wonderful outdoor natural light of the summer season. This is not only appealing to the eye, but also to your energy bill as it allows for less use of electrical lighting appliances. Valances with a summer print or in a bright color are another option.
Step 2

Replace the bedding. Bedding fabrics can also be lightened up for summer. Trading a heavy comforter for a lightweight quilt or duvet cover in a summer color can brighten up the look and the feel of a bedroom.
Step 3

Add summer touches to your bathroom. A sunny colored shower curtain and towels can turn a bathroom into a summer retreat. Actually, the bathroom is a fun place to go completely summery for little expense. A seashell, beach or flower theme can be done from the shower curtain and hooks to every accessory such as the soap dispenser, toilet paper holder and garbage pail. Several varieties of summer themed bathroom décor can be found in department, home goods and chain retail stores.
Step 4

Create a summer feel in the kitchen. In the kitchen and dining rooms, nothing says summer like a big bowl of summer fruits or a centerpiece containing lemons or oranges. In craft stores, you can purchase fake ones that will never spoil or just use the real ones and replace them as you make fresh squeezed juices to fill in the big summer styled pitcher that sits atop your counter. Some sun catchers or summer themed wind chimes in the kitchen windows add another summery element. In these rooms, just as with window treatments, lightening up fabrics such as tablecloths, place mats and napkins works for this warm season. Even the addition of table settings with yellow or summer patterned tableware can brighten up and summerize these rooms.
Step 5

Add little accessories and elements all around the home. Think tea light candles flanked by seashells or sunshine shaped pieces. It’s best to use flameless candles since they don’t give off any heat and can be placed in any container, such as a wooden birdhouse. Paper lanterns are another battery operated, energy efficient way to add lighting that is airy and cool. Shopping in the garden store can yield items that work well for your garden and patio, and can also be used to bring some of the outdoors inside.