July 4th Décor Ideas That Take 30 Minutes or Less

If you’re hosting friends and family for a July 4th cookout, dress up your patio table with a themed tablescape. Gather table covers, plates, cups and flatware in patriotic colors and patterns. In the center of your table, set up a red, white and blue display using tabletop décor like lanterns and floral arrangements. For more inspiration, take cues from the "Stars and Stripes" setup in our article, Festive Tablescapes for Any Season. You can also try these tablescapes on your indoor dining tables, too.

For barbecues and other gatherings involving food, consider a spread that includes menu items in patriotic colors. Think watermelon, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and sliced bananas, cupcakes with colored icing, themed drinks and more. Of course, staples like hot dogs and hamburgers are perfect for grilling out and s’mores are a delicious treat to finish the meal.

Whether it’s a porch flag, garden flag or a DIY flag made from cut strips of fabric, it’s hard not to display the American flag around the Fourth of July holiday and even all year. Small flags fit neatly in planters or can be part of a tablescape design. Hang larger red, white and blue flags from posts attached to your porch or house siding, while garden flags are perfect for nestling in between plants and flowers in a garden bed.

July 4th is also a day where we honor our military, the individuals who fight to keep our freedoms. Military flags can be just as much a piece of décor for the holiday as they can be a way to show our appreciation and support to our troops in every branch throughout the year.

Feeling crafty? Paint stars and stripes on terra cotta pots. Smaller pots with a July 4th design work great for tabletop decorations. You can also spray paint vases to create DIY decorations for the 4th of July. Add embellishments like ribbons, faux floral stems and sprays, and a strand of fairy lights to complete the look.

Bring star-spangled style to your front door with a wreath and a patriotic door mat. If there’s space on either side of the door, consider a couple of planters filled with red and white flowers. To enhance the look, swap your current planters with ones that are red, white or blue.

Set up a wooden porch sign or décor with a patriotic design next to your front door. These make great additions to other decorations you might have out, like wreaths, bunting, flags and door mats. Choose premade options that are ready to display or go the DIY route and make your own with a few wood boards, paint and stencils. Create DIY patriotic décor like wood firecrackers, a rustic USA sign with wooden letters and more.

Extend 4th of July décor to your porch rails by hanging bunting along the front or wrapping garland around them. If your porch is covered, consider adding bunting or banners to the overhang. To highlight the look further, add string lights to the railings.

In addition to flower beds, your yard and other landscaped areas are the perfect places to set up 4th of July décor. Keep it simple with yard stakes featuring patriotic designs and patterns or make a bolder statement with an inflatable decoration.

There’s plenty of opportunity to add decorations for the 4th of July inside your home. From fireplace mantels to dining tables, you can add red, white and blue touches in various forms. Buy or DIY burlap and fabric garland to drape across the top of the fireplace and add a wreath above the mantel. On the mantel ledge, décor like wooden firecrackers and signs with patriotic messages are great additional accents. On the couch, swap out or add themed throw pillows with July 4th patterns or colors.