In the blink of an eye, spring will have come and gone and summer's sultry days will fill the months of June through August. While we love the picnics, outdoor activities, and afternoons spent by the ocean or the lake, we're also passionate about of all of the decor options that come to life during the warmer months. Not only do we have the option to optimize our outdoor living spaces, but brighter colors and natural light become all the more acceptable within our in homes!

As we begin stepping into summer, we wanted to share a few ideas and tips to decorating your summer home well! 

1) Use ALL the White
Linen, flowing fabrics, bright, crisp whites... give us all of them! Using white to decorate in the summer is one of our favorite ways to transform any room in our home. Switch out your heavier, warmer comforters or coverlets for lighter whites and your bedroom will become your summertime haven. Exchange your throw pillow covers on your couch or chairs for white and your living room is suddenly a tranquil place of rest.

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Photo Credit: Nina Henderick Design Co

2) Accent with Soft Blues
If you've followed PillowCubes at all on social media, you've probably noticed that we're quite the suckers for all things blue, and there's nothing quite like a softer tone of it to add some perfect summer color to any room in your home. We suggest sticking to softer and lighter blues, but don't be afraid to accent with a navy. One rule of thumb we like to stick to when planning our summer rooms and the use of blue is "less is more" - you don't want your blues overpowering your pretty whites! 

Photo Credit: Setting for Four

3) Add Natural Life with Plants
We've mentioned it before, but using live plants to add real life to rooms can transform a place in exponential ways! For summer, we like using in-home tropical plants and/or succulents. Both create an instant warm-weather vibe and can add so much beauty to the entire space.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

4) Don't Be Afraid fo Macrame
Macrame can get a bad rap for being a "hippy" or boho material, but we've found that adding just a pop of it to the corner of a room in the form of a wall hanging or hammock, or as a cover on a pillow can soften up a space and bring in a natural look overall. While we probably wouldn't use the material for other months of the year in our own homes, accenting with it can shift the entire mood into a summer-vibing, laid-back space.

Photo Credit: IndieHomeCollective.com

5) Remove the Heavy Blankets
While chunky throws and blankets strewn about a room can create a cozy space in the colder months, don't clutter a room with those items in the summer. Pack 'em up and store them until fall. Here are a few tips to storing your winter blankets 

Photo Credit: DuoVentures