Beautiful Summer Accent Decor Every Home Needs

Is your home summer ready? Here are the prettiest summer accents, details, and home decor to help you decorate your home this season!

It’s all about the details, my friend! And accent decor is a celebration of beautiful details in our home. Now that summer is here (well, almost) let’s chat about the best way to lighten up and decorate with our favorite summer accent decor. Here are my picks for the best summer accent decor this season.

Let’s start with baskets. They are so functional and add so much beauty to a home, inside and out!

BASKETS

Baskets add rustic natural charm and beauty to our homes and are some of my favorite summer accent decor! There is an organic elegance about them that gets noticed in a room.

Whether you use a basket to hold pillows and throw blankets or to stash and stow things away, baskets are versatile ways to decorate your home this summer.

Here are a few ways to use baskets in your home this summer…

  • put a small basket by your front door for little ones to put their shoes in
  • hang a large basket near your door that has your bathings suit, towel, and sunscreen
  • use a lidded basket to stash cleaning supplies
  • store bug repellent and other sprays in a basket near your back door
  • put garden tools in a basket to carry out to the garden
  • fill a picnic basket with goodies to take with you wherever you go
  • put a plant or tree in a pretty summery basket
  • use a basket to put summer weight throws in
  • grab a basket to put all your plastic dinnerwear or paper plates etc in
  • stash all those summer reads in a pretty basket
  • carry food to a get-together in a pretty basket tied with a colorful dishtowel

My Favorite Basket Finds This Summer

1-wicker storage basket/tote, 2-natural water hyacinth boat-shaped basket, 3-water hyacinth set of 3 seagrass baskets 4-set of two seagrass and paper rope baskets, 5-hearth and hand storage basket, 6-white coil rope basket, 7-rivergrass storage basket, 8-seagrass woven handled baskets, 9-French basket, 10-indoor/outdoor storage basket, 11- set of 2 seagrass tote,

SUMMERY FLOWERS AND PLANTS

Flowers abound in the summer! And so do herbs! Adding them to your summer decor will bring the beauty of the outdoors inside and add color, texture, and lovely aromas.

Use the real thing or their faux cousins! Just use them and make them a part of your summer decor.

Here are some pretty ideas for enjoying summer flowers in your home.

  • buy a perennial flowering plant and bring it in and plant it in a pretty container- it lasts a long time and when it is spent you can plant it out in the garden and it will bloom year after year
  • cut garden flowers and put them together in the prettiest ceramic or glass vase
  • don’t forget to cut leaves and little bits of green-they look so pretty in a tiny vase
  • place pots of herbs in pretty pottery containers that work with your decor and line them up in a sunny spot- they will last for a long time
  • if you buy grocery store flowers add leaves from your garden to bulk up the arrangement a bit
  • collect small glass jars and bottles and add flowers to them to make a pretty, simple arrangement
  • don’t forget to use realistic-looking summer faux flowers and plants in your summer home

You can see the urn in the image above HERE.

Summer Blooms And Plants For Your Home

1- 5 head peony bunch, 2- real touch cream peonies, 3- green real touch hydrangea, 4- real touch sunflower, 5- lifelike white hydrangeas, 6- faux potted fiddle leaf trees, 7- faux pink geranium, 8- fern and bonsai ball, 9- small fern in cement pot, 10- silk peonies, 11- white cosmos, 12- faux saw fern in terracotta pot

BEAUTIFUL SUMMER PILLOWS

As the summer season approaches, it’s time to start thinking about how to update our home decor to reflect the warm and sunny weather. One easy and affordable way to do this is by incorporating summer pillows into our interior design.

Throw pillows are the jewelry of the decor world! And changing up your pillow to lighter and more summery fabrics this time of year is so smart!

Nothing can change the look of a room like beautiful pillows that work with your decor!

Here are some ideas for using summery pillows…

Favorite Summer Pillows

1- , 2- Madison Floral,

LIGHT DECORATIVE THROWS

Summer nights can get a little cool, depending on where you live. And air conditioning (thank you God) keeps our homes cool enough to call for a light decorative throw!

Summery decorative throws also add an extra layer of texture, color and softness to a room.

