Make your home lighter and brighter this spring with some simple, fresh updates. Breathe new life into your space and get ready to greet the warm, sunny days that are just around the corner.
Spring is a time of rejuvenation and renewal. Refresh your home with a good clean and get rid of any clutter. Until winter rolls around again, store away the cozy knit throws, heavy drapes, and furry pillows and rugs.
To make a room look tidier, stow away eyesores such as remote controls, headphones, and chargers in an accessible drawer or cupboard.
Boxes or baskets made of natural materials like rattan, jute, and wicker are great for organizing magazines and newspapers. These organic materials will fit with any season’s decor.
Colour
Colour re-energizes any space, and nothing brightens a room like a fresh coat of paint. Even if it’s just one painted feature wall, it will make the room more interesting and add a sense of airiness.
Introduce colour with fabrics and artwork, and carry the same colours and shades into each room for a cohesive look. Whether the colours are vivid or pastel, they will infuse the decor with personality and artistic flair.
Replace darker pictures and frames with lighter framed botanicals or nature prints for a spring update.
Fabrics
Spring is a good time to change out sofa fabrics to reflect a more organic, lightweight feel. Cotton slipcovers in white, cream, or unbleached linen create a neutral backdrop to introduce pops of colour.
Affect a sunroom feel with sheer curtains that will let in plenty of natural light, and on warm days open the windows to welcome those refreshing spring breezes.
New pillows provide an instant makeover with little effort, and can tie a room together. A rule of thumb is to keep an uneven number of pillows in a room, such as three or five—two on each end of the sofa and one small lumbar pillow in the centre. Use lots of texture, pattern, and colour to lend visual interest.
Kitchen chair cushions also can be replaced or recovered to match tablecloths or backsplashes.
Decorative Accents
Vignettes are an inexpensive way to create an attractive focal point, and items can be easily changed with the season. Also known as tablescapes, vignettes showcase small items or collectables arranged on coffee tables, counters, dressers, and so on. The items look more organized and attractive when grouped together or contained on a tray.
The most common items for a vignette are books, candles, flowers, and a small piece of art or pretty decorative box. These can be mixed and matched with various decorating styles. To add dimension, include items of different heights.
For a winning array of objects in a spring vignette, use faux bird’s nests, boxwood globes, ceramic animals, a bowl of shells, and a few tall flowering branches.
A vignette on a tiered tray on the kitchen counter can consist of assorted colourful dishes and cups with a few fresh or faux lemons and limes. Pull the colours from other rooms into glassware, new table linens, and placemats.
Flowers and Plants
Nothing beats vibrant, lush foliage and fresh flowers for adding a spring feel. Houseplants and fresh flowers make a notable visual impact at minimal cost. Tulips and daffodils are long-lasting spring flowers that add a lovely splash of colour. In the kitchen, a bright green boxwood plant, a rosemary or basil topiary, or herbs in terracotta pots add fragrance as well as visual interest.
Speaking of fragrance, a few hyacinths will fill any room with a sweet, lingering scent, and their striking blooms are a sure sign that spring has sprung.
