60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Raffia Leaf Throw Rug

This throw rug's leafy design, made with raffia in three cool-green shades, conjures a vision of palm fronds moving in the breeze.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Flower Votive Displays

Flowers and candlelight are nothing new, but together they create tabletop decorations fit for relaxed summer entertaining.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Bright Ideas for Any Room

Paint, fabric, and paper offer opportunities to sneak rich hues into otherwise neutral spaces without a huge commitment of time or money.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Custom-Made Chaise Cushions

Instead of settling for a print that's not quite right, make your own outdoor chaise cushions using inexpensive pillows and the fabric of your choice.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Outdoor Dining Setup

As the long summer days melt into balmy nights, ease the transition -- and extend the pleasure -- by dining outdoors under a private starry dome of twinkling candles.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Floral Arrangement in a Seashell

Make waves with an arrangement set in a seashell.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Summery Leaf -Shaped Table Runner

Changing table linens is a relatively inexpensive way to rotate color with the seasons. The tones of this runner are suitable for summer.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Punched Paper Luminarias

These paper-bag luminarias channel the bandanna via their flowery cutouts and two-tone color scheme.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Paper Lantern Vase

Make a vase to match your flowers with a Chinese paper lantern and a small drinking glass.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Shaded String Lights

Holiday strands trace every slat of a porch trellis; the bulbs are covered in shades made from chartreuse and turquoise vellum.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Rope-Seat Stools

A plain pair of wooden seats gets a bright new look from simple coils of rope.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Garden-Print Stenciled Tabletop

Hand-painted dainty blossoms, colossal peonies, and greenery entwine to form this pleasing tabletop wreath.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Outdoor Pillows

Those inexpensive vinyl tablecloths are good for more than just picnics -- they make great material for pillows that are easy to clean.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Tiki-Torch Anchors

Decking your yard with tiki torches is an inexpensive, festive way to bring island style home -- and to light up the night without electricity.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Nautical Knobs

Incorporate nautical charm into your quarters by affixing these knobs onto drawers or lids of wooden boxes.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Shell Vase

A wide-mouthed, spiral nautilus shell can double as a pearlescent vase for bedroom bouquets.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Casual-Modern Outdoor Room

Pillowy seats and potted plants create the perfect setting for an outdoor dinner on the deck.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Outdoor Canvas Tablecloth

Made from a series of canvas panels laced together with cord, this tablecloth fits a standard table for 10.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Light Columns

Geometric "topiaries" inspired by the paper sculptures of Isamu Noguchi stand on both sides of this swimming pool.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Sand Centerpiece

Light up a table with this beachy sand-and-shell centerpiece.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Napkin-Folded Pillow Cases

Brighten outdoor spaces with decorative pillows made from cloth napkins.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Striped Votive Holders

These striped votives bring a nautical feel to the table.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Raffia Window Curtain

A series of small, tufted raffia bow ties, stitched with matching thread onto a sheer curtain, instantly raises a window's sunniness quotient.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Light an Outdoor Table

Outdoor lighting can be both functional and festive: Whether, you're highlighting a focal point in the garden, defining a pathway, or setting a table with votives, lights will help you navigate the darkness and create a little romance outside.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Floating Candles

Floating candles add instant atmosphere to a casual summer table.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Cot Conversion

Turn a camp cot into an elegant patio daybed.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Natural Elements Centerpiece

Whether the materials come from your backyard or a garden center, its easy to incorporate natural elements into the centerpiece of an alfresco dinner.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Hollywood Regency Outdoor Room

Get inspired by this Hollywood-style patio, located outside a Beverly Hills canyon.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Pacific Rim-Inspired Room

A plywood wall panel that incorporates a foldout table and bench turns even the tiny terrace of a hillside house into a garden room.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Tole Baskets

Painted with enamel, these galvanized-aluminum buckets make a summery statement in the home.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Mood Lighting with Shells

You can use oversize shells to bring a touch of the seashore -- and a bit of romantic atmosphere -- to an evening at home.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Vintage Cafe Chairs in a Pastel Palette

