Summer Simplicity

Bring the sunshine indoors with these summertime decor tips!

The longer, hotter days of summer comes with a surge of energy and inspiration for home projects. Creating beautiful, comforting spaces that leave you feeling fresh and inspired all year long doesn't have to be complicated. Often, it’s the simple touches that make your home uniquely yours. A mix of décor styles can really take your home to the next level. Here are some of our best tips on crafting a gorgeous summer style.

Pick a Color Scheme

One of the easiest ways to bring summer indoors is to start with a color scheme. Soft blues and light wood tones convey a nautical feel that is soothing and modern and can easily be brought to life with accents of white and natural greens from your garden. Really make it stand out with some fresh lemons or oranges for a bright pop of color. Once you have your base colors, feel free to branch out in different shades and hues to add visual interest.

Varying shades of blue and yellow take center stage in this decor with easily replaceable accent pieces by A Simply Styled Nest (IG: asimplystylednest)

Take Some Time to Plan

As exciting as it is to get out the paint rollers and start your updates, take some time to really plan out your new look. Trendy looks might be fun for the moment, but be careful of the cost involved before you take the plunge: you don’t want to invent $$$ just to have it go out of trend by next summer and end up in the attic for the next 20 years! That said, don't be afraid to be daring and add unique touches to your home with whitty artwork or bold themes--your home is for you, after all, so make it personal! Etsy is a great place to find inexpensive digital prints that you can frame yourself, or find handpainted artwork that makes you smile every time you enter the room.

This stunning wall mural design by Young House Love is the perfect example of adding a bold color to your space. Best part: this mural is completely removable with no damage to the wall underneath!

Renew, Reuse, Recycle

Thrift stores, yard sales, and flea markets can be a GREAT way to score a beautiful piece at a discount. With your color scheme in mind, it can really help you narrow your focus of what pieces you’re looking for. Also, look at what you already have—have some blue mason jars collecting dust in a cabinet?  Wash them off and put them on display on your bookshelf or entertainment center with some fresh flowers or greenery. For vases and pottery, think outside the box if you come across a piece that has the shape you’re looking for—an inexpensive and easy way to achieve the look you like is to spray paint a piece so that it coordinates with your color scheme. From vases to picture frames and mirrors, secondhand can be a valuable tool. The drawback is that you never know what you’re going to find, so if you’re not one to hunt for a diamond in the rough, then buying new might be a good option for you.

 A tablescape is a wonderful place to incorporate thriftstore finds, like this display by the secondhand boutique, Very Violet Boutique in Lee's Summit, MO

Blend Beauty with Functionality

It’s nice to dream about having a magazine ready home but be realistic about what you can achieve—for homes with pets and young children, maybe splurging on that all-white sofa with no removable cover isn’t the best move. Really examine the space you’re looking to change and think about what you’d need for the space to be useful. Have an old closet that is just collecting junk that you don’t use? Clean it out and declutter (don’t forget to research local charities for donating items you don’t want or use anymore that are in good condition) and consider adding pieces to the space that would make it easier to use. Add a small bench, hooks for coats and jackets, and woven baskets for shoes to give everything its own place with beautiful organization.

Form meets functionality in this mudroom design by BrePurposed

Move Things Around

A very simple change that doesn’t involve any investment is rearranging your furniture to breathe new life into a space. Scavenge colorfully bound books from around the house to stack on shelves for visual interest. Think about different arrangements for the space that connect with the purpose of the room. For family rooms, consider different seating arrangements centered around a coffee table. Instead of a single, long sofa, make sure to include different seating options for guests—armchairs, ottomans, and coffee tables can all be used as seating that allows your guest to feel comfortable in your home and conducive to conversation. Though not free, swapping out an outdated light fixture can really change the entire look of a room.

 Buffalo World Map Timezone Clock in Brass, $278

Want to share your #summerdecor with Emperor? Be sure to follow @hermlenorthamerica on Instagram and tag us in your decor post for a chance to be featured on our homepage!