Now is the time to start sorting out some simple decorating ideas for summer for your home. If this is your first year in your home or your first time decorating for summer, you might not know where to start when it comes to refreshing your home for the warmer months.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare your house for the summer. You don’t have to renovate your house or buy a lot of new furniture, either. Just an addition here and a swap there could really elevate your living space. Check out these simple decorating ideas for summer that anyone can do.

Declutter Your Home This Summer

If you still haven’t put away all of your winter blankets and clothes, what are you waiting for? Clutter takes up space and crowded spaces tend to generate heat, and nobody wants to sit in a hot house all summer. You can declutter and organize your home with beautiful, multifunctional wicker baskets that are attractive and appropriate for the summer. The more open space you have, the more natural light can hit the inside of your home. You don’t want to miss the chance to take advantage of all the free sunlight.

Put Your Plants on Display

Plants are a great way to decorate your home. It can transform what you think is a boring, ordinary space into a lavish oasis of green wonder. In the summer, you want to embrace all of nature’s natural light, so now is a good time to let your plants thrive. Snag some floor vases from a local thrift store, flea market, or your favorite retailer. Plant a mini tree or shrub or a huge selection of indoor plants that thrive in the sun. Place them on tables, in corners, and even in entryways to brighten up your spaces.

Add Your Favorite Cultural Motifs to Your Wall

Remember back in the day when you used to put all your favorite music artists and inspiration on your bedroom walls? Before the days of Pinterest, Millennials used their bedroom walls, lockers, and even bookbags to express their personalities and interests. Now that you have a home, what’s stopping you from doing the same? Choose a plain wall in your house that has been dying for some attention and post all those Black girl magic art prints and knickknacks you’ve collected on a wall. This way, you can transform a wall into your art gallery.

Incorporate Some Nautical Flavor

Nothing says summer like the beach. But even if you don’t live near the beach, you can bring the beach to you. Add some eye-catching ocean-inspired cool tones to your home to make your spaces feel more breezy and summery. You can choose something small like bath or kitchen towels.  Think about switching up your bedroom by buying some bed linens that have cooler tones. You can complete the look by placing seashells in your room to pull the look together.

Blur The Lines Between Your Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

Even if you don’t keep your door open in your house, you can bring outside elements in and vice versa. For instance, in your bathroom, you can hang lavender and eucalyptus in your shower and add a few plants to make your bathroom feel like a secluded area in the rainforest. Or, you can add multiple pillows to your patio or garden to give it a cozier feel like you have in your home.

Update Your Home Fragrances

Embrace the summer with lighter, fresher scents like mandarin, lavender, rose, and gardenia. Most home fragrance brands switch their selections to reflect the seasons. If you want a fresh, clean smell, pick scents with citrus notes. Citrus scents aren’t too powerful and are pleasant enough to use in any room. Scents like gardenia and rose will have a greater impact on your living room and entryways. You can go for lavender and vanilla in your bedroom, which will make you sleep with ease, especially if you love having the window open.

These simple decorating ideas for summer are easy but sensible upgrades that won’t overwhelm you.