The Busy Girl’s Guide to Summer Decorating: The Kitchen
Today, I’m excited to share easy ideas for summer decorating in the kitchen as we continue our series, The Busy Girl’s Guide to Summer Decorating.
If you’ve missed any part of this series you can catch up here…
The Busy Girl’s Guide to Decorating: The Entry
The Busy Girl’s Guide to Decorating: The Breakfast Nook
The Busy Girl’s Guide to Decorating: The Living Room
In early May, we had the absolute pleasure of having two of the littles come and stay for the entire weekend. They are both as good as gold so even though we were in the middle of the One Room Challenge and had one week to finish up at Loblolly Manor, we welcomed them with open arms.
I told the littles in advance we were just getting back in town and while we had some fun things planned for them, we also had to run errands like grocery shopping. The day they were set to come visit they called at 645 in the morning to tell me they were ready for school and asked if we were excited to see them later that day. I assured them we couldn’t be more thrilled they were coming, the littles went off to school and our weekend went off without a hitch.
But there was one thing I never realized about sharing a kitchen with littles until we had them over that weekend – 1.) they like to snack a lot 2.) they seem to dance around a lot and 3.) they like to “help” with the meal prep. I know all you moms that experience this on the daily are probably laughing right now.
It was this experience that helped shape the easy summer decorating tips in the kitchen because I know a lot of you will be hosting family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and the sweetest littles that will look forward to hanging out in the heart of the home this season. Here are a few things to consider…
Use the same seasonal color palette in the kitchen you’ve used in the rest of the house – I’ve shared several times during this series how important it is to use a consistent color palette throughout your home, especially when it comes to having an open floor plan. It’s a simple way to make everything feel cohesive without a lot of extra fuss.
Change out your artwork – Shop your house for artwork, create an easy engineer print that is summer inspired, make signs based on your favorite hiking trails, or use your summer bucket list to hang as art. It doesn’t have to be expensive to feel fresh.
Keep kitchen counters clutter free – While we normally keep our kitchen counters clutter free, I’ll admit, it took a bit of extra work to keep them clutter free when the littles were visiting. For us, it meant, reminding them to put away everything from cereal bowls in the dishwasher to keeping stuffed animals hidden from mischievous pets in their backpacks during the day. That being said, because we were such sticklers about keeping the countertops free from clutter it made it that much easier whenever the littles wanted to make a snack, bake a dessert or help make dinner.
Consider setting up a summer drink station – It is crazy hot already in Florida and staying hydrated is so important. Creating a summer drink station is a great way to allow visiting guests to customize their drinks any time of the day. Obviously, this might not work for all families based on the age of your houseguests or littles but even I have started drinking a lot more water since setting up a drink station on our kitchen island.
Leave space for meal planning or kids activities – We have a desk in our kitchen and it’s so nice to be able to quickly look up a recipe if needed while making dinner. The littles use this area to color, read or to create something special which is great because we can still be engaged in conversations with them while cooking.
Add pops of seasonal color – As I’ve share throughout this series, we’ve been obsessed with lavender and gingham checks for summer. Adding seasonal color with pillows, artwork, and plants is a simple way to add color to the kitchen.
Bring life to your kitchen with herbs or potted plants – There are tons of fabulous herbs, fruits and vegetables at the grocery store and the farmer’s market too. Most are simple to grow indoors but if you’re traveling a lot over the summer and won’t be home to water your plants but still want the look, consider making a faux dill topiary like this one.
Buy dish or hand soap that smells like summer – This is another quick, easy and inexpensive way to celebrate the summer season in your kitchen. You can find dish or hand soap from places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, Home Goods or your favorite big box store like Target. Pick up a summer inspired dish towel while you’re there!
I know I’ve said it a lot over the course of this series but I want to drive home the point that summer decorating doesn’t have to be fussy or complicated. All of the summer kitchen decorating tips I’ve shared today can be easily accomplished in no time – so give them a try!
Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.Many blessings
CoCo
That’s it! We’re in the car…on our way…coming to visit! Your Summer kitchen is so clean, lovely and inviting. Your seasonal touches are truly beautiful and so smart. Get our room ready – there’s no telling how long we are likely to stay 🙂 You just make everything to pretty to leave! Much love!
ha ha I would be holding on with white knuckles if you guys tried to leave so no worries at all! Thanks so much for all of your sweet and kind comments. You guys are the best, CoCo