To embrace the blissful, mellow season of summer, I sweep through my home, gathering up winter’s rich, intricate layers and replacing them with light and breezy accents that let my rooms breathe. Giving your home a summer makeover can be as simple as weaving in a few key pieces of seasonal decor. Here are my three favorites:
Live Plants Lend Energy
I love what live houseplants do for my home in the summer. They refresh each room, bringing in new energy. And talk about easy! All you need to do when decorating with houseplants is add them to an existing display or create a simple summer arrangement that combines a plant with a few summer accents. You’ll be amazed by how poking in a plant will amp up the impact of a display. Check out the photo above. A few pots of ivy took this lovely tablescape to the next level. And, it was extremely easy to create.
Here’s how we did it: We placed a silver candelabra in the center of a miniature concrete birdbath and rested a wire globe over it. With the structure of the centerpiece in place, we just filled in the perimeter with pots of ivy. With its winding and twisting vines reaching out in all directions, the ivy made the centerpiece more exotic.
Maidenhair ferns are my favorite ferns to work with when decorating for summer. I’m smitten by their lacy, romantic fronds, a great contrast to the sleek, modern styling of the white pottery we use in lots of our summer displays at Nell Hill’s. How about this simple but stylish coffee table display?
Here’s how to recreate it: Start with a base, like this light, bright mirrored tray we use over and over again at Nell Hill’s. Bring in dramatic height using a few taller pieces, like this inexpensive but fetching pottery. Tuck a potted plant in the middle ground. Then, finish with a few interesting details, like a stack of books, plates and beverage service.
I go wild in the summer, tucking plants into likely and unlikely spots throughout my home. I always have something live on my windowsills, like the line of three small African violets in cute cachepots that are there right now. I often place palms on the center table in my living room and on a pedestal next to the stairway in my entry. In addition to putting a Boston fern on the marble top table in my dining room, I featured a phalanx of potted succulents at the center of my dining table. All these plants will look fresh and fun … until I forget to water them!
Pretty Pillows Perk up Upholstered Furnishings
Dan once asked me: Where do all our pillows go to die? While I confess that I have more accent pillows in my home than the average person, I actually have fewer than it appears. Here’s my secret to getting twice the mileage from my pillows: I have two sets of pillow covers made – one for the warm months, one for the cold months. When the seasons change, I unzip the pillow covers and replace them with the other set. Presto! My living room looks as if it was redecorated for the season just by changing out the accent pillows. You won’t believe what a difference just swapping out your pillows will make in your living areas.
What’s your favorite color palette for summer? You can bring it to life with your accent pillows. Do you crave high-voltage colors that are full of energy? Then mix up pillows covered in tangerine, lemon yellow, apple green and hot pink.
Some people love patriotic color in the summer, a nod to Independence Day. Mix up patterns that weave in these perennial favorites, like blue ticking trimmed in a red flange. Others like to float away on a summer dream, picking washed linens and the softest cottons in a delicate bouquet of creamy pastels. It’s all good and, right now, it’s all in.
Wicker and Bamboo Bring in the Beauty of Nature
When I’m reworking my décor for summer, I like to replace my formal serving pieces, like silver trays, with informal pieces made from natural materials, like wicker and bamboo. I like how the irregular, organic textures and lines bring the unpredictable beauty of nature into my home.
For a quick summer remake, lighten up an existing display by tucking in something that celebrates nature. Maybe it’s setting your table with wicker chargers.
When decorating your mantel for summer, weave in a few natural pieces, like this adorable holder. I can picture these vintage looking bottles filled with messy bouquets snipped fresh from the garden.
Add Interesting Touches with New Summer Accents
This snapshot of a summer display at Nell Hill’s features a few of our popular accents. These rustic metal trays add a charming county feel to summer decor. You could use them to showcase pots of fern, a cluster of vases filled with hydrangeas or a hurricane displaying seashells from your vacation. Nothing says summer like an old fashioned picnic basket packed with bright summer dishes. It’s great to have summer ribbon on hand to hang a wreath on your door or suspend glass votive holders from trees and bushes in your garden. Old fashioned Mason jars look adorable holding treasures like river rocks from your family rafting trip. Get creative as you enjoy a fresher, cleaner look in your home this summer.
Next Week ... As we kick off our Special Order Upholstered Furnishings sale June 15 at Nell Hill’s (all special order upholstery will be 20% off through July 15), I’ll be asking customers four key questions to help them pick the perfect upholstery fabric for their sofas, ottomans and chairs. I’ll share them with you next week.
Summer 2021 Trends: Summer Blues
Craving Color: Incorporating Juicy Citrus Hues into Your Home
Summer Trends We Love
Red, White and Blue
Lisa Fernandez says
June 10, 2013 at 8:32 amI can only imagine what your stunning home looks like in the summer months. Fantastic! I love all these ideas. I recently swapped my brown velvet couch and put it in storage in my barn for an inexpensive white slipcovered couch for spring and summer months. Then when the fall comes I’ll swap them again. I did what you said and got pillows with 2 different pillow covers made and can swap those. I have incorporated white in every room for my home so it’s easy to accent. although I must admit I”m staying neutral and bringing white as a base. I love it. I do love all the ideas you have shared. So lovely. That candelabra in the urn with the wire is simply divine. Hmmm , I just might be doing just that!
