SUMMER HOME TOUR

Hello, Summer! I am so excited that you’re finally here, even though you totally bullied spring out of the way after only a week ;-). But that’s okay, I forgive you, because now that you’re here, I can get on with decorating my home with a fresh and bright look appropriate for this sunny time of year.

And I’m excited that you‘re here, too my friend. Today’s post is part of our monthly blogger’s hop, and we’re all featuring our summer home tours. We’re happy to welcome a few new and favorite bloggers to our group this month, so this tour should be extra special!

If you’re popping in from Joan at 2 Ladies & A Chair, then welcome! Isn’t Joan’s home so gorgeous – I always love her special seasonal touches. And if you found your way here all on your own, I hope you check out the rest of the talented and friendly bloggers in this group. I’m sure you’re going to love them all! (You can check out the full schedule of bloggers at the end of this post.)

Soooo, since it felt like we really had to earn summer this year by slogging through about 30 feet of snow this winter, and a chilly, wet spring, I really wanted to play up the quintessential symbols of summer -water, sand, and sunshine.

To achieve that sunny, beachy, bright summer feel, I concentrated on using lots of texture and wood pieces to bring to mind sand and the outdoors, bright blue colors reminiscent of water, blue skies, and beachy vacations, and lots and lots of white background for an airy summer-y look. Oh, and I threw in a few pops of yellow to make things extra vibrant!

So with that introduction, come on inside, and I’ll show you the few simple changes that went into creating a home that celebrates summer!

(And just in case you want to copy the look of any of these spots in my summer home, I’ve included some affiliate links to help you out.)

Entryway

When you come in my front door, you’re greeted by my white slipcovered settee very simply dressed with a crisp blue and white pillow. Part of my summer feel revolves around streamlining – removing clutter, and using decorative pieces sparingly. Hence the simple table top in my entry boasts just an antler shed that my dog Ghost found on our walk, and a plant. The stripped down table brings in some earthy texture.

I love how the airy feel in the entry establishes that summer vibe. Now let’s see how I brought that feel into the living room, kitchen, and dining areas.

Living Room

Here’s an overall view of my living room after coming in through the front door. White slipcovers help with the bright, airy summer feel in here as well. If you don’t have white or light colored furniture, all is not lost! Try adding light and bright pillows and even some light airy throws in your living room. White picture frames and some white accessories will help, too.

You’ll notice that I tossed a white throw into the basket by the chair. You could do that too, to bring in some more white, bright touches to your home.

The addition of some crisp blue and white pillows anchor the look, and I threw in a few little burst of yellow for summer-time freshness. (Can you spot the pillow that got turned backwards?? Yeah – just pretend that one’s navy blue, too – because it is when it’s turned the right way 🙂

There we go!

It’s hard to tell from photos, but the blue pillow on the right actually has netting on the top of it – isn’t that cool?! I love the subtle nod to water and the beach that it adds. I picked up the net pillow at Home Goods.

And don’t you think the jute rug looks a lot like a sandy beach? Maybe it’s because I’m on my way to Hawaii as I write this, but I’m getting summer beachy vibes here, and I love it!

It’s no secret that I love adding pops of yellow to a room. And somehow it feels especially appropriate in the summer. These lemons not only look pretty and feel summery, but they add a subtle, fresh aroma as well.

It would be easy for you to do the same in your home. Find a fun summer-y bowl, and pop in some fresh lemons. If you can add a few yellow touches around the room, it’ll help cement that bright, fresh feeling.

The dark blue lumbar pillow comes from Under the Canopy and is part of their Shibori Chic Collection. You can see more of their sustainable, organic, and super comfy linens in my master bedroom refresh from a month or so ago.

You can see that I have a few more pillows from Under the Canopy helping out with the summer vibe – this time it’s their tie-dye pillows.

A vintage blue fan and an open copper bowl of lemons (and of course some cute kiddos) are all it takes to bring summer to the coffee table.

I’d suggest shopping your own home for pieces you might have that you can decorate your coffee table with to give it a bright, breezy vibe – books, bowls, some fresh fruit – it won’t take much, if you’re going for a pared down look for summer.

Dining Area

Let’s move on to the kitchen and dining area. In this area, I added a few more touches of that pretty blue, combined with lemon yellow accents.

The blue water glasses came from the dollar store – yep $4 for 4 glasses! Can’t beat that price. Go check out your local dollar store and see what kind of bargain dishware you can find to help amp up your summer-time look.

The embroidered placemats came from Home Goods – I love their fresh boho feel.

A few lemons for that bit of sunshine, and some yellow napkins are all that’s needed to set a simple and sunny summer table.

Gather up your blue and white dinnerware (and check out the dollar store), and you’ll be able to set a fresh and pretty summer table too.

These blooms are so pretty – they’re bridal wreath spirea, and I caught them just as they were about done blooming. But their green stems are so pretty that I couldn’t pass them up.

More of that fresh blue and white palette.

Simple, easy, and pretty!

Kitchen

The kitchen gets its summer on with just a blue lacquered tray (also from Home Goods), some wildflowers in a white pitcher, and some lemon yellow accents.

There you have it, friends! I hope you picked up a few ideas for summar-izing your home. Just remember – clear out the clutter (it’ll make things feel more airy), and then go for a few bright, light touches, and you’ll be feeling the summer love!

Now it’s time for you to hop on over to visit Tamara at Citrine Living. Tamara is sure to wow you with her gorgeous, sophisticated home.

Please be sure to visit all of my friends on today’s tour – you’ll be richly rewarded with great summer decorating ideas!

Janine at Happy Happy Nester
Kim and Lacey at Styled with Lace
Amy at Crazy Chic Design
Joan at 2 Ladies & A Chair
Lindsay Hill Interiors (that’s me!)
Tamara at Citrine Living
Liz at Home and Fabulous
Loi at Tone on Tone
Sheila at Maison de Cinq
Julie and Jodie at The Design Twins
Gloribell at I Don’t Know How She Does It
Amie at Meme Hill
Laila at Designs by Laila