Summer is here! Ready for some summer styling tips? Check out these 6 easy ways to transform your home with budget-friendly summer home decor!  Keep reading for some super simple and easy decorating tips!

Summer break is HERE and We. Are. So. Excited!  That means it is also time to work on transforming our home into our own little “summer vacation house”!  I am excited to share some budget-friendly summer home decor ideas with you today.  Seasonal decorating is so fun but it doesn’t need to break the bank!  

One of the huge blessings of being a teacher is getting to really enjoy the summer months with my own kiddos.  It is not lost on me that the years are FLYING by.  The amount of summers that I have left with our oldest at home are quickly shrinking.  It makes me more determined than ever to carve out special moments and those begin right at home.

While we have some amazing memories of summer vacations and trips, I want to beef up our memory deposit bank of special moments at home.  Over the past few years, I decided to work a little harder to help our home have that “summer vacation” vibe.

I’m excited to share these budget-friendly summer home decorating tips with you too!

How can I decorate my house for summer?

Whether you’ve started transitioning to summer décor already or are waiting until the holiday weekend, I hope these ideas help you prepare to create a summer vacation home feeling…right at HOME!

For myself, I know I can really be guilty of doing project after project, job after job.  It seems as though I’m always waiting for my “vacation moments” to be off in another place.  The reality is that while home certainly has its busy times and requires consistent and diligent work to maintain, it is also supposed to be a place of refuge.  A place to rest.

Maybe it’s just our family, but I imagine we aren’t alone.  Especially after this crazy year.  We need some time to rest at home with our little family!

Since school is almost out, I set to work, trying to create a “summer vacation home” vibe in our own house! 

Here are a few ideas to help you get started doing the same:

How do I style my house in the summer?

Here are a few rules of thumb you can fall back on for budget-friendly summer home decorating:

1. Simple is the name of the summer decor game!
2. Lighten up layers.
3. Incorporate varied textures.
4. Use color in intentional ways.
5. Decorate with function in mind.
6. Incorporate plants and greenery.
7. Enjoy some coastal accents.
8. Lighten decor with glass accessories.

How to Create Budget-Friendly Summer Home Decor in 6 Simple Ways

Budget-Friendly Summer Home Decor #1: Add Texture

You may have already started this process through the spring.  However, summer is the perfect time to continue lightening up those textures around your home!  Removing some layers doesn’t have to cost you dime, either!

Here are a few ideas:

• Replace chunky knit blankets with light, gauzy ones.  I purchased this one for an inexpensive touch of summer.
• Replace thick throw pillow covers with light colored, light-weight options, such as linen.  I love THIS budget-friendly one for a summer statement on the sofa!  Plus, you can’t beat under $14 for a pair of great quality throw pillow covers.
• Add beach-friendly textures, such as woven baskets and jute rugs.

It is amazing how a cute beach hat thrown over the corner of a chair or a fun woven market basket on a hook can add just that perfect summer vibe to a space.

Remember, simple is the name of the summer game!  One of the fun things about summer décor is that little touches here and there are all it takes.

(Rest up for the fall and Christmas seasons, where it is a full-on décor explosion!!!)

Budget-Friendly Summer Home Decor #2: Use Color

As with any décor, color is an area where you can just make the décor your own!  If you like lots of color, spring and summer are perfect opportunities to sprinkle it everywhere!  If you are more like me and enjoy a more neutral color palette, summer is a fun chance to add subtle touches of color.

With the “summer vacation home” thought in mind, subtle touches of blue and green can take you away to those beach or lakeside moments! 

Here are a few ways I add color into my summer décor:

Throw pillows with a hint of color.

Throw pillows are a great chance to play around with décor.  They don’t have to cost a lot, the covers are easy to store from season to season, and they can easily make a big statement in any room!  You can find some pillows with great touches of summer color HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Add art with hints of summer color.

I enjoy collecting inexpensive, vintage art pieces from flea markets and vintage shops to add to my seasonal décor.  It is a great way to get a curated look and small art pieces are easy to wrap up and store in the off-season!

I look for these at thrift stores, as well as antique malls.  You can often find some smaller pieces for great deals!

Tuck them into a gallery wall or lean against a book stack on a shelf for a collected, thoughtful touch.

THIS CURATED SET of gallery wall art is absolutely gorgeous.  It is under $16 for the set and looks like real paintings.  Plus, I love the vintage-inspiration they have.  I love mine and can’t recommend them enough to you too!

Incorporate color with light-weight throw blankets.

