Sunflowers for End of Summer Cottage Decor

First impressions… view at the top of our split-level stairs🌻

One of my favorite things about August is seeing yellow sunflowers everywhere. There are so many varieties, and I enjoy them all. So much so, that I decorate our home and outdoor spaces with sunflowers in August. As Fall approaches, I add more and more Autumn elements to the sunflowers. This makes an easy decor transition from Summer to Fall.

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I thought it would be fun to invite you in for a little August tour of Comfy Lane Cottage, room by room, showing all the ways I use sunflowers in decorating. Hopefully, you will be blessed and find an idea or two that would work in your home as well.

Living Room

This view reminds me of summer days filled with sunshine and blue skies.

The pillow cover art is inspiration for the blue mason jar with a small sunflower bouquet placed on top of the old trunk and suitcase.

Here are four ways to display sunflowers: toolbox, crock, pick-up truck bed, and a basket. The yellow quilt and blue chippy bench are a happy combination of blue and yellow.💙🌻💙

This space demonstrates how when you use comfortable and cozy together in a room, it equals COMFY. It’s a place emphasizing both pretty and practical… which in our home we call this function and frou frou!

I like using gingham and checks to create a country cottage feel… curtains, pillows, and throw blanket. Vintage books in blue and yellow are adorned with smaller sunflowers.

Stacked suitcases with sunflowers on top is an easy vintage vignette that draws the eye.

An old thrifted floral vase works nicely for displaying either faux or fresh sunflowers.

The bees are swarming this sunflower bloom.

My husband restores old cars, including trucks. He likes it when I use toy sized versions for decorating. There’s just something cute about a pick-up bed full of flowers! The doilies add a bit of country cottage charm.

Real, Faux, or Both

Do you prefer faux or real sunflowers? You’ll notice that I use lots of faux sunflowers while decorating. We live in the suburbs with old large trees, which means tons of squirrels. Unfortunately, they eat sunflowers. I’ve tried and tried to grow them at home, but the pesky squirrels always devour them. I have a secret picking spot where sunflowers grow wild, blooming in late August and September. Until then, faux sunflowers are a wonderful, inexpensive alternative (and definitely not appetizing to squirrels.)

Foyer & Landing

Our split-level home has a small foyer with stairs leading both up and down. I try to make this little greeting spot feel comfy, with bright happy colors and a calming blue.

Old collectible tins are a fun way to display sunflowers, including this prize potato chips tin. Can you see the decorated porch through the glass?

Landings can be awkward spaces, but with the right decor they become a beckoning place to draw others in. This is my favorite sunflower bouquet, scored at an estate sale for just a dollar. They’re bigger and sturdier.

Themes and Color Schemes

Because sunflowers are so happy and cheerful, I decorate with colors that evoke the same… predominantly yellow and blue, with hints of red and green. I tend to first choose the theme, then the color scheme when decorating for seasons and holidays. Repeating the chosen theme and colors from room to room throughout the home creates a beautiful cottage flow. I include our outdoor spaces as well. Can you see the flow as we transition from the living room to the dining room and beyond?

Dining Room

ReStore is one of my favorite places to find dishes and decor for bargain prices. Most of these dishes are from our local ReStore.

The blue and yellow color combination sold me on these plates…. and the bees!

A bee pillow adds a whimsical touch to our dining room. I’m not an overly serious decorator. I’d rather bless than impress. I want others to feel comfortable and smile in our home.

The blooms on this sunflower bouquet are smaller, perfect for a hanging basket filled with flowers.

A happy cozy corner with various collections adorned with the smiling faces of sunflowers. The tipped bushel basket is filled with flowers in blue and yellow.

The bee lights are a gift from my daughter. Adorable!

Removing the faux stems from sunflowers is a fun way to display the blooms. Various shades of yellow add variety.

This is my kinda whimsy, putting a sunflower in a teacup.

Bees and Blooms

I have a growing collection of bee decor. When decorating for late summer, pairing sunflowers with bees works wonderfully. They’re both yellow and look adorable blooming and buzzing throughout our home. It’s a bee-utiful combination. Our vintage yellow dining bench truly smiles with all of the happy yellow decor. One day I would like to have a backyard beehive and produce our own honey. Then the bees would scare away the squirrels, so I could grow mammoth sunflowers! 🐿️🐝🐝🐝🌻🌻🌻

Kitchen

This is our summer hutch display, a garden picnic theme. Removing flags after Fourth of July and adding sunflowers is an easy transition.

A smiling sunflower face is strategically placed to bring smiles to others.

Dollar Tree sunflowers are my favorite, a bargain and beautiful.

Both the thrifted cookbook and casserole dish match the blue gingham and sunflower theme.

This is the perfect time of year for an iced latte with honey vanilla syrup! 🐝🍯☕

If I lived on a farm in the country, there would be chickens running around everywhere and a huge field of sunflowers. Being a city gal with a country heart, I make do with a backyard coop and store bought/thrifted sunflowers.

