Free or Low-Cost, Easy Summer Decorating Ideas for Your Living Room

When winter winds blow, living rooms may be more inviting with warm comforters or throws, lots of pillows and stacks of wood by the fireplace. But when the cold weather turns to summer, all of that darkness can look downright gloomy. Here are some quick living room decorating ideas for summer which are very inexpensive (and often free):

Add Some Fresh Fruit or Similar Themed Artwork

This tip is one that can be adjusted to fit nearly every budget. Instead of the dark candles or throw pillows that may have been in place for winter, replace them with a bowl of fresh fruit for a lovely centerpiece that also appeals to the taste buds. Fruit comes in nearly every shade and color so it shouldn't be hard to find some that match your decor.

The bright orange color of tangerines or a deeper purple color of plums could work with neutral decor or contrast with other living room decor, giving a jolt of color to the room. If you're afraid that real fruit will spoil before you eat it, there are artificial fruits available at florist shops that could fool even the most astute observer.

Another Low-Cost, Easy Decorating Idea for the Summer Living Room? Change out the Artwork

Continuing with the fruit theme, Pottery Barn has brand new stretched canvas artwork featuring paintings of either green apples or yellow pears which can be seen here . Because they come unframed, they have a relaxed, casual look to them and are light enough to hang on the wall in minutes, making for very easy living room artwork. Because the paintings can be used year after year, their very reasonable $29.00 price for an 8x11 canvas is a low-cost way to upgrade living room decor.

Take Advantage of Free Summer Decor by Making the Outside View Part of Your Summer Living Room

Summer is ideal gardening season and even if your yard is the size of a postage stamp, take advantage of any living room windows by placing a pot of plants near them, making sure the colors complement those used in the room. If you've got neutral colors, you can vary your choice of garden colors quite a bit. If you're lucky enough to have perennials which come back every year, you won't have to spend a cent to make the outdoors part of your decorating scheme (although you may want to take curtains down or change them to sheers). If you'd prefer a ready-made garden, check out the container gardens, complete and ready to ship, at White Flower Farm . Check out their annual flowers, all ready for containers or summer borders (if you have more space). You can check out the possibilities here . Many local gardening centers also have stunning container gardens which are ready to purchase, many very low-cost.

Add Texture to Your Summer Living Room by Updating or Buying New Throw Pillows

Some people buy new slipcovers for their summer living room furniture but a cheaper option is to use pillow you already own and simply change the look. If the pillows are more for decoration than use, try buying long strips of raffia and simply tie them around the pillows, giving a nice, breezy look. This idea works with nearly any color pillow and can make winter shades fit with summer decor. Raffia is easily found at craft shops like Joann fabric and craft stores , found here . A package of raffia ribbon costs only a mere $1.49 but can change the look of pillows dramatically.

To complete a free or no-cost easy summer living room update, consider taking down winter curtains or replacing them with sheers - or don't use any curtains if they aren't needed for privacy. Change out woolen area rugs for ones made of rattan or possibly use no rugs at all.