Here are a few ways to use decorative summer throws…

  • drape throws over a sofa or chair or bed for extra summer prettiness
  • fold summer throws neatly and stack them on a shelf or open cabinet
  • roll a few throws and stash them in a basket
  • fold a throw over the side of a chair
  • drape a throw over a bench in a foyer or at the end of a bed
  • a large Turkish towel makes the most wonderful light throw- or wrap it around you like a shaw
  • we keep a stash of throws in a covered basket on our patio. It’s amazing how often in the summer they are called into service to cover someone’s legs or shoulders.

Favorite Decorative Throws

TRAYS

Summer is a wonderful time to use trays! Especially, since we are spending lots of time outside. They are so great for taking food and dinnerware back and forth from a kitchen to a patio or porch.

Trays work great as centerpieces or to corral vignettes and books and all kinds of things. So make sure you think about using trays as part of your summer home decor.

Here are some ideas for using trays this summer…

  • use trays on a picnic table to corral all dishes and tableware
  • fold summer weight quilts and throws and stack them in a big tray
  • use trays on your porch and patio to group plants
  • decorated tray on the bed of a guest room
  • add a tray to your kitchen counter and set up a drink or snack station
  • a large platter also works as a tray

Favorite Platters That Work Like Trays

Favorite Trays For Summer Days And Nights

LANTERNS

Using summer lanterns adds a pretty glow and ambiance to a summer evening! Use them inside or out! Lanterns are big on Wow and easy to use!

Here are some ideas for using lanterns this summer…

  • use them as a centerpiece on a table
  • tie summer elements to the top of a lantern
  • add them to your walkway or step leading to your home
  • place one near your front door
  • add sand or shell to the base of your lantern and around the candle inside
  • instead of adding a candle to a lantern why not create a firefly look with fairy lights
  • hang lanterns in a tree or on a garden crook
  • sit a lantern on an outside bench or next to a rocking chair
  • put lanterns and candles in your entryway for a warm welcoming glow
  • make a lantern- see Easy Mason Jar Birdseed Lanterns Diy
  • think about using solar lanterns for easy summer lighting

Favorite Lanterns

SUMMER DINNERWARE AND MORE

Do you make the most of long summer evenings and eat outside? We do too!

There are so much beautiful outdoor dinnerware and pretty table linens on the market.

I’ve been slowly collecting melamine and acrylic dinnerware for years and keep adding to my summer outdoor dinnerware!

Here are some ideas for using outdoor tableware this summer…

  • put plates, glasses, and other tableware you will use to set a table in a big basket so you know where to find it when you need it
  • instead of using glass outside try the new generation acrylic goblets, pitchers, and more
  • use acrylic pitchers and drink dispensers outside for a non-breakable option
  • Tie up your utensils in napkins so they are easy to grab when serving buffet style
  • See Favorite Napkin Folds for cut napkin designs here.
  • create a theme when setting a table and party around them

Favorite Outdoor Tableware

FRONT PORCH DETAIL

A front porch is the first summer welcome friends and family will get when they come to your home. Make it a cheery one! They are enjoying your front porch from the time they ring the doorbell until you answer the door! Every front porch deserves to be dressed up for the summer season no matter how large and palatial or small and charming it is.

A front porch is also a perfect place to sit and enjoy those hot summer evenings!

Here are ideas for your summer patio…

  • add a pretty pot of flowers or hang a fern on your porch- porches were meant for flowers and plants
  • and add a rocking chair or two for lazy summer porch sitting
  • if your porch is too small for a rocker, like mine, find a bench or stool to add to your front porch
  • you might like to read 7 Tips For Decorating A Small Front Porch
  • layer a rug under a doormat
  • hang a pretty wreath on your front door
  • you might like to see How To Make A Summer Geranium Wreath
  • or you might like How To Make A Dogwood Wreath
  • use a pretty lantern or two on your porch
  • put an indoor/outdoor pillow on your rocker or bench
  • put tall porch planters on either side of your door
  • add a battery operated candle in a tall lantern to your porch
  • keep your porch and front door clean and tidy

Favorite Summer Porch Accents

PATIO ACCENTS

I think the best place to be in the summer other than the pool is on a shady patio! A patio extends the square footage of a home by giving us more living space and a comfortable place to enjoy being outside.

