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 texture and beauty to our homes! And they are also great places to stash and stow things away.

Look for light-colored baskets to help lighten up your summery decor!

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 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

SUMMERY FLOWERS AND PLANTS

Flowers abound in the summer! And so do herbs! 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.

Favorite Faux Plants

And Favorite Indoor Planters

Favorite Faux Plants And Individual Faux Blooms

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BEAUTIFUL SUMMER PILLOWS

Pillows are the jewelry of the decor world! And changing up your pillow to lighter and more summery pillows 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…

buy square and lumbar pillows in pairs- there are so many times we use pairs to decorate- see How To Choose Pillows For Your Home
lumbar pillows look so nice on chairs
put the short side of a long lumbar down in a decorative basket with some decorative throws for a pretty effect
try the classic 5 pillow arrangement on your sofa with summer-inspired pillows, it’s a classic
learn how to arrange pillows on a section for summer- see How To Arrange Pillows On A Sectional
use pillows on the beds in your home- see Bed Pillow Arrangements You Will Love
add a pop of summer color with pillows
use indoor/outdoor pillow inside
make your own pillows- see How To Make A Hot Glue Pillow
look for summery reversible pillows- you get two pillows in one
use pillows on your porch and patio
see No-Fail Tips For Decorating With Pillows
work on building a summer pillow collection with your color palette in mind- see How To Build A Pretty Pillow Collection

Favorite Neutral Summer Pillows

Favorite Different Color Pillows

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 and 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 lantern for easy summer lighting

Favorite Lanterns

SUMMER DINNERWARE AND MORE

Do you make the most of long summer evening 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 that them

Favorite Outdoor Tableware

FRONT PORCH DETAIL

A front porch is a perfect place to rock away 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! No matter how big or small or anywhere in between our patio extends the square footage of our home by giving us more living space.