60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Decorating with Stripes

Use painters' tape, fabric paint, and lengths of unadorned canvas drop cloth or cushion covers to create summery striped tablecloths or seat cushions.

How to Decorate with Stripes

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Prized Collections

See eight designers, artists, and tastemakers (including Martha Stewart) reveal their prized collections, from brass trays to tin dollhouses.

See the Prized Collections

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Sunroom Pillows

Brighten up a sunroom with these pillows printed with three different-sized anthurium leaves.

How to Make Sunroom Pillows

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.

How to Make the Raffia Leaf Throw Rug

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Flower Votive Displays

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

How to Make Flower Votive Displays

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.

See the Bright Ideas

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.

How to Make Custom-Made Chaise Cushions

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.

How to Make the Outdoor Dining Setup

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Floral Arrangement in a Seashell

Make waves with an arrangement set in a seashell.

How to Make the Floral Arrangement in a Seashell

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.

How to Make the Summery Leaf -Shaped Table Runner

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Punched Paper Luminarias

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

How to Make Punched Paper Luminarias

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Paper Lantern Vase

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

How to Make the Paper Lantern Vase

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.

How to Make Shaded String Lights

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Rope-Seat Stools

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

How to Make Rope-Seat Stools

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Garden-Print Stenciled Tabletop

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

How to Make the Garden-Print Stenciled Tabletop

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.

How to Make Outdoor Pillows

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.

How to Make Tiki-Torch Anchors

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Nautical Knobs

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

How to Make Nautical Knobs

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Shell Vase

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

How to Make the Shell Vase

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Casual-Modern Outdoor Room

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

How to Make the Casual-Modern Outdoor Room

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.

How to Make the Outdoor Canvas Tablecloth

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Light Columns

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

How to Make Light Columns

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Sand Centerpiece

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

How to Make the Sand Centerpiece

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Napkin-Folded Pillow Cases

Brighten outdoor spaces with decorative pillows made from cloth napkins.

How to Make Napkin-Folded Pillow Cases

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Striped Votive Holders

These striped votives bring a nautical feel to the table.

How to Make Striped Votive Holders

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.

How to Make the Raffia Window Curtain

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.

How to Light an Outdoor Table

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Floating Candles

Floating candles add instant atmosphere to a casual summer table.

How to Make Floating Candles

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Cot Conversion

Turn a camp cot into an elegant patio daybed.

How to Make the Cot Conversion

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.

How to Make the Natural Elements Centerpiece

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Hollywood Regency Outdoor Room

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

Learn More About the Hollywood Regency Outdoor Room

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.

Learn More About the Pacific Rim-Inspired Room

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Tole Baskets

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

How to Make Tole Baskets

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.

How to Make Mood Lighting with Shells

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.

How to Make Vintage Cafe Chairs in a Pastel Palette

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.

How to Make Silk-Flower Party Lights

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.

How to Make the Cane-Top Table

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Outdoor Canopy

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

How to Make the Outdoor Canopy

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Tree Table

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

How to Make the Tree Table

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.

How to Make Bamboo Candles

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.

How to Make the Four-Star Table Runner and Napkin Ties

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Potting Shed

A vintage wooden cupboard provides handsome storage for gardening supplies.

How to Make the Potting Shed

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.

How to Make Raffia Place Mats

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.

How to Make the Candle Chandelier

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Seashell Lights

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

How to Make Seashell Lights

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.

How to Make the Bandanna Table Runner

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Wraparound Bench

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

How to Make the Wraparound Bench

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Origami Lanterns

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

How to Make Origami Lanterns

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Stenciled Pillows

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

How to Make Stenciled Pillows

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Herb Centerpiece

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

How to Make the Herb Centerpiece

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.

How to Make Shell Candles

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.

How to Make Ombre Linen Wall Panels

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.

How to Make the Rope Lamp

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Coordinated Containers

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

How to Make Coordinated Containers

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.

How to Make the Five-Panel Screen

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.

How to Make the Leaf-Print Canvas Rug

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Stamped Stairs

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

How to Make Stamped Stairs

60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Striped Picnic Table

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

How to Make the Striped Picnic Table