Here are ideas for your summer patio…

  • spend time keeping your patio tidy and clean
  • hang outdoor shades or shade sails to keep the sun and heat from chasing you indoors.
  • put a bar cart outside to act as a station for drinks and snacks
  • a potting bench is a lovely addition to an outdoor space
  • create an outdoor living room with a sofa, chairs, and a coffee table
  • put an indoor/outdoor rug on the patio to define areas like a dining area and conversation areas
  • a fire pit is an instant people magnet
  • use garden stools on a patio as an extra place to sit or a place to set a drink

Favorite Summer Patio Accents

OTHER SUMMER DECOR I LOVE

Summer should be celebrated inside and outside! Summer decor accents are the key to adding a hint of the season to our homes!

Here are a few more summer ideas for your home…

  • make a “necklace” with twine, shells, or starfish and put them over a lamp or ginger jar or hang them from hooks.
  • hang up a small gallery of plates with flowery motifs that work with your home’s color palette
  • put a plant, real or faux, on a pretty garden stool
  • arrange a trio of pretty lidded containers in summery designs
  • add corral or shells in a bowl on your coffee table
  • think about adding a mirror or two to your home, they will reflect summer light
  • layer light-colored books in your decor
  • add a jute poof to a room
  • use a decorative birdbath in your yard
  • switch out a lamp or two for something light and pretty
  • hang globe or party lights around your outdoor spaces

Other Favorite Summer Accent Decor

Happy summer decorating!

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28 Comments

  1. Lucia Coykendall says:

    Hello, I admire your ceramic lanterns. Can you please tell where you purchased them?

    1. Hi Lucia, these are very popular. I found them at the Pottery barn long ago. I don’t see them on their site anymore. Sorry.

  2. Well this post is a “must pin”. So many great ideas in one post! Happy summer and thank you.

  3. Such helpful hints on changing up for the summer look without having to redecorate. It is almost all we can do to buy gas and groceries at today’s prices.

  4. Kathleen Fowler1213@gmail.com says:

    Have loved seeing Tanglewood transformed! Thank you

  5. I love your ideas on summer decorating. I love to snip flowers from my pots on my deck and bring them in and put in small vases around the house. I usually add some herbs to the vases also. It is great filler and smells great. Just little touches add so much.
    Thank you!

  6. Kimberly Bruns says:

    Love the ideas. I purchased a flower “frog” at an art show that is small but beautifully carved. I pick 3 gerber daisies from my garden and keep on my kitchen table.

    I love the hat rack in your post resources above. Thanks!

  7. Melinda Tyler says:

    Thank you for helping me keep my chin up! God is using you in a mighty way!

  8. Yvonne, you inspire me every season that even the smallest decor changes can breathe new life into my home.

  9. Lynn Burnett says:

    My granddaughter is getting ready to build her first house and I am recommending your blog for decorating tips and ideas.

  10. Pillows, trays, flowers, treats – love all your ideas!

  11. I get bored easily so I try to change out my seasonal decor every few months. I find that pillows and flowers and the easiest way to change the look of a room. I try to use pillow covers instead of actually swapping out the pillows. I have limited space. Love all of your suggestions.

  12. Faux flowers and plants for this home with 3 cats! I always love your selection of pillows, and tray, and baskets!

  13. Even though I have de oration my kitchen for several years with a lemon theme for summer I never tire of it.Next month I will bring a bit of coastal cottage in our family room with lots of blue and green accents and some beachy decor.

  14. Kristi Flournoy says:

    I absolutely love that large wooden beaded mirror.

  15. I love all your summer tips especially using baskets. I am obsessed with baskets, you always have the best ideas.

  16. Love your ideas always incorporate a few in my decorating decisions. Great advice and always so beautiful. Look forward to your posts!! Thank you.

  17. I so appreciate that your ideas are so diverse. Sometimes they can be done with things we already own, and when you show “things to buy”, you give a variety of sources and prices.

  18. So many beautiful ideas for summer decorating. I loved looking at all the links. As always, your home is stunning.

  19. Baskets, flowers and pillows–what else could make our homes so versatile thru the seasons!

  20. I love all of your ideas using color, but I have to say, you do neutrals right! I am a fan!!!

  21. Love your posts on downsizing. We are actually aging in place. Many useful tips for doing that as well.

  22. So many great ideas. Thank you

  23. Renie Sebald says:

    All the ways that you decorate, especially pillows and flowers and glass bottles and lanterns which I have all over my kitchen. Thanks also for new ideas. I always love the colors that you use.