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When I think of summers at home, a few things come to mind: sliced watermelon in the fridge, the scent of sunscreen on sun-warmed skin, and light streaming through the morning windows. The rhythms of life at home shift with the season as well—the days are longer, kids are home from school, and home becomes a retreat from the heat and humidity of summer. Most would say it’s the season to kick back and relax a little more than normal, and updating your home with this year’s summer decor trends is our favorite way to welcome the ease this season brings.
Featured image from Jodie Fried’s Home Tour.
7 Summer Decor Trends That Define 2024
This year’s summer decor trends reflect what we’ve been seeing all throughout 2024. We’re embracing all things big, bold, and colorful. It’s easy to see the influence pop culture is having on the present moment, especially if you’ve been listening to Cowboy Carter on repeat, and the general easy breezy, laid-back stylings that traditionally go so well with summer are there too.
There is truly something for everyone this season, whether you’re a minimalist or maximalist at heart. I chatted with a few experts and got their take on this season’s interior trends. Read on to learn what they’re seeing and loving this summer.
Bookshelves Are the New Gallery Walls
Book lovers rejoice: curating bookshelves at home is very much in this season. Bookshelf wealth was coined at the beginning of this year, and more and more, homeowners are mixing colors, textures and their favorite books to create personalized bookshelf displays.
“To create styled bookshelves with a warm and welcoming feel, continue collecting books you love over time and layer them with personal memorabilia, art, sculptures, and bud vases to curate a display [that’s] uniquely you,” Jacqueline Norrise, Founder of ADL Interiors suggests.
Western Charm
“I’m predicting a modified revival of the Western aesthetic this summer, where rustic charm meets modern sophistication,” Norrise muses. This makes total sense, as Beyoncé’s new country album is gracing just about everyone’s playlists this season.
Western style is no doubt making its way into our closets, as well as our homes. “Combining distressed leather and denim textiles with contemporary pieces can create a luxurious, yet warm atmosphere,” Norris explains. “Embrace the rustic refinement of this trend by incorporating natural materials such as wood and stone in art and sculptures to add depth and texture, and Western motifs in art, pillows, and throws.”
Organic Textures and Materiality
“Natural finishes like rattan, jute, and other weaves aren’t new, but they’re not going anywhere,” Heather Goerzen, Design Director at Havenly states. “Organic textures continue to reign supreme in summer 2024, mostly thanks to their relaxed, lived-in look that blend effortlessly with other furnishings and styles, whether it’s classic influences or a more modern twist.”
Audrey Scheck of Audrey Scheck Designs is no stranger to these materials and often uses them in her designs. “Rattan, wicker, and cane furniture infuses warmth and texture into spaces while maintaining an airy feel,” she shares.
We love natural finishes and organic materials, so this is a trend we can back wholeheartedly. Norrise recommends you be on the lookout for macrame and crochet this season as well. “Incorporating these handcrafted textiles reflects a desire to infuse our spaces with character and a sense of calm, adding warmth, texture, and an artisanal touch to any room,” she says.
Pattern Play
“This year, we’re noticing one clear trend emerging ahead of summer 2024: pops of pattern,” Goerzen states. “While pattern, in general, has been making a slow but steady comeback in the last few years —thanks in part to the rising popularity of traditional design—we predict that it will hit its peak this summer and continue into the rest of 2024.”
Whether you prefer stripes, polka dots or prints featuring exotic animals, this summer is a great time to infuse your personality into your space with some playful patterns you may not have thought to use over the past few years.
“Thanks to the design world’s collective love of all things mid-century modern and Scandinavian minimal, pattern rarely went outside the realm of subtle stripes or geometric motifs,” Goerzen explains. “But now, it appears we’re going all in—vintage-inspired floral and bold animal prints we wouldn’t have even considered five or so years ago are slowly going more mainstream. Nothing is off limits!”
Scheck agrees. “We’re particularly captivated by block prints and botanical motifs, adding a playful yet understated flair to any room,” she says.
Bringing the Outdoors In
If everything is in bloom during spring, summer is the season of continued abundance. Trees are lush and green, summer produce is bursting with color and flavor, and weaving some of that magic into your space is perfect for the season. “Bringing the outdoors in and using lots of greens, terracotta and brown nature-inspired colors and patterns is definitely trending now,” Jill Steinberg, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer of Fine & Dandy Co. shares. “We’re also seeing lots of botanicals and landscape murals being incorporated into homes.”
“Nature is forever and always in style,” Goerzen adds. In addition to nature-inspired patterns and colors, don’t be afraid to incorporate indoor plants into your home if they’re not there already. Nothing livens up a space more than a plant.
Wall-to-Wall Wallpaper
2024 is the year of making bold design choices, so it’s fitting that we’ve moved beyond statement walls and are now embracing wall-to-wall wallpaper. “Wrapping a whole room in a wallpaper mural or in a bold pattern is becoming more popular than just a feature wall, as people want to create a room that feels immersive and layered,” Steinberg shares.
Whether you decide on a smaller, subtle print or a large one, putting wallpaper on every single wall will completely immerse your space in color and pattern—very clearly making a big statement. “I love the idea of creating a room that can transport you to another place or time and there’s no better way to achieve this than with wallpaper!” Steinberg remarks.
Bold Palettes
Fearless color palettes have been taking center stage all of 2024, and this interior trend is sticking around for summer. “We are seeing a continued movement away from all-neutral-everything decor as we head into summer 2024,” Goerzen says. “It’s all about embracing color, personality, and drama with more saturated spaces—particularly in upholstery and paint”
If you’ve been thinking of painting your home office a fun color or have been on the fence about buying that accent chair with a funky pattern, now is the time to go all in with your design choices. Not sure where to start? “Think tried and true blues, rich and sexy greens, alluring marigolds and ambers, and of course, the classic pop of red that’s dominating the fashion and design scene alike,” Goerzen suggests. “It’s a season for expression in all of its shades.”