4th of July Decorating

Sporting the Red, White, and Blue

Red, white, and blue – our nation's colors – are a natural color palette for summer design. You can use blue denim as a base with white and red accents. Alternatively, white – always a "blank canvas" for decorating – can be "jazzed up" with festive red and blue accessories.

Patriotic strips don't have to be manufactured. You can make your own with strips of cloth, either draped on a table or by alternately colored throws on a white coach. You can even intertwine red, white, and blue cloth around a railing or stair rail, just as you would greenery in December.

At the Table

Since most 4th of July events center around a meal, it's a good idea to decorate your table for the holiday. Special "stars and stripes" dinnerware is becoming more and more popular, both in plastic and pottery, or you can assemble your own tableware, using standard white dishes with blue and red accessories. If you're trying to decorate a long picnic table, consider using an inexpensive blue sheet as a table covering.

For table centerpieces, consider adding a flag to a green plant with a flag or shimmering streamer placed in it. Red and white carnations also make a stylish centerpiece, particularly when placed on a blue table covering. On a white cloth, try a basket of blue hydrangeas.

In the Yard

In the garden, too, you can add touches of red, white, and blue. Set out galvanized buckets, painted white, filled with ice and sodas for your guests. Fill white window boxes with carnations and other red and blue plants and place them around the yard. Give your outdoor furniture a new coat of white paint and add blue and red pillows.

Displaying the Flag

Displaying the America flag adds a special touch to any 4th of July design scheme. There are, however, some rules of etiquette to be followed when showing the flag. They are:

• Display the flag only between dawn and dusk. One exception: the flag may be flown 24 hours a day if it is illuminated.
• Do not fly the flag in inclement weather.
• Do not let the flag touch the ground.
• When displaying the flag on a wall with another flag with their staffs crossed, the American flag should be on the right side (the viewer's left) with its staff over the other flag's.
• When flags of other nations are flown with the US flag, they should be flown on separate staffs of equal height. The flags should be of approximately the same size.
• When other flags, such as state flags, are flown with the US flag, the national flag should always be at the top.

Accessories for 4th of July Decorating

In addition to the flag, mock firecrackers, sparklers, and streamers all make festive accents to your 4th of July decor. Be creative; almost anything in a red, white, or blue color palette will add to your décor. It's almost impossible to over-decorate for the 4th of July.

• Country French Style Basics
• Designing for Small Spaces
• Common Themes for Teenage Bedrooms
• Basics of Color Design
• Asian Style Interior Design

• Patriotic Table Decor
• Summer Themes
• Americana Wallhanging Patterns
• Decorating Easter Ideas
• Country Christmas Decorating