Sunshine State of Mind Summer Home Tour

Welcome to our Sunshine State of Mind summer home tour! Decorating for summer is one of the easiest seasons to decorate for. No one wants a ton of work as the lazy days of summer begin, so I’m sharing my tips to make summer decorating easy and breezy. If you’re coming here from Lantern Lane Design thank-you very much! I’m sure you were inspired, and we’d love it if you would continue on the summer home tour this week (see bottom of post for the list of participants).

Summer décor is all about simplifying, creating a bright sunny atmosphere, and bringing in elements of nature and outdoor activities. You can see how my summer décor differs from my spring decor by viewing the spring tour here.

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Planning

My favourite way to plan seasonal décor is to create a Pinterest board for the season. I usually start pinning a few weeks before I start decorating. For my summer home tour, I have to admit that I started the process only a week ago. I created my Pinterest board one week in advance, drawing from favourites on my existing boards as well as from new content. I decided on the colour scheme right away, choosing pink accents for the front hall and living room, neutrals for the dining room, lemon yellow for the kitchen, and soft blues for the family room and master bedroom. All of these spaces have a neutral white/grey palette, so it’s easy for me to add colourful accents each season.

Simplify

I always start each season by removing the old décor and starting with a blank slate. In particular, I remove dark coloured décor elements and anything reminiscent of winter (fuzzy blankets, faux animal fur rugs), as well as anything that is a remnant from the previous season’s holidays (Easter eggs, Valentine’s signs, etc.). Next, I consult with my Pinterest board and make a list of items I’d like to add to the space. I keep a budget in mind and try to limit large purchases by using things I already have or can make. However, I love to shop and always buy a few new affordable pieces. I make a list of things to retrieve from storage (the basement), things to purchase, and things to DIY.

Elements Unique to Summer

Think about what summer means to you- is it gardening, camping, picnics, or time at the cottage or beach? I try to create a colour palette and theme by considering which elements I’d like to incorporate. For my summer décor, I included elements of gardening in the front hall, living room and dining room. I decided to decorate the kitchen with everything to do with lemons, as my boys always enjoy hosting a lemonade stand for charity in the summer. It’s a fun tradition of ours and brings happiness into our décor. For the family room and master bedroom, I chose soft blues and beiges with elements reminiscent of the beach. Summer is definitely a time to have fun with the décor! Don’t worry about having a single theme or colour palette throughout.

Let’s start this summer home tour at the front door.

Exterior

The inspiration for the exterior décor was a pink wreath I created. From there, I decided to be ultra simple this year and purchased only 3 plants for the front of the house. For the front urn, I filled it with a simple pot of white and blush begonias. I love vintage urns like this one, which can be found at yard sales and thrift stores. I fell in love with these ivy towers and added them to some existing planters to flank the garage (Have I mentioned that I love repetition and symmetry?). Layering a couple of mats at the front entry added interest- the Hello mat was a little faded after months of use, so I freshened it up with some black craft paint and a small stencil brush. I was happy to find the trellis mat because it fits in so well with the garden theme.

Front Hall

The front hall benefits from the addition of a handmade wreath as well as some pretty faux flowers in a rope basket and a sun hat that I use for gardening. I didn’t change the décor on the shelf because it was neutral and not seasonal. If you’re interested in either of the wreaths seen so far, please visit my Etsy shop Willow Bloom Wreaths.

Living Room

I used an assortment of pink, green, and floral pillows, and some fresh gerbera daisies from the grocery store to bring the outdoors in.

Dining Room and Hallway

I continued the garden theme here with succulents and faux white tulips, as well as green glasses. The hallway got a cheerful addition of some pink Gerbera daisies, which are an economical way to add a beautiful touch of summer.

Kitchen

I spent most of my time and effort in this space. I DIYed a greenery and faux lemon wreath for above the hood fan, and this created a focal point for the space. To continue with the lemon theme, I added yellow and white tea towels, a lemonade station, and a tablescape full of lemony goodness in our breakfast area.

The breakfast area leads into the family room, which is decorated in shades of blue, so I tied these two areas together with a blue and yellow tablescape. Probably my biggest splurge was purchasing the beautiful blue and white plates, but I know we’ll use them all summer long.

Family Room

I recently redecorated this space with soft shades of blue and some beachy elements, so this worked perfectly for my summer décor. All I added was a new water hyacinth tray and then I chose pillows from my collection in shades of blue, white, and beige.

Master Bedroom

I just changed up the pillows for this space using shades of blue, white, and beige. I brought the seagrass tray into the bedroom because I love how it adds a light, summery touch, but also adds warmth to the space. The tray contains a real orchid plant, sparkling water, and a neutral mug with typewriter text.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this summer home tour and found some inspiration. Please head on over to Happy Wife Yuppy Life to continue the Sunshine State of Mind tour. And thank you to Mansa https://www.thisissimplicite.com/ for organizing this wonderful tour.