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5 DIY Ways to Make Cozy Summer Bedroom Decor with Seashells

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Summer is almost here and a breezy, coastal style for your summer bedroom decor with seashells will turn your space into the perfect stay-cation retreat.  Check out these 5 tips for creating easy, DIY summer bedroom decor ideas that are restful, cozy, and fresh…yet light for the warm season!

The words “cozy” and “summer” just don’t sound like they go together.  Am I the only one?  I’ll be honest, there is nothing cozy about 92 degrees and 100% humidity here in South Florida. ????  However, if you aren’t using some easy summer bedroom decor with seashells to turn your space into a coastal oasis, you may be missing out!

Since I am a teacher and a mom, I really treasure the summer months with my family.  While it would be luxurious to be “vacationing” all summer, that isn’t reality.  However, using coastal home decor and summer bedroom decor with seashells is my favorite way to give my space the breezy, cozy feeling of a summer beach cottage.  It is the perfect way to enjoy the extra time at home during this time of year and especially the long evenings to snuggle down with a good movie or book!

By using summer bedroom decor with seashells, I’ve found that “cozy” and “summer” can actually work beautifully together!  Here are 5 things I am doing to make my summer bedroom feel cozy in all the right ways during these warm…okay, HOT…months!

When should I start decorating for summer?

As for any season or holiday, I always say the best time to decorate is whenever YOU want to!  Even though summer doesn’t officially begin until mid-June, the “summer season” for us begins the second the last school bell rings on the last day of school in May!!!  

(To be totally honest, the feeling of the summer season starts a week or two earlier than that.  Haha!  As a teacher, I join my own kids with just hanging in there until the last day when we can officially proclaim the start of summer!)

Since we follow the school cycle so closely for our “seasons”, I always start decorating for summer around mid-May.  Many people like to add some patriotic decor for Memorial Day and may choose to transition their home decor from spring to summer around the middle of May also.

Even if you choose to wait until June to add touches of summer to your decor, you may enjoy starting to slowly transition some decorative elements from spring to summer throughout the month of May.

How can I make my bedroom look beachy?

Using summer bedroom decor with seashells is a great way to create the feeling of the beach right at home…and without the mess of the sand!  Ha!  However, the best way to give your summer bedroom that perfect feeling of beach vacations past is to bring in beautiful decorations with the color, texture, and natural elements of the beach rather than overly thematic home decor.

Whether you are decorating a summer bedroom, living room, dining room, or any part of your living space for this unique time of the year, incorporating ocean finds that remind you of special memories is an excellent way to give your room coastal style.  At the same time, use of color, texture, and natural elements will go a long way in creating the perfect beach cottage oasis to enjoy for the summer!

Here are 5 simple steps to create the perfect summer bedroom decor with seashells:

  1. Lighten the layers in your decor and your bedding.
  2. Incorporate coastal style colors with simple accents.
  3. Add woven textures into your bedroom furniture and accessories.
  4. Use shells in a curated style.
  5. Give simple florals a small moment!

5 DIY Ways to Make Cozy Summer Bedroom Decor with Seashells

1. Incorporate Coastal Colors for Summer Bedroom Decor with Seashells

Where to start when redecorating a bedroom?

Bedding is the number one thing to help make your space ready for the season.  The color, pattern, and texture of the bedding you choose will set the tone for the entire space!  

Even though I want my bedroom to have a coastal style, I opted to bring the feeling of the sea with less thematic bedding.  Instead, I added seashell decor in other thoughtful ways throughout the room.

What are the colors of coastal style?

For a casual, coastal style in a bedroom, you may consider focusing on light layers of bedding in different colors such as sandy neutrals, whites and creams, soft blues and grays, and shades of sea glass green.  

When you use a combination of these colors in light-weight fabrics such as linen and gauzy cotton, you will see an instant look of the coastal cottage style come start to come together in a beautiful way.

2. Use Light Bedding for Summer Bedroom Decor with Seashells

The next thing that I always do in my bedroom for the warmer summer months is to lighten the weight of the fabric.  For example, instead of my thick fur throw at the foot of the bed, I swap it out for my favorite light-weight gauzy blanket.  It’s perfect for a cozy layer when you want it without being too hot!

I have several layers that I absolutely love for my summer bedding, yet it is all light, refreshing, soft, and just feels good.

