DECORATING How to Decorate With Sunflowers

Looking for creative ways to bring a little summer into the house? Here are tips and inspiration on how to decorate with sunflowers.

Last year in record-breaking gardening news we had an entire vegetable garden in our backyard.

For the first time ever.

Not to be all about the gardener I’m married to, but it was kind of next level.

There were cucumbers and squash and beans and carrots and cauliflower and every kind of herb you can imagine.

Kind of like Vanilla Ice and Ice Ice Baby….

….the garden was a one-hit wonder.

We didn’t really plant anything this year because we were redoing all the beds in the front yard. So imagine my surprise when I walked into the backyard and saw this. These clusters of green leaves were poking their stems up through the soil and wrapping themselves around the wooden obelisks.

So what do you think returned this year?

Was it the carrots or beans or cauliflower? Or the herbs? Or the squash?

We weren’t sure.

We couldn’t figure it out.

Until we walked outside one day and saw this.

SUNFLOWERS.

Can you even believe it?

Somehow, someway we forgot they were planted in the garden last year.

And it wasn’t just a couple of sunflowers.

It’s grown and grown and grown and grown until it’s the Jack in the Beanstalk of sunflower plants.

Look at what it looks like now. It’s over seven feet tall and still growing strong.

A commenter mentioned that this particular type of sunflower is called a “Volunteer.” I researched it and it looks like they are called that because they aren’t purposely planted. These sunflowers grew from seeds flown on the wind from past plants and those seeds just “volunteered” to grow again and produce new sunflowers.

WHAT?

I’ve officially decided I’m the president of the volunteer sunflower society. I volunteer and I think my plants should, too.

Another amazing thing about these sunflowers is that grow so tall that they shade other plants which is perfect for our Texas heat.

// battery-operated lamp // polka dot desk blotter // artichoke candle holder //

Yesterday I had my husband cut some sunflowers from our giant sunflower plant and brought them into the office.

Our very own sunflowers from our very own garden.

I added them to this glass vase and added them to my desk.

// battery-operated lamp // polka dot desk blotter // artichoke candle holder // blue and white rug //

Look at how much they brighten the space.

I love a little pop of yellow for summer.

And the best thing about sunflowers? They stay pretty for so long.

// battery-operated lamp // polka dot desk blotter //

The sunflowers are in a vase next to this amazing lamp.

It’s the BEST problem solver.

The challenge with this desk is that if you want to add a lamp to the top, there are cords everywhere that have to wrap around the desk to plug in to the outlet in the back. And then when you want to sit at the desk you have to remember that there are cords there.

Yikes.

I’ve tried several lamps and just gave up.

No hope.

No lighting.

// battery-operated lamp // polka dot desk blotter // artichoke candle holder // blue and white rug // white spindle chair //

This gives you the better idea of the space so you can see the challenge with the desk.

Also—this is my dad’s desk so there was no way that I was going to drill a hole in the top.

That is wood that I would never get back.

// battery-operated lamp // polka dot desk blotter // artichoke candle holder //

And then? I found this battery-operated lamp.

It comes with the shade and you charge it and then it comes on with the push of a button.

I use a portable charger to charge it once a week.

That’s it.

The light is pretty bright for a lamp of this size and the finish looks so high-end and it’s on sale right now for 40% off.

You can see the lamp here.

Here’s what the push button looks like.

And here’s what the lampshade looks like.

It comes in eight different lamps with different finishes and lampshades.

You can see them all here.

// battery-operated lamp // polka dot desk blotter // artichoke candle holder // blue and white rug // white spindle chair //

// battery-operated lamp // polka dot desk blotter // artichoke candle holder // blue and white rug //

Isn’t it amazing that these beautiful sunflowers were waiting for me all winter?

In January and February and March and April they were out there—right under the soil.

And now?

It’s July and they are turning their beautiful yellow faces towards the sun.

The only thing better than a blue and white office?

A blue and white office with a little bit of amazing….

….that volunteered to grow again so my summer would be brighter.

PS Getting questions about the lamp and here are a couple of specific things to note:
1. It’s smaller than I thought it was going to be (but that ended up being a good thing). I actually love the size for where I wanted to put it.
2. It’s really well made for the price. It doesn’t look cheap at all.
3. The charge holds amazingly well. I’ve had it on for over 8 hours and it was still going strong on one charge.
4. I think the secret is to not let it get uncharged. Every couple of days or so I use a portable charger to charge it (so I don’t have a cord running around the desk). The charger sits on my desk and charges it until the light turns green.
5. The light is surprisingly strong for such a small lamp. It’s a warm light rather than a cool light so it’s perfect for a desk lamp!

Hope this helps!

In case you were inspired and looking for a little sunflower decor of your own?

I put together some of my favorites.

You can see them all in my Amazon shop here.

disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post.