31 Quick Summer Decor Ideas to Refresh Your Home This Weekend
Are you looking for budget-friendly summer decor ideas to refresh your space? Here are 31 budget-friendly summer decor ideas.
Seasonal things are we don’t want to spend too much but want some hint and change according to the seasons.
Especially in summer, we want some light, breeze, coastal and refreshing touch. It’s showing our space light, and larger than it actually is.
Summer is the perfect time to breathe new life into our living room without breaking the bank.
This blog is all about 45 Budget-Friendly Summer Decor Ideas That Look Expensive.
Summer Decor Ideas
Bring the Outdoors In
1. Botanical wall art
Create botanical wall art using pressed flowers and dollar store frames.
For botanical wall art, start with pressing colourful flowers between heavy books for 2-3 weeks. Once they are dried, arrange them artistically (You don’t need to be a pro at this or art.) in frames on a white/texture paper background.
You can consider creating patterns, mixing and matching different coastal colour flowers, and bouquet designs for visual interest.
2. Repurposed glass bottles
Display fresh wildflowers in repurposed glass bottles.
For this summer decor idea, you need to clean the glass bottles and remove the labels from the various glass bottles. Choose a collection of different heights and shapes and paint them in electric beachy colours.
Arrange wildflowers loosely and place them in groups of 3-4 for maximum impact and a casual, rustic look.
3. DIY Terrarium
Make a terrarium using found pebbles and small succulents.
First, to make a DIY terrarium, add a layer of pebbles, activated charcoal, and potting soil in a clear glass container, and then you can add small succulents or air plants.
If you want to make it more playful, you can decorate it with tiny figurines or coloured stones. It is easy to maintain and just needs to be misted occasionally to maintain humidity.
4. Kitchen Windowsill Herb Garden
Arrange potted herbs on kitchen windowsills for both decoration and function.
Select herbs like basil, thyme and mint to pair with matching terra cotta pots or colourful containers.
Remember to place them based on sunlight needs, in addition to decor and track, you can add small plant markers for these summer decor ideas.
5. Seashell and Sand Vases
Fill clear vases with sand and seashells from beach trips.
This easy summer decor idea you can easily make with your children and create lifelong memories. You just need to fill the clear vases 1/3 full of beach sand and layer collected seashells from the beach on top.
I suggest considering creating stripes with different coloured sands with battery-operated string lights for an evening ambience and decor element.
DIY Summer Centrepieces
6. Citrus and Flower Float Bowl
Float citrus slices and flowers in a water-filled bowl. I consider this summer idea as instant and easy because you just have to fill a wide, shallow bowl with water.
Cut the thin slice and float of lemons, limes, and oranges, then add floating flowers like gardenias or camellias and change water daily to maintain freshness.
7. Rope-Wrapped Mason Jars
Create a coastal centrepiece using rope-wrapped mason jars.
How you can create this decor piece, choose traditional or natural fibre rope and wrap around clean mason jars, secure the rope with hot glue.
Try to use different thicknesses of rope to add texture and beachy elements like starfish or small shells. You can use these as vases or candle holders.
As the summer heat arrives in Australia, it’s time to give our home a breezy refresh.
8. Tiered Fruit Display
Arrange colourful summer fruits in a tiered display for these summer decor ideas.
Arrange colourful summer fruits like peaches, lemons, and berries on a cake stand or tiered tray. Add a mix of texture and colours with fresh leaves between layers for greenery.
9. Driftwood Candle Holder
Make a driftwood candle holder, select a flat, stable piece of driftwood. The second step is to sand rough edges and create spaces for candle holders by drilling. Finish with a clear sealant to protect the wood.
10. Seashell Hurricane Vases
Fill hurricane vases with seashells and LED candles.
To execute this DIY summer centrepiece, you need to layer white sand and small seashells in hurricane vases and place LED candles in the centre.
You can add pieces of coral or sea glass for variety and decoration.
Budget-Friendly Textile Updates
11. Simple Envelope Pillow Covers
Sew simple envelope pillow covers using affordable summer fabrics.
Choose lightweight summer fabrics like cotton or linen, cut that fabric to your desired size and leave a plus 6-inch margin for overlap, then fold and sew edges for a no-zipper design.
If you are like me and don’t know how to sew, you can invest in cotton or linen pillow covers that last long for years.
12. No-Sew Table Runners
Create no-sew table runners from lightweight cotton. Select lightweight cotton fabric in fresh summer patterns and cut with pinking shears (“Pinking shears are a type of scissors with a zigzag blade design that are specifically used to cut fabric edges”) to prevent fraying.
Use iron-on hem tape (tape that you can just stick by iron) for finished edges. Lastly, my recommendation is to layer multiple runners for visual interest.