A disparate bunch of cafe chairs can look harmonious around a table once they've been given a unifying color and matching cushions.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Silk-Flower Party Lights

These flowers look like the prettiest climbing vines. But they're not just sweet by day -- they're radiant by night.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

A Nature-Colored Palette

Just as a favorite chair's upholstery may inspire a room's color scheme, a few dominant hues in your flora can anchor an area's composition. In this open-air living room, green-glazed pots are right at home, and the chartreuse of the plants is echoed in square pillows. Tones of blue and aquamarine in the surrounding foliage find their match in the remaining pillows and seat cushions, as well as in the wicker chair. Flowers sprouting through the limestone paving and the reddish tree trunks tie in the striped pillow.

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Cane-Top Table

Iron garden tables from the mid-20th century are easy to find at flea markets, but they often look plain. Give one instant style with a fresh coat of paint in a sunny shade and easy-to-install caning.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Outdoor Canopy

Create a cool spot for summer living with one of our easy canopies.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Tree Table

Tree stumps, used individually or clustered together, function as low tables in a living room.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Bamboo Candles

Bamboo candles, which have built-in shelves, are a pretty way to decorate the table the next time you're entertaining, both indoors and out.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Four-Star Table Runner and Napkin Ties

Add pizzazz to your Fourth of July party with starry tabletop runners and napkin ties made from red and white paper.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Potting Shed

A vintage wooden cupboard provides handsome storage for gardening supplies.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Raffia Place Mats

Geometric designs can be added easily to place mats. The embroidered pattern and the different colors of raffia offer a nice way to make plain table linens more distinctive.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Candle Chandelier

Quilted jam jars holding votive candles hang from a grape-covered arbor. As night falls, crystals wired to the bottoms of the jars will cast refracted candlelight onto the stucco walls.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Seashell Lights

A string of beach treasures casts a dreamy glow on a patio or porch.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Bandanna Table Runner

Rugged and practical, bandannas seem almost patriotic, so this table runner is fitting for the Fourth of July or any summer picnic.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Wraparound Bench

This wraparound bench ensures you'll always have a shady side and a sunny side to relax under.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Origami Lanterns

Cocktails at sundown are more memorable when you supplement the waning daylight with Asian-inspired lanterns.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Stenciled Pillows

Antique block-print endpapers inspired the intricate design used on throw pillows and bed linens.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Herb Centerpiece

Bring the inviting scent and flavor of fresh herbs to the table with miniature gardens.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Garden Glow

No need to bring the party indoors after the sun goes down, even if your yard isn't lit. String up lights to illuminate the festivities.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Shell Candles

The shells that the ocean cast at your feet this summer -- the ones you so fastidiously collected -- make lovely remembrances of the season with candles formed inside them.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Ombre Linen Wall Panels

Dyeing basic linens, whether new or those already in your collection, is a fresh, inspired tactic for renewing the dining table with festive or seasonal colors.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Paper Wind Streamer

With little more than an empty oatmeal container and colored paper, you can create a festive decoration that's perfect for the Fourth of July.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Rope Lamp

A utilitarian length of manila rope has a natural beauty that usually passes unnoticed through working hands. But once a rope is coiled around a lamp base, its texture and shape stand out.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Coordinated Containers

Turn empty gift baskets into stylish household organizers by coating them in a summery shade.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Five-Panel Screen

Like a wall liberated from its structural duties, this pastel folding screen can be called on at a moment's notice to serve any number of purposes.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Leaf-Print Canvas Rug

Our patterns are as simple to reproduce as scattering leaves from your backyard across a surface, marking stripes with tape rather than a ruler, or painting streaky brushstrokes on a grid.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Stamped Stairs

Add an element of surprise to a staircase using a rubber stamp shaped like vines.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Upholstery Webbing Runner

When handwoven in a simple under-and-over pattern, jute upholstery webbing becomes a trim, durable floor mat or decorative runner for a front hallway.

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60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Striped Picnic Table

Set the table for a whole season of festive cookouts by giving it a new summer coat.

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