Six home decor trends you might see this summer

So, a little bit about me- I don’t love shopping, but I do love shops. That might not make total sense but the truth is- I adore going in a collection of downtown businesses in old buildings with tin ceilings and hardwood flooring. I love seeing the displays and the creativity that goes into staging items for sale. I enjoy the experience of the presentation. Which is why online shopping will never replace my favorite home decor catalogs.

It’s also probably why I don’t enjoy things like grocery shopping or shoe shopping. Why I cringe at minimalist clothing boutiques with white walls and black marble floors. It’s also why I am less likely to spend money in any place that looks like you are shopping in a warehouse.

But give me a good experience, an atmosphere, and I will come back. I will be a loyal shopper.

Which is my lengthy explanation for how I came to be scrolling through photos on my phone of the last 5 or 6 places I went into between Ripon and Green Lake (and Appleton) noticing all new seasonal trends since my previous winter and spring visits. So if you are noticing that I keep writing about the same shops, it’s because they are worth revisiting!

Without further adieu, here’s six trends that are popping up everywhere this summer!

Dark teal-green and macrame pillows

First of all- who doesn’t love the idea of an antique bed with gauzy white curtains and twinkle lights for summer? This example at the recently opened Johnson and Black in Green Lake fits the store’s premise of design with British roots, as it has an almost heirloom safari feel.

I noticed the same vibrant color showed up in a butterfly wall hanging at Fiddler Creek in Ripon along with those neutral shades of textured pillows that sport tassels and macrame out of creme and white fabrics.

This distressed milk paint rocking chair also reiterates the doily pattern pillow and deep teal blue color on a sweater blanket, perfect for a cooler summer night stargazing on your porch (also at Johnson and Black).

Beads

This trend was subtle but evident everywhere. It was something I didn’t take notice of right away but could recall examples of when I thought back. It was represented in many colors and styles, from painted and natural round beads to wood or crystal ones.

The wood bead trend infiltrated light fixtures years ago, which was a more bold commitment to the texture. Now we have more versatile options like this fireplace swag (above) as seen at Fiddler Creek in Ripon.

NO stain is the new stain

While we’ve been teetering on a more natural and less polished finish trend for a while now, including soap stone counter tops and matte finished white oak floors-

The reclaimed and re-imagined furniture industry has embraced an even more stripped away surface technique. This is seen in antique pieces that look like they have been freed of decades of paint choices and the pores of the wood are weathered from baking in the sun.

Wings

This hanging printed paper art at Fiddler’s Creek was reminiscent of last fall’s collection of feather prints at Maxwell’s House in Door County.

This evolution from feathers to full wings was found in more than one shop, signaling to me that this artist perhaps released a new series of work. The lovely back entry of Johnson and Black featured the subject as two individual prints, creating a symmetry as pleasant as that of the butterfly wing art from the beginning of the post.

Nature suspended in jars

While not a new concept – these bath oils are a lovely example of a well designed product that is visually appealing as an accessory to any shelf in your bathroom. The simple bottles evoke a vintage feel and they showcase sprigs of nature that are reminiscent of home remedies or ingredients from an apothecary.

Meanwhile I also couldn’t help but notice these jars for making drinks that offer you ready to use ingredients from nature- you only have to add everything else!

At first I thought this was a silly idea until I came to appreciate the marketing- the logo, white jar lids and the creativity of inspiring someone to make a “craft” cocktail out of dried herbs and twigs. While I still might think it looks like things scooped up off the woods floor- giving it the name “Camp” lends it some extra charm!

And at last-

The return of bold spaces

I’ve already been vocal about how I am ready for what’s next after modest, calming and neutral has dominated our minimalist and farmhouse styling for the past few years. Which is why I think I found so much joy in shopping at the new Johnson and Black showroom. The modest sized boutique was drenched in vibrant color. This forest green storage cabinet dominated an entire wall when you first walked in but the pink, mauve and crimson colors surrounding it gave it levity and made it pop.

I can appreciate the same in the tasting room of Patina View with the bounty of interesting colors and textures. The dark stained mantle is accessorized with greens and turquoise that twinkle against the cheerful pink accents. These are spaces that just make you happy!