I mentioned this under the texture category as well, but throw blankets are another budget-friendly way to add a little color to your summer décor.  In addition to the one I purchased, you can find some other great options HERE and HERE.

Tossed over a chair or cascading out of a basket, light-weight throw blankets offer the idea and feeling that you can curl up with a glass of sweet tea and a good book.  You can even relax during those long summer evenings with a favorite movie!

Budget-Friendly Summer Home Decor #3: Tuck in coastal accessories.

Living in Florida, a little coastal flair is an obvious choice for summer décor.  We do have fun with our beach-vibes around our home!  The term “coastal décor” can get interesting really fast, with lots of souvenir-style items.  I prefer to add some coastal touches through natural elements like coral, shells, sponges, and sea fans.

Since we live on the East Coast, it is very unusual to find bigger shells and that type of thing right on the beach.  All of my big pieces are ones that I have purchased from the local seashell shop or from antique stores!  Coral can be very expensive.  However, adding a few pieces to your summer collection can go a long way in bringing those summer vacation home vibes right into your home!

There are also gorgeous faux options that I also own and highly recommend:

• Coral branch sculpture, great size for a shelf or mantel
• Beautiful coral flower
• Small coral flower, under $17!
• Coral reef statue

I also look for creative ways to style coastal elements, in keeping with the vintage look of our home.  Adding a piece of coral to a mortar and pestle or tucking a sea fan in a planter makes an instantaneous summer look.  It is worth every penny for a gorgeous statement piece!

I shared some summer styling ideas over on THIS POST.  There are some fun and easy ways to incorporate a few of those objects into your existing vignettes.

You are looking for pieces made of natural elements that you can easily add into your existing décor.  At the same time, focus on styling very simply with your favorite vintage collections!

Where to find accents made of natural elements:

If you do not live near a coastal area, there are great options for purchasing natural, coastal elements online too!  You can fill a bowl with starfish from HERE .  You can also find some specimen coral pieces HERE.

Budget-Friendly Summer Home Decor #4: Add Greenery

Admittedly, this is a super easy one for me, but it may not be quite as natural or easy for you!  Our property is lined with areca palms, so I often cut fresh branches and bring them inside.  There is nothing like fresh palm branches to add a summer vacation home vibe to the dining room or kitchen island!

However, if you don’t have free and fresh branches available, you will LOVE this tip!  These faux palm branches look incredibly realistic.  Plus, they are only $9.99 for a set of 8!  Talk about budget-friendly decor, right?!

You may be able to find small palm-style plants at a greenhouse or landscape place.  A fresh palm set in a pretty basket or bucket will make a perfect centerpiece to enjoy all summer long!

I especially love the vintage, European pickling jars for summer.  The tint of blue/green gives an ever-so-subtle nod to beach glass and just a perfect hint of color!  They make the perfect vases for summer greenery or flowers…or look beautiful all on their own!

If you can’t locate the vintage European pickling jars, THESE vases have a very similar look and coloring.  They are gorgeous!

Budget-Friendly Summer Home Decor #5: Colored Glass

Speaking of pickling jars, glass is another favorite element for summer décor!  I like to use glass décor all year long.  However, especially in the summertime, I pull out my vintage soda bottles, cloches, glass pitchers, and vintage jars for budget-friendly summer home decorating.

Summer is a time when I tend to remove most (not all) of my brass and stick with glass items that have a lighter, more airy feel in a room.

Budget-Friendly Summer Home Decor #6: Decorate with Function in Mind

This element will vary greatly depending on your location and lifestyle.  Living in Florida, there are many summer days that it is literally too hot for the kids to play outdoors…or for this mom to sit out there and supervise them.  As a result, we are constantly at the beach or in the pool.

I will add pool towels to the dining buffet (because it is right inside the door from the pool!), along with baskets of sunscreen, sunglasses, and bug spray.  On days when we will be at home and in the pool most of the day, I’ll add a basket of snacks.

Sidenote: I absolutely LOVE summer laundry.  Beach towels and swimwear for days on end!  You can find our favorite, inexpensive pool towels HERE.

Whatever it is that your family does to relax in the summer, keep it close by.  Make it easy for everyone to access.  Try to store or display items in a spot that is readily available!  You can even incorporate vintage into this storage/organization with vintage picnic baskets, buckets, woven baskets, or crates!

Now you are ready to enjoy your summer home!

No matter your season or stage of life, I hope you find some time this summer to unwind and slow down.  It’s time to enjoy making your own home a restful, vacation retreat!

Blessings,

Robyn

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