The Little Things That Make My Home Feel Like Summer
There’s a moment every year when I start noticing summer quietly showing up around our house. I finally put away the heavy coats, and the sandals and flip flops make their way to the coat closet. I switch the wreath on the front door, start pulling out all of my summer serving pieces again, and before long the hydrangeas will be blooming and I'll be eating tomato sandwiches every chance I get.
The lanterns and solar lights get moved back outside, and suddenly my kids are spending more time barefoot, running all over the neighborhood and through any sprinkler they can find. After the busy season that spring always seems to bring—with staging projects, baseball games, soccer practices, and trying to keep everything moving—I look forward to this shift every year.
I think homes feel different in the summer. At least mine does. It's happier. It's more relaxed. And it's the time of year I love entertaining the most.
Our life seems to slow down a little. We spend more time outside, and somehow the little things become the things I look forward to most. Late nights at the pool, outdoor movies, helping my daughter add new pieces to her fairy garden, and sitting in my hammock after dinner while the kids play outside are the moments that make summer feel like summer to me.
And while I love decorating and styling homes, I've realized that making my home feel like summer usually has less to do with decorating and more to do with embracing the season we're in. For me, it starts with a few simple changes around the house that help our home reflect what's happening outside.
One of the first things I do is refresh the front porch. I swap the wreath, roll out a fresh doormat, add a few of my favorite lanterns, and spend way too much time trying to keep my wave petunias alive through another humid Maryland summer. There’s something about pulling into the driveway and seeing those little changes that makes me feel like the season has officially started.
Around the same time, I start bringing out all of my favorite entertaining pieces. My melamine serving trays, hostess napkins, and pie plates somehow only seem to make an appearance between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but seeing them sitting on the counter instantly makes the house feel more seasonal. (And it helps me use them more!!) Maybe it's because they remind me of backyard dinners and summer gatherings, but they always seem to signal the beginning of slower evenings and more time spent with family and friends.
And if I'm being honest, I don't really believe beautiful things should sit in cabinets waiting for special occasions. I use them all summer long.
Flowers make their way into almost every room, too. When my hydrangeas are blooming, I'm constantly clipping them and bringing them inside. When they aren't, I'm usually reaching for my favorite faux hydrangea stems because they still bring that same soft, full look to a room.
Fresh or faux flowers are probably the quickest way I know to make a home feel like summer. Even simple green stems! Anything that brings the outdoors IN!
The other thing I focus on every year is making our outdoor spaces feel just as welcoming as the inside of our home. I think a lot of people overlook their patios and porches, but some of our favorite memories happen outside during the summer. I approach those spaces the same way I would a living room by adding LED candles, layering in pillows, bringing out more lanterns, and creating comfortable places to sit.
Because at the end of the day, I don't really care if a space looks perfect.
I care if people want to stay.
Some of my favorite summer nights are usually the simplest ones. The pasta salad was already made, someone brought watermelon, the lanterns stayed on longer than expected, and nobody was in a hurry to leave. The kids were catching fireflies, the adults were still talking, and before we knew it, the stars were out.
The older I get, the more I think that's what home is really supposed to be. Not perfect. Not magazine-worthy. Not free from soccer goals in the backyard or pool towels draped over chairs. Just welcoming.
Because the homes I remember most aren't the ones that looked perfect. They're the ones where people felt comfortable, where everyone gathered in the kitchen, where the kids ran through sprinklers before dinner, and where nobody wanted the evening to end.
And honestly, that's the feeling I'm always trying to create in my own home every summer. If you'll please excuse me, I have flowers that need watering, a hammock calling my name, and probably another batch of pasta salad to make before the week is over. If you're looking for a few ways to welcome summer home, I've linked some of my favorite seasonal pieces below.
