What colors do you associate with summer? Yellow? Orange? Red? While summer can be a time for breaking out the brightest colors of the rainbow, you don’t necessarily have to go bold to make a summery statement with your decor. The guide that follows offers suggestions for finding seasonal shades perfect for your home and aesthetic.

Natural notes

Flowers and plants start to bloom in spring, but they are often in full bloom throughout the summer; for much of the country, this means that summer brings the greenest foliage of the year. Take a cue from nature and embrace the varied shades of green you might see outside your window by incorporating more greenery in your home. In your living room, place small potted plants on top of your coffee table and end tables, or a larger potted plant, such as a fern or palm, in an empty corner of the space.

If you’re not a huge fan of plants, you can add green in other subtle ways. Try swapping out dark-colored pillows and throws for new ones in an olive-green or lime-green color. You can do the same for your home’s exterior by replacing your current patio furniture cushions with green ones.

Not-so-nautical

The nautical theme is popular for beach houses, but unless you live in a quaint coastal town, it can be hard to make it work in your decor. Instead, bring a sense of the sand and sea to your home by incorporating tropical colors like light blue and coral.

Coral can be a particularly fun color for the kitchen. If you’re looking to go big, you could paint an accent wall or an entire section of your kitchen a shade of coral. For something more understated, try swapping your usual tableware for coral plates and cups. Light blue can be mixed and matched with a variety of different colors, making it an easy color to work into your existing decor. The bathroom and bedroom are great places to use light blue. For example, your bathroom can be made more relaxing by bringing in a plush blue bath mat and towels, and you can give your bedroom a comforting aesthetic with blue bed pillows and decorative accents, such as vases and picture frames.

Golden hour

The sun is out longer in summer, so it’s the perfect time of year to leave your home open to as much natural light as it can get. You can do so by replacing heavy drapes with light linen ones in neutral colors like cream or tan and placing mirrors across from windows to reflect the light coming in.

If your home doesn’t get much natural light, you can bring a bit of the sun into it artificially by incorporating warm colors like honey (golden yellow) and sand (tan yellow). Gold accents can also reflect light, so try placing gilded decor, like decorative bowls and candle jars, near a window. Because sand is such a neutral color, you can place accents of this color, including tan throws, pillows, and rugs, just about anywhere. Yellow flowers can be another fun touch to lift the atmosphere of your home and promote positivity.

Cool and classic

You can’t go wrong with an old design standby: black and white. White is common in summer decorating. But you might be thinking, “Black?” Fear not. Black and white is a classic color combo for a reason—it’s easy, looks elegant, and will be easy to transition once fall arrives.

The key is in achieving the right ratio of black to white. A good rule of thumb is one-third black to two-thirds white, meaning you should aim to keep the majority of your decor light and breezy, and incorporate dark elements in small doses. For example, if you have white furniture, spice things up by adding black pillows (bonus: they won’t show dirt as easily), black coffee table decor, and a black accent rug.

To make a statement in your entryway or mudroom, create a decorative gallery by hanging a variety of black-and-white art pieces on an empty wall. You can also combine form and function by placing black storage baskets in a convenient spot to store shoes and other odds and ends, and a black decorative welcome mat at the front door.

Summer decorating is all about having fun with color. No matter which colors you choose, remember to keep your design playful and carefree, just like the season should be.