60 + Late Summer Decorating Ideas To Make Your Home Look Amazing

Discover over 60 inspiring late summer decorating ideas to refresh your home and garden. Find creative ways to celebrate the beauty of late summer.

Welcome to The Digest #10. Late summer is on its way. Let’s enjoy the remains of summer and use a few late-summer decorating ideas to create a sense of comfort and beauty. One of my favorite things about summer is the long evenings! I’ll miss how the golden evening sun floods through our windows in the evening. So, I’m making the most of the daylight and all the beauty late summer offers, like bowls and vases of hydrangeas and sunflowers, harvesting herbs and vegetables, adding a few more layers of comfort to our home, and so much more!

Welcome to The Digest #10!

This time of year brings a unique blend of warmth and transition, allowing us to enjoy the lingering moments of summer while subtly preparing for the cozy months ahead.

One of the true joys of summer is long evenings, where the golden evening sunlight spills through our windows, casting a warm glow throughout our homes. I’ll miss these long, sunlit hours, so I’m embracing every moment and making the most of the daylight. Late summer offers a bounty of natural beauty, from colorful hydrangeas and cheerful sunflowers to the bountiful harvest of herbs and vegetables from our gardens.

In this edition, we’ll explore a variety of late-summer decorating ideas that infuse your home with comfort and charm. From filling bowls and vases with seasonal blooms to layering cozy throws and cushions, there are countless ways to celebrate this beautiful time of year.

I think late summer is the time to start to put away overtly summery decor. I know it might be hard, but late summer has a different feeling. It will also leave room so that your late summer decor is highlighted, and when fall comes around, your home will be easier to decorate. This is all part of my Lazy Girl Decorating philosophy.

Here are 60+ late summer decorating ideas to make your home look amazing…

• Sunflower Centerpieces: Create stunning centerpieces using fresh or artificial sunflowers.
• Lightweight Throws: Drape lightweight throws over your furniture for cool summer evenings.
• Outdoor Lanterns: Place lanterns with LED candles around your patio or garden.
• Herb Gardens: Grow a small herb garden in pots on your kitchen windowsill.
• String Lights: Hang string lights on your porch or patio for a cozy glow.

• Seasonal Wreaths: Make or buy a wreath with late summer or early fall flowers and foliage.
• Fresh Fruit And Vegetable Displays: Use bowls of seasonal fruits like peaches and berries as table decor. Use a bowl of tomatoes, artichoke hearts to display on a kitchen counter.
• Muted Pillows: Swap out your cushions for ones with softer muted tones.
• Mason Jar Vases: Use mason jars as vases for fresh flowers from your garden.
• Outdoor Rugs: Add an outdoor rug to your patio or deck area.

• It’s not too early to add a small basket of pinecones to a coffee table display. However, avoid using frosted or snowy pinecones until later in the year.
• Seasonal Table Runners: Use tactile table runners like burlap or linen on a table.
• Potted Plants: Place potted plants around your home to add greenery.
• Outdoor Seating Area: Create a comfortable seating area with cushions and pillows. Evening will start getting a bit cooler
• Bring Out Your Copper: Start displaying copper pots and accessories in your kitchen,

• Apples: As August rolls near September, add a big bowl of apples on your table flanked by taper candles.
• Vintage Bottles: Display vintage bottles filled with wildflowers.
• Herb Drying: Dry herbs from your garden on a drying rack in bundles.
• Lavender Sachets: Sew sachets and fill them with dried lavender.
• Seasonal Simmer Pots: Simmer herb, citrus, flowers, and essential oils. See a Summer Simmer Pot HERE, and a Fall Simmer Pot HERE.

• Frame Photo: Remember to frame a photo or two of something memorable from the summer.
• Light Layers: Put a light comforter or duvet on all your beds.
• Open The Windows: On cooler nights, open the windows.
• Forage: Take a walk and collect moss, deer sheds, acorns, pinecones, sticks, and twigs. Save them for fall decorating.
• Decorate Your Coffee Table: Take away the summer decor and add a couple of pretty plants, short taper candles in hurricanes, and books without dust jackets.

• Press Leaves And Tiny Flowers: Press them between tissue in a heavy book. Add more books on top until they are flat. Arrange them in a glass frame, HERE.
• Dress Up A Table: Put a light-colored plaid or buffalo check tablecloth askew on your table.
• Add A Rug Runner: Use an Indian patterned runner in a deep color in your kitchen or hallway.
• Bench Beauty: Trade a dining room chair for a pretty bench.
• Vintage Books: School will be back in session. Read and display a few vintage books or your favorite reads.

• Fire Pit Area: Create a gathering spot around a fire pit with comfortable seating.
• Seasonal Door Mats: Swap out your doormat for one with a late summer theme.
• Seasonal Scents: Use candles or diffusers with late summer fragrances like citrus or lavender.
• Tiki Torches: Add tiki torches around your yard for a tropical feel and added lighting.
• Outdoor Cushions: Refresh your outdoor furniture with new, colorful cushions.

• Seasonal Quilts: Drape lightweight, seasonal quilts over chairs or sofas.
• Seasonal Dishware: Use dishware with summer patterns for your meals.
• Picnic Blankets: Keep a basket of picnic blankets ready for impromptu outdoor dining.
• DIY Citronella Candles: Make your own citronella candles to keep bugs away.
• Seasonal Throw Rugs: Add throw rugs with deeper, muted colors to your living spaces.

• Save The Flavor: Freeze herbs in olive oil to save their summer freshness and infuse the oil with their flavor. Or put herb springs in a bottle and pour in olive oil.
• Dining Outdoors: Set an easy and pretty outdoor table to enjoy summer evenings.
• Seasonal Soap: Use hand soaps with summer scents like coconut or citrus.
• Dry Hydrangeas: Some hydrangeas start to dry by the end of August. Dry them the Easy Way.
• Foliage Urns: Add seasonal foliage to urns and use them on tables as a centerpiece.

• Create a late summer/early fall coffee bar. See one HERE.
• Mums: If you buy mums before Labor Day make sure the flowers are in the bud stage, and not blooming for longer lasting flowering plants.
• Put Away Decor: Put away some of your summer decor. Let your home breathe before fall decorating.
• Add Lighting: As the evenings start getting a little shorter, add layers of lighting with lanterns, and small battery operated lamps. This one is my favorite.
• Rustic Wood: Use wood round as risers and smaller ones as coasters.

• Leaf Imprint Crafts: Create leaf imprints on clay or fabric for unique decorative pieces.
• Texture: Add more texture to your rooms. See How To Add Texture To Your Home To Create Beauty.
• Add Personal Touches: Include personal items like family photos, heirlooms, or travel souvenirs to make your space unique.
• Use Wicker Trays: The add depth to your decor.
• Wooden Cutting Boards: Display layers of cutting boards in the kitchen.

• Get New Dishtowels: Get new distowels and hang them from hooks at the end of a counter. I love THESE and THESE.
• Baskets: Organize and decorate with pretty baskets. See How To Decorate With Baskets: Stylish And Useful Ideas. These are great utility baskets.
• Dried Beans: Fill kitchen canisters with different colored beans.
• Add A Rocking Chair: Add a rocking chair or bench to your front porch with a lightweight throw draped over the arm.
• Timers: Use battery operated candles with timers in all of your candleholders.

• Late Summer Cleaning: Late summer is the perfect time to clean windows, porches, patios, and your front door. Sweep and scrub all the summer dirt away.
• Vintage Furniture: Now is the time to hunt down a few pieces of vintage wood furniture for your home.

Happy Decorating, Friends!