5 Simple Summer Centerpiece Ideas for Your Home

Stephanie Smith

Whether you're planning a summer dinner party or just decorating for every day living, a simple centerpiece can add a special touch to your home. Summer is an exciting time for decorating since there are so many flowers, fruits and vegetables readily available to use. We've put together the following five centerpiece ideas you can use for your summer decorating using a variety of items.

1) Use fresh lilies and freesias in a vase. The varying size of the flowers adds interest and the colors of both types of flowers are almost unlimited. Consider using this long-lasting arrangement on your dining room table. To extend the life of your bouquet, make sure to trim off the old flowers.

2) Fill a decorative bowl or wide vase with sea shells or smooth pebbles. This centerpiece is low maintenance which makes it perfect for outdoor decorating and it won't bring around curious insects or become disheveled in a breeze.

3) For the every day centerpiece, try filling a glass fruit bowl with red and green tomatoes. If you grow tomatoes in your garden, you can use the ripe ones in your centerpiece until you eat them, and continue to replace them as they ripen. The contrasting colors will be pleasing to the eye, and the simplicity of it is appealing to anyone. Besides, it's a great way to show off your gardening skills!

4) On a side table, use stalks of the same or multi-colored gladiolas in a tall vase. Because of the height of these flowers, this arrangement is not suitable as a dinner table centerpiece since people will have trouble seeing over it. Try growing glads in your garden to use as cut flowers to minimize your costs.

And now for my favorite...!

5) Try making a dessert centerpiece for buffets or barbeques. Fill a glass bowl with seasonal fresh fruit like melon cubes and strawberries. Placed the bowl into the middle of a large serving plate covered in a variety of bite-size desserts such as brownies, cream puffs, fudge, squares, cookies or tarts. You're guests can choose between healthy and sweet, depending on what they feel like eating. Have a small glass filled with toothpicks nearby for finger-free access to the fruit. This centerpiece is a hit! Not only is it tasty, it also looks great and will be sure to get some comments!

As you can see, summer can be a fun time for decorating! There are so many ways to brighten up your home and I hope that these five ideas have inspired you to be creative with your centerpieces!