DECORATING 51 Ten-Minute Summer Decorating Ideas

Looking for easy and simple summer decor ideas? Oh good. I have a few suggestions. Here are 51 ten minute summer decorating ideas.

Happy almost middle of June.

Right around Valentine’s Day, somewhere, somehow I blinked and summer knocked at my door.

If you feel like you just put your Christmas decorations away and you aren’t sure how summer arrived without you even noticing?

Come. Sit. By. Me.

Today is all about introducing summer to the house with easy, simple ideas you can do in 10 minutes.

Yep.

10 minutes and your house can be cuter.

Just between us? I had to make them short and sweet because if took more time than that I would start sweating and need a water break. It was SO HOT here in Texas yesterday and we are just getting started.

I see you summer.

Here are 51 summer decorating ideas that only take 10 minutes.

Let’s GO.

51 Ten-Minute Summer Decorating Ideas

1. Use the refrigerator to help you decorate. Fill a bowl of lemons (or any other citrus fruit) and decorate your kitchen counters.

(total aside: those faux lemons I used to decorate for spring would be perfect for summer, too. You can see them here.)

2. Fill glass jars with seashells or even sea glass and display them on a shelf or mantel. When we were just at the Cape my sister collected sea glass from the beach every day.

(total aside: did you know Krylon makes an amazing sea glass paint if you want to DIY your own beach display)

3. Paint your front door by painting it a new color (this might take slightly longer than 10 minutes for two coats).

4. Create a summer-themed gallery wall with prints or photographs of beach scenes. Etsy has so many super affordable options you can download and print out and frame. For example, I thought this was the prettiest abstract beach painting.

5. Arrange a collection of striped beach towels in a wicker basket. You can even drape a beach towel over a chair like a throw (especially if they are turkish beach towels). You can see a similar beach towel here.

6. Update your throw pillows with bright and patterned pillow covers.

Here are some of my favorite combinations.

7. Hang a large mirror in your living room to reflect natural light and create the illusion of a bigger space. Here’s my opinion on why every room should have a mirror.

8. Wrap twine or ribbon around empty glass bottles and use them as vases. You can add a starfish to the front and add dried grasses for a coastal look.

9. Wire starfish or driftwood into an existing wreath.

10. Create a DIY driftwood photo display by attaching photos to pieces of driftwood using mini clothespins.

11. Paint and stencil terra cotta pots and plant herbs or small flowers in them. Then decorate your window sill with them.

12. Arrange a collection of outdoor lanterns on your porch or deck or front steps. These solar lanterns that I’ve shared before are the BEST and they just came back in stock. They come on at dusk and turn themselves off at dawn.

13. Replace your regular doormat with a colorful and patterned one for a summery welcome. Here are some of my favorite summer doormats.

14. Fill a watering can with fresh flowers from your garden and place it on a side table. If the watering can leaks, just place a vase inside.

15. Place a woven tray on your coffee table and fill it with seashells, candles, or potted succulents.

16. Display a collection of vintage beach postcards in simple frames.

16. Need to update your porch? Add an indoor/outdoor rug in your outdoor seating area to define the space.

17. Hang a decorative summer wreath on your front door.

Here are some of my favorite summer wreaths.

18. Place a woven tray on your coffee table and fill it with seashells, candles, or potted succulents.

19. Fill a row of mason jars with fresh flowers. Have you seen the new lavender mason jars? They are so pretty and would be perfect for summer.

You can see them here.

20. Create a DIY rope mirror by wrapping a circular mirror with a thick rope.

21. Use a bright, patterned tablecloth for your outdoor dining area. They have the cutest vinyl tablecloths now that look so high-end.

22. Want to change up your artwork? Add a collection of blue and white patterned plates like I did on the walls of our beach house.

You can take the entire beach house tour here.

23. Change out your dining room tablecloth on your dining table for summer.

24. Hang a colorful bunting or garland across your backyard or patio for a festive look.

25. Display a collection of seashells or driftwood in a terrarium. I created this display last year and those succulents are still going strong.

26. Paint the edges of your garden planters in bright colors for a playful touch. This idea is kind of like painting the sides of drawers except even cuter.

27. Swap out heavy curtains for light, gauzy ones to let in more natural light.

28. If a tablecloth is too much? Change out the runner. For under $20 you can completely change the look of your summer table.

29. Make a summer flag with starfish and sand dollars. Glue them in the stars and stripes pattern to a large oversized piece of plywood.

30. Create a vase with twigs from the garden glued to the glass vase. You can see the DIY project here.

31. Use summer straw hats as decor. Create an entire wall display of all your straw hats. You could also add ribbons and flowers as well.

32. Create a summer table setting and use a large tropical leaf as a DIY placemat.

33. Swap out dark-colored heavy throws for bright, summery ones layered into a basket.

34. Fill a vase with branches from the yard. Here’s how I arrange the branches.

35. Change your bedding to lighter, summery colors and patterns.

36. Bring in a small potted palm or fern for a tropical touch.

37. Create a summer drink station for guests. Fill a beverage dispenser with water and slices of fresh fruit and add a slice of fruit to each glass.

38. Frame vacation photos in colorful frames and add them to a side table.

39. Add a bead garland of fishing floats or sea glass beads to a stack of books or basket on a side table.

39. One of the easiest 10-minute ideas? Add lights to your outdoor porch or patio. Here’s how we made light stands for our backyard.

40. Add a stack of colorful hand towels as a kitchen counter display. You can add them to a basket or just stack them up on a pedestal or cutting board.

41. Get a little creative with outdoor dining. Use a colorful beach towel as a table runner and a beach pail to hold cold drinks.

42. Add dried lavender sachets to your linen closet to make it smell like summer.

43. Add a splash of color to a hall or entryway by painting a piece of furniture in a bold paint color.

44. Repurpose a beach tote as storage or as a magazine holder.

45. Add solar lights to your garden outside to shed a little light on all those summer blooms.

46. Add a large outdoor umbrella to a picnic table for a shady and stylish outdoor spot.

47. Add potted plants to your porch and keep them blooming with this simple tip.

48. Repurpose a beach tote as storage or as a magazine holder.

49. Display a collection of summer-themed books on a coffee table. You could also display a book on a book stand. Open it to a page with summer decor.

50. Add a little rustic summer decor with a jute or sisal rug. A seagrass rug is another great summer rug option.

51 Pour a glass of sweet tea and relax with a good book. Enjoy the day. Summer is just getting started.

YOU GOT THIS FRIEND.

Truly.

Happy summer decorating.

PS If you are interested in more 10-minute decor ideas for summer and the rest of the year. I wrote a book full of them. It’s a small decor book—perfect for a gift for someone special (or yourself).

You can see my latest book here.

disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post