There’s regular styling thrifted decorations… and then there’s the summer edition!

This post is part nine of our series where I show you not only what I’ve found while thrifting, but also how I style the pieces in my own home, and the WHY behind my styling choices!

If you are new to the series, I’ll share all of the associated posts down below for you to get all caught up!

In the weeks leading up to a change of season, I like to gather up the pieces that I know I’ll be using in my decor when I switch out my seasonal items! It was time to get some summer inspiration flowing in our house, so today we’ll get a glimpse into how I’m styling some peak spots for this summer.

With graduations approaching and other spring projects finishing up, I knew I wouldn’t have the time to do a full scale summer decorating spree in the entire house, so I picked a few spots in our living room that would have high impact and stuck with those!

I share that because I know I’m not the only one who sometimes can’t do it all! In case you need someone to remind you, it’s OK to just do whatever you can for this year, whatever brings you and your family joy and nothing more.

Now, onto my summer styling for my thrifted decorations!

Thrifted Decorations & How I Styled Them:

In most of my previous posts I shared first the exact items I found, and then how I styled them. This time around, I’m going to show you the areas I styled, and then tell you which of the items are new finds from this month!

Keen She Holds Dearly observers might be able to spot the new items before I even list them! (Let me know in the comments below if you were right about your guesses!)

Here’s a sneak peak at the room to get you started!

*This post contains affiliate links to products I know &/or love.

Décor on the Piano:

If one of your guesses was the large blue calendar chalkboard, you’re correct! Found this one for $4!

I knew it would be a sweet way to highlight the 4th of July, so that’s just what I did.

And that fun new globe, that’s another one of my new pieces! Also just $4!

I actually saw this same globe still on the shelves at Target last week, so this was a great find! Mine did have some sort of sticky glue residue on it, but after wiping it down it didn’t bother me!

The last new to me item on the piano are the four white embroidered napkins laying across the top like a faux bunting. Normally I might cut these up and sew or glue them into a true bunting, BUT I love using white cloth napkins in our bathrooms in place of hand towels, so these will have a new home there after summer is finished! They were $5 for 5.

Summer Décor Inspiration:

In my summer decorating I love to bring in things that remind me of summer:

• Celebrating the 4th of July
• Going to the Beach
• Back to School
• And lots of Sunshine

So I often use lots of white, blue (which works for all of those themes), pops of red for the 4th, and yellow for an extra feel of sunshine.

You can see in the piano vignette above that I included nods to three of the items on my list above. The calendar and globe give off a school feel, while the books, calendar and “bunting” feel patriotic, and the galvanized bucket adds an element of vintage beach exploration!

The Window Seat:

Did you happen to spot it? That unique and really cool shell pillow in the middle? That was $2.99.

Take my word for it that you would NOT want to fall asleep on this pillow (can you imagine the marks on your face when you woke up), but it is great for adding texture and visual interest in your decor!

I love that the shells (which are reminiscent of mother of pearl) draw in the other beachy elements I chose to add throughout the room.

And that pop of navy blue in the striped pillow… I absolutely added that intentionally to pull in some of the 4th of July patriotism! Notice how the stripes are horizontal to pay homage to the stripes on the flag? It’s the little details like that that I just love slipping into my designs.

Both the navy striped pillow and the pom pom edge pillows were from my own collection. When you have a good system down for organizing your seasonal decor, it makes it easy to “shop your house” to find pieces to add for new seasons and events!

If you’re looking for another patriotic pillow option, I have a blog post all about how to make a 1776 theme pillow cover that you won’t want to miss!

The Lego Dresser:

Someday when my children are long grown and moved out, this dresser in our living room might hold something other than legos, but I kind of doubt that the name will ever be changed.

This beautiful gold and glass box was just $5.99! It has a small crack near one of the corners, but it still works great as a way to showcase some lovely sea shells.

In the above picture of the window seat you might have also noticed the golden beverage bucket. That was one of my thrifted finds from late last year (see post # 5) that is making an appearance now to hold my lovely silk vintage flags.

I also set out some blue transferware which makes a great summer accent. (I used it a few years back in my blue and white table scape.)

Study Table:

With so much studying going on at our house currently to finish up this year, we have been using our former dining room table (from the room that is now the fireside room, see part 7) in the living room as an extra study area. I decided to add some décor there instead of on our coffee table that I typically spruce up.

First things first you might have noticed these really charming blue and red star straws! These were from two thrifted sets at $.99 each.

I knew they’d be a fun way to add some “summer” feel to the room (because who doesn’t love crisp lemonade on a hot summer day?!), and the lovely colors and patriotic flare are added bonuses!

These french lemonade bottles are some of my favorites from World Market! I honestly don’t even remember if we loved the lemonade itself, but the bottles are so darling that we washed them out and have used them year after year since!

This lovely table runner is actually an up-cycle from a vibrant IKEA curtain set I found last week when I was at IKEA looking for some summer finds! So while they’re not technically thrifted, they were on clearance for only $15! In future years I might cut them up for a bunting of some sort!

The brass platter underneath the lemonade is another IKEA find from my trip last week. It was full-price, but worth it!

You might have also recognized the 5th cloth napkin from the set of 5 I mentioned earlier! I used it beneath the drinks for an extra sweet touch.

And that’s my styling thrifted decorations – summer edition for you!

I hope this gives you some inspiration as you start planning out your own summer decor.

Don’t forget these other posts in the series:

• Tips for Styling Thrifted Decor
• Styling Your Thrifted Finds, Part 2
• Styling Thrifted Decorations, Part 3
• Styling Thrifted Decorations, Part 4 (Christmas Edition)
• Styling Thrifted Decorations, Part 5
• Styling Thrifted Decorations, Part 6 (Spring Edition)
• Styling Thrifted Decorations, Part 7
• Styling Thrifted Decorations, Part 8

Pin this Styling Thrifted Decorations Series – Summer Edition for Later:

Until next time,