Enjoy the Summer Mary Carol.
xoxo
Lisa Fernandez
leeshideaway.blogspot.com
M says
June 10, 2013 at 8:58 amThanks for the great ideas. The pillow cover idea is especially great.
I, too, love maidenhair ferns, but have a hard time keeping them alive. Do you have any tips?
Kandace says
June 10, 2013 at 2:42 pmMary Carol,
Your pictures this week were so inspiring. The ivy birdbath is a real show stopper! I can happily report that I have been able to keep my ferns alive longer than almost anything else, which makes them handy for indoor decorating. I also think your advice to switch out silver platters for bamboo is very smart. I do confess to digging out my red, white, and blue decor for the Fourth.
I get to come to Atchison for my ten-year BC reunion, so maybe I’ll get to say hi in person when I stop in to shop Nell Hills.
Happy Monday!
~Kandace
sandy mccune says
June 10, 2013 at 2:53 pmLoved the chair covers in the first photo. Would make cute slipcovers for my dining room. I want to get to Briarcliff soon to see what’s new for now. Keep showing us ideas to freshen up our homes. P.S. I would need artificial fern as I have a black thumb.
Franki says
June 10, 2013 at 2:55 pmI’ve rarely met a pillow I didn’t like. franki
Betty Cunningham says
June 10, 2013 at 3:10 pmI love your ideas and the ivy is so spot on when it comes to tablescapes.
Keep on , keeping on
Betty
Mary Carol says
June 10, 2013 at 6:35 pmThanks, all, for you input! “M”, tears of terror roll down the leaves of every plant that comes in my home, because they know they won’t have long to live once they live with me. So, no, I have no tips on how to keep them alive. Apparently remembering to water fairly often plays a big role!
Jane Stayton says
June 10, 2013 at 6:37 pmI always love your ideas,very charming.
Sometime, tho, would you tell us just how to set a table using chargers? is there a right/wrong way? what plates do you put on them?
Patti Gencarelli says
June 11, 2013 at 9:31 amYou are one of my top two go to’s for ‘anything
on building tablescapes – or anything!
Thank you for always sharing your
impeccable knowledge of how to.
You are so right – live plants bring
in energy and oxygen to any space.
hugs always.
Maggie says
June 11, 2013 at 6:02 pmI usually adore your tablescapes as I find your taste impeccable, gracious & incredibly creative. However, the humongous centerpiece at the top of this blog confused me. If this supposed to stay in place while we’re dining?
Mary Carol says
June 11, 2013 at 8:31 pmHi Jane,
Thanks for your comments and question! I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to do much of anything in the decorating world — you need to find your own style and what pleases you. When I set my table for company, I either put the charger directly onto the table or, sometimes, on a place mat or tray. Then, I just start to layer up the plates, starting with the largest on the bottom (a dinner plate) and getting smaller with each layer. It’s just a short pyramid. For added height, I like to put interesting things on top of the stack of plates, like a sorbet cup filled with something intriguing, a gift for guests, a little vase holding fresh flowers, a name card, a lidded soup tureen, whatever catches my fancy. The key is to have fun with the creative process!
Mary Carol says
June 11, 2013 at 8:35 pmHi Maggie,
Yep that was an over-the-top centerpiece, alright! That table was at a charity event here in Kansas City, where Nell Hill’s was among several designers who crafted tablescapes. So, we shot the moon. You would want something smaller on your table at home, something that allowed cross table conversation. However, I do like to do these shock-and-awe centerpieces when I’m using my dining table as a buffet service. And, true confessions, sometimes my “simpler” centerpieces still turn out way too huge because I just have fun adding “one more thing.” Sigh!
Linda says
June 14, 2013 at 9:44 amMary Carol I love your blog. It’s so inspiring and I learn something new each week. And when you tell humorous Dan stories it’s even better. It adds a personal touch to your Blog and I like that. Remember the childhood game of “I spy”? Well in this week’s Blog I spied the wicker chargers in photos #10 & #11. My sister admired these at your September 2009 house tour on your dining room table and has mentioned them numerous times since. As soon as your KC store opened I called and my personal shopper got all the info from me and then called me back. She was so nice and helpful. Atchison Nell Hills had 6 of them and KC had 2. I wanted 6 as a birthday gift to my sister this week. She mailed them to me, my sister is thrilled and now I would love to have some. I sure hope you can get more in. Do you think you will? They are so sturdy and besides their use as chargers we thought of some other uses. For example when having a lot of guests such as at a shower or other gatherings they could be used as a lap tray to hold your food and utensils.
Mary Carol says
June 14, 2013 at 2:43 pmLinda, I’m so glad you love the chargers and that our team was able to get you what you needed. I think I have about the greatest staff on the earth! Give them a call toll free at 877-746-4320 to see about the timing of reorders for the chargers. Happy birthday to your sister, and love to you both!
Robin Frank -- Vision Interiors says
June 15, 2013 at 7:30 pmI love those wicker charges too , found them to be a terrific asset when we do pot lucks… When folks bring hot dishes . Perfect for hot pads and just so cool looking . So I have about 6-8 of them and find them extremely handy . I will set a flowerpot as a centerpiece on dining room table and put one under as a mat to protect my table …. Very Artie and cool looking . We love all things Nell Hills !!!!!