Summer is right around the corner, which means long summer nights, backyard barbecues with friends and family (of course we will follow social distancing guidelines 😉) and relaxed living. We have been refreshing our homes for summer and would like to share some simple summer home decorating ideas on a budget. In fact we will share ideas that can update your living room without spending any money. Now doesn’t that sound good?!
This year I have been drawn to white home decorating ideas for summer, with white flowers and white textiles, like linen and cotton.
A few weeks ago I shared how to decorate a small front porch for summer. The beautiful white hydrangeas were the inspiration for my front porch and have inspired my home decorating ideas as well. Come on in and enjoy my version of a white summer.
Let’s take a look at my living room before I began refreshing my room for summer. For spring, I had brought in yellow accents with flowers and pillow covers. After a long winter, I needed a sunny yellow to brighten my home.
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I’d like to share 9 home decorating ideas that require little or no money to update your living room for summer.
1- Rotate or Refresh Pillows
Update pillows in your living room by swapping some from another room. I love pillow covers. I have a bin of them in my basement. It’s a quick and easy way to update any space.
I picked up these linen-like, hemstitched pillow covers from Hobby Lobby for $1.99 each. Yes you read right! They were on clearance! 🙌🏻 I could not pass up a deal like that.
The black and white geometric designed pillow I made from an old stained linen tablecloth. The complete tutorial will be available next week.
2- Add a Summer Throw Blanket
This black and white throw I picked up at a vintage market last year. It was love at first sight.
When looking for a summer throw blanket, think of light summer fabrics like linen or cotton. In fact, you could easily make your own linen throw blanket with a couple yards of fabric and just fray the edges.
3- Add plants or greenery
I love adding elements of greenery throughout my home, especially in the summer. It provides so much visual interest and texture. They just make a room come to life. Adding plants to your decor can be one of your best decorating tools.
4- Style with a tray
Using a tray is one of my favorite ways to style my coffee table. It’s the perfect way to create a beautifully styled vignette, because it contains your items, and grounds them. When styling a tray, place items of varying heights. I also try to include something natural, like a plant, fresh flowers or greenery.
We created this fun little tray from a thrifted cutting board and half wooden beads, then added candle cups for the legs.
5- Add a Textured Rug
For my family room, I have had a blue, vintage looking rug. While I love this rug, it’s fun to change things up a bit. I decided to bring in the rug from my living room. It is a textural sisal rug.
A sisal rug adds texture and visual interest. To me it speaks summer. It reminds me of a sandy beach, or as Steve would say, “dirt.” Sandy beach sounds so much better than dirt.
6- Try Adding Rattan or Wicker Elements
Rattan and wicker are natural elements that speak summer to me as well. As I thought about how I could add this element into my room, I decided to bring in a couple of my patio chairs.
Now this may be a little unconventional, but it’s another way to add additional texture and visual interest into your room.
I will tell you that when my hubby walked into the room, I got THAT LOOK! You know the one, “what in the world are you doing?” He said, “I don’t care what it looks like I just want to sit in a comfortable chair.”
But why not experiment, rearrange things and try something new. This doesn’t cost anything and you may like the change.
7- Add Meaningful Art
Changing or swapping out your art for summer is another way to refresh your home decor. Print a favorite photo from a memorable vacation. There are many low cost online options for printing your favorite photographs. I love to have mine printed on canvas, which gives the appearance of a painting.
Another great option for wall art is a free printable. There are many options online. Last week we offered 3 fun printables for summer. You can find them here.
8- Refresh the Lighting
How about swapping lamps from another room. It’s a quick and easy way to freshen things up.
I like to hang onto items like lamps and decor accessories I’m not currently using. These lamps had not been used for at least 5 years.
I brought them up from the basement, cleaned and freshened them up by adding some jute around the lamp base.
9- Display Mementos with Meaning
Do you love to bring mementos home from your vacations. Why not display a collection of seashells or even a bottle filled with sand from a favorite vacation.
I’ve displayed in my dough bowl a collection of coral I found while beach combing in Hawaii and St. Thomas. Just looking at it brings back a flood of wonderful memories.
We hope you enjoyed our Home Decorating Ideas on a Budget for Summer. Have you found some ideas you’d like to incorporate into your own home? Do you have other ideas for creating that summer vibe? We would love to hear from you, please comment below. We are always looking for more creative and inexpensive ways to bring our home to the sunny side of the street.
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Hi Steph and Michelle! It’s nice to see that you have given us various ideas from a single room. That makes it even more practical to implement! We have postponed our redecorating ideas for next year. The pandemic has taken its toll on our resources of income. So, I guess we will have to wait.