13. Beach-Themed Tea Towels
Make your own beach-themed tea towels using fabric paint. For this DIY summer decor idea, use plain white cotton towels as a base, create coastal designs using fabric paint and stencils, and at the end, you can add details like starfish or shells.
14. Sheet Curtains
Transform old sheets into breezy window curtains. To make this sheet curtains, add grommets or clip rings for hanging at one end of the sheet.
You can layer sheer and solid panels for effect, and for decor, you can consider ombré dyeing for unique looks.
15. Vintage Scarf Pillow
Create throw pillows from vintage scarves for one of these summer decor ideas. You can use your old scarf, or you can source vintage scarves from thrift stores and pair them with complementary patterns.
Sew this into a simple pillowcase, and for a professional touch, add piping.
Natural Element Summer Decor Ideas
16. Glass Container Shell Display
Create eye-catching levels by arranging shells from largest to smallest, and try to consider grouping shells by colour families or species for a more attractive look.
Use cylindrical vases of different heights and add battery-operated fairy lights between layers for an evening ambience.
17. Pressed Leaves Wall Art
To create DIY wall art with pressed leaves and botanical prints, select leaves with striking shapes and patterns.
First, to dry leaves, press between paper in heavy books for 2 weeks. After that, you can mount the leaves on high-quality paper using archival glue.
To match with existing decor, you can use a matching frame and create a gallery-style arrangement.
18. Beach Glass Wind Chimes
Make wind chimes from found beach glass, start by sorting sea glass by colour and size.
For this idea, you need a glass drill. By using this special glass drill, drill small holes in glass and connect pieces with clear fishing lines at varying lengths. Lastly, you can add small bells or shells for sound elements.
19. River Rock Decorative Elements
Arrange river rocks as decorative elements for summer decor ideas on a budget.
When you visit the beach or river during summer, collect smooth, small rocks of similar sizes, clean and polish them with mineral oil for shine.
Now, you can arrange in spiral patterns on trays or create stake sculptures.
You can consider painting any pattern or mandala pattern on a little larger stone for decor purposes.
20. Branch Sculptures
Display branches in tall vases for natural sculpture.
For these summer decor ideas, select branches/dry branches that you find interesting with multiple offshoots, and if you like, you can paint them white to neutralise or leave them as it is.
Position these branches at various heights for visual balance and place them in tall cylindrical vases with river rocks for stability.
Colour Pop Additions for Summer Decor Ideas
21. Painted Terra Cotta Pots
Paint terracotta pots in bright summer colours, for this, you need to prime pots with exterior sealer and paint them with weather-resistant acrylics in coral, turquoise, or sunny yellow.
You can make it more interesting by adding geometric patterns or ombré effects and sealing it with a clear coat for durability.
22. Window Paper Garlands
To make your summer decor more interesting, create colourful paper garlands for windows. Start with cutting paper in circles of medium sizes.
You can choose and paint colours that complement your room’s palette, and string them together using clear thread, layer multiple strands for depth.
23. Tissue Paper Flower
Make tissue paper flowers for wall displays. Layer different coloured tissue paper and cut petal shapes in varying sizes, and then you can create centres with yellow or gold paper and arrange them in a cascade (small waterfall) pattern on walls.
24. Coastal-Coloured Picture Frames
Paint picture frames in coastal blues and sandy beiges.
You can select the frame size of your choice (various sizes or the same size) and now paint them using a palette of sea blues, sandy beiges, and soft whites (coastal/beachy vibe).
You can stick various seashells at one of the corners and arrange them in a gallery wall format.
25. Paint Sample Accent Pieces
Add bright accent pieces using paint samples for your summer decor ideas.
- Collect the free samples of paint in summer beachy colours, and then create mosaic patterns for small decorative boxes.
- Second, you can stick this in mosaic patterns onto the paper, frame them and make Easy DIY wall art.
- For the last idea, place this mosaic onto the small 4” diameter or 4”x4” square flat wooden or any thick material to make accent coasters and seal them for long-lasting.
26. Upcycled Summer Decor
Clean bottles thoroughly to transform wine bottles into coastal-themed vases.
You can paint them or make designs on them by using texture glass paint in sea-inspired colours and adding twine wrapping ribbons at bottlenecks. Display them in odd numbers or groups of three rules.
27. Pallet Beach Wall Art
Sand pallets smooth to create beach-themed wall art from old wooden pallets. Paint with coastal scenes or stick the big dry leaves on them, and you can add dimensional elements like rope or starfish and seal for indoor use.
28. Newspaper Summer Wreaths
Roll newspaper pages into tight tubes to execute summer wreaths from newspaper and paint.
For wreaths, create a round base form and spray paint in summer colours. Add seashell or flower embellishments for your newspaper summer wreaths.