Here are some of my favorite elements that I have used over the years for my summer bedding:

  • Linen is my favorite fabric for summer and these sheets feel amazing.  Honestly, I’ve had more expensive linen sheets before, but I actually love THESE just as much.
  • Next, I layer THIS QUILT.  While I don’t always need a quilt in Florida, we do keep our air conditioning going non-stop and at nighttime, I find that this weight of quilt is just perfect.  I often use this quilt for other seasons as well, layered under a heavier duvet.
  • I keep THIS gauzy blanket and shams on my bed.  If it is a little cooler, I add this blanket to the mix.  Otherwise, it just looks pretty across the foot of my bed.  It is soooo soft and I love how perfectly the color and simple pattern mix with my quilt.  The shams add an unexpected touch and it all blends together beautifully.  This bedding made it into the Country Sampler Farmhouse Magazine for the summer 2022 issue, so that was really fun!
  • Across the foot of my bed, I sometimes keep this cream comforter.  I love how it lightens everything up, breaks up the patterns, and adds texture with the fringe too!  I’ve had mine for a few years and it’s no longer available.  However, THIS is very similar and would be perfect with the other pieces!
  • This year, I added my favorite, soft tan and white gingham duvet cover.  I use this during other seasons, also, and love how it pairs so perfectly with different patterns and colors while adding the perfect cottage decor style touch to my bedroom decor.

3. Add Woven Texture for Summer Bedroom Decor with Seashells

When I think of summer decor, woven textures are one of the first things I think of.  Simple touches, like a basket of faux greenery stems or a cute straw hat (love that this one is rollable and foldable for the beach!), are perfect ways to give the summer vibe without adding too much “extra”.  

I love to keep things simple, light, and bright for summer!  I also keep a vintage French basket at the foot of my bed with extra blankets (really more for looks, since we won’t need all those layers in the summer!)

Pro Tip: For a creative way to add great woven texture on a budget, go thrifting for a variety of straw hats.  Then, use little wooden push pins or command hooks to create a hat wall!  My hat wall is one of my favorite things to do for spring or summer decor.  It’s also a fun way to fill a big wall without spending a lot of money!

Here are some other beautiful woven textures you can add to summer bedroom decor with seashells:

4. Use Coastal Accents for Summer Bedroom Decor with Seashells

So far, I’ve told you all of the ways to bring coastal style into your summer bedroom decor WITHOUT specifically using sea shells.  While you can definitely get the casual, breezy coastal style with color, pattern, and texture, there are a lot of great ideas to bring in a variety of shells to add to your decor.  

You don’t have to go all out with coastal accessories to have the slightest hint of the beach.  And what’s better than falling asleep or relaxing in the evening in a space that feels like it could be in a beach cottage?!

The only coastal element I added in this space last summer was this large coral piece.  My husband bought it at an antique mall and surprised me with at at Mother’s Day!  While this large coral is really large, you don’t have to having something huge.  Even a pretty conch shell resting on a stack of books or a shell planter, like this one that I thrifted, with a pretty plant will give you that hint of a coastal, beach house feeling!

Whether it is a large shell resting atop a stack of books on a night stand or a seashell wall art or a DIY project light fixture using beautiful beach finds, a hot glue gun, and a thrifted chandelier, you can add your own shells to make your summer bedroom decor WITH seashells feel like a relaxing coastal retreat.

Here are a few ways to add accents for summer bedroom decor with seashells:

5. Add Flowers to Summer Bedroom Decor with Seashells

Decorative small items create the important details for a cozy room.  When you want to create summer bedroom decor with seashells, some simple floral touches are the perfect accents. While brightly colored blooms are wonderful in the spring, I like to transition my floral arrangements to soft neutrals, white, and cream colors for the summer months.  

A small vase on a nightstand or a pretty arrangement on the bedroom dresser are beautiful accents for summer bedroom decor with seashells.  You may also include flowers by adding floral patterns on your bedding or a simple floral accent throw pillow.  

In addition to flowers, plants are a great way to bring life into summer decor.  I love using freshly cut areca palm branches from my yard in a tall vase on my nightstand!  If you don’t have fresh palm branches in your yard, add THESE realistic faux palm branches instead!  These palm branches are so realistic that I’ve even mixed them with real ones before!

If you are needing decorative accents for your summer decor with seashells, another easy way is to consider a pretty vase that adds some coastal style.  Then, once a week, fill it with inexpensive grocery store flowers or realistic faux flowers.  Even better, cut a branch or some pretty greens from your own yard for free decor!

I especially love THIS vase for summer and have been using it a lot.  For a smaller scale, I’ve also been using THIS one too!

If you want the convenience of faux stems that have a beautiful look, try THESE!  Tulips are also one of my favorites and I use these realistic tulips all the time!  My other favorite for the summer months are THESE super realistic, beautiful hydrangeas and THIS bouquet of peonies.  They are also so realistic and add the perfect floral touch for coastal home decor.

Other Accents to Use for Summer Bedroom Decor with Seashells

Happy Summer Decorating!

The summer months are almost here and it’s the perfect time to set aside some relaxing time to create your coastal style retreat with summer bedroom decor with seashells and other beach finds and accents!  

As you are styling your summer bedroom decor with seashells, remember that less is more and simple, small coastal touches go a long way in creating your personal oasis.

You can browse more of my favorite coastal accents, carefully curated HERE on my storefront!

I hope this gives you some ideas to both keep cool and cozy in your own bedroom haven this summer!  Most of all, I hope you enjoy every moment of summer with lots of special memories and family time!

You may also enjoy these home decorating posts to help you transition from spring to summer decor:

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