Chickens like sunflowers too… sunflower seeds are a yummy treat.

A cute little bushel basket holds several sunflowers and adds country cottage charm to our kitchen. My favorite way to display flowers, including sunflowers, is in old jars. The window ledge jars are painted blue and each holds a single sunflower stem.

Bargain Blooms and Beyond

Thrift stores, estate sales and dollar stores are my go to places for bargain decor. I find all kinds of sunflower goodies: faux sunflowers, sunflower welcome signs, garden flags, watering cans, pillows, and dishes. Pillow covers are a wonderful space saver, inexpensive, and come in adorable sunflower patterns, even with blue check to match my decor. I enjoy mixing old with new when decorating. Color and theme tie it all together creating that comfy cottage feel.

Sunroom

Our vintage fridge is filled with beverages for entertaining friends and family. The top soda crate gets a sunflower bouquet for a pop of yellow.

A cozy corner needs sunflowers too. This bouquet has a hint of red in the center of each bloom, which coordinates well with the vintage thermos set.

An old thermos jug makes a great vase for sunflowers, real or faux.

A sunflower themed setting… perfect for a sunny sunroom!

It’s so much fun dressing up this little farmhouse table. The table is vintage, a ReStore score, covered in a happy sunflower yellow check tablecloth made from a bedsheet. The napkins are homemade, also from a repurposed bedsheet.

Just about everything on this table is thrifted, gifted or a dollar store find.

Sunflowers paired with blue flowers in a deep blue vase… such a heavenly combination!

This is my favorite vintage casserole set. I found them at a small town barn sale. Blue gingham/check together with sunflowers is just my style!

Layers of blue and yellow with a sunflower on top💙🌻💙

Delightful Displays

There are so many ways to display sunflowers. They can be arranged with other flowers in a mixed bouquet. A bouquet of just sunflowers is a happy sight. Single stems can be impactful as well. A sunflower bloom without the stem is an easy way to add a pop of yellow. Since faux blooms don’t need water, there are endless more options. I enjoy the creative side of using faux blooms but displaying real sunflowers always brings a smile.

Backyard Spaces

Watering cans are a wonderful way to display sunflowers, both freshly cut and faux.

Sunflower watering cans add to the cuteness. These are secondhand finds from estate sales.

This is my happy place! Faux sunflowers are displayed in several old mailboxes painted blue-tiful shades of blue.

I change the flowers in this mailbox for every season. Sunflowers are for summer.

Mail call! A mama bird once used one of my hanging mailboxes for her nest. The baby birds were adorable, but our bird dog kept trying to reach them. Now, I keep the lid a bit more closed when displaying flowers.

Another estate sale bargain find. I met the daughter of the woman who made this sunflower garden angel.

Not just clematis adorns this arbor. A sunflower chandelier adds a bit of colorful cottage charm.

This is such an easy DIY. The chandelier is spray painted Wildflower Blue, and a single sunflower stem is wrapped around each fixture.

Even my greenhouse gets a sunflower makeover.

This huge grapevine wreath is adorned with vintage gardening tools. I change the blooms with the changing seasons. Sunflowers pop with their happy yellow.

A friend gave me the summer sunflower wreath. Perfect for the backyard chicken coop door!

Meet Mr. & Mrs. Comfy Lane Cottage. The squirrels won’t touch these sunflowers. Faux sure!!!

Outdoor Decor

Using faux sunflowers to decorate outside spaces might seem unexpected, but if you have pesky squirrels, you understand the problem. I spread the blooms around in both our front and backyard areas. My two favorite ways to display sunflowers outdoors are in watering cans and mailboxes. The blooms look beautiful added to wreaths as well. I keep the outside sunflowers separate from those used inside, storing them in plastic bags in the shed to avoid bringing little stowaway bugs into our home.

Front Porch

A welcoming porch is a must for me. Sunflowers on the pillow cover and in the watering cans help to create a welcoming feel. Plus, they’re colorful and cute!

I couldn’t resist the thrifted metal can with its sunflower spout!

This welcome truck is a gift from Aunt Martha. The truck bed changes with each month and holiday. I always look forward to changing it. Sunflowers for now!

Just a few simple sunflowers to add pops of yellow to our vintage fishing display.

Our roof has a large overhang all along the front of the house. Since the porch is small, I utilize the covered areas for plants and more decorative displays.

Sunflower blooms in the watering can and wagon, a sunflower welcome sign and adorable sunflower pillow greet all who make their way up the winding path.

This pillow is one of my favorites and not just because of the sunflowers. It is decor with a deep and powerful message.

A mop bucket makes a marvelous sunflower vase, as does a red trimmed enamelware bowl. Both adorn this outdoor nook tucked under the roof overhang. Comfy!

Bee Blessed! Bee a Blessing!

I hope and pray that you have been blessed while spending time together touring my home, Comfy Lane Cottage. I also hope you have been inspired… even finding an idea or two that would work in decorating with sunflowers for your own home… keeping the blessings flowing.

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