Spring Decorating Tips

When it comes to giving you decorating tips for the home, spring is one of my favorite times of the year. Flowers start to bloom outside and this makes me feel like changing all the colors in my home again. Of course that's impractical, but decorating for spring can be exciting and doesn't need to involve every part of your home. but just in case you're really motivated, here are some helpful tips.

Clean up the whole place.

Ever hear the term "spring cleaning". Well, I sure did growing up. Every spring my Mom would clean the house from top to bottom. Places that were ignored all year, or even part of the year, got cleaned thoroughly in the spring. This is a time to get rid of things you no longer like or use. It's a time to take a broom or the vacuum and look for cobwebs, grit and grim. Wipe. Wipe. Wipe. Sweep. Vacuum. Pack up things in boxes or sacks and donate to your local charity.

Bring in one new color to play with.

Right now brown is big, especially when mixed with a soft blue. But maybe those are your favorite colors. Try a new neutral. Or keep the neutral you have and add another fresh color to it. For years my home was an autumn mix (browns, blacks, rust, coral, yellow). But I've slowly been adding in some blue to break it up and give myself a refreshing change. Sprinkle the new color around the room. Remember, you're decorating for spring. So consider some of the colors currently at play in your yard or community.

Look for inspiration from nature.

Hear the birds chirping? See all the roses growing? How about the colorful, bright greens of the trees and bushes? I've been walking in our local park nearly every day, enjoying the freshness of trees with early blooms and leaves starting to return. The cherry blossoms are beautiful. Everywhere there are ducks and other wild birds, squirrels busy looking for food, wild rabbits here and there.

Flowering bushes are getting buds and warm weather is just around the corner. Nature is stirring from the winter sleep. Think about your garden and your curb appeal. Is it time to plant?

Start outside and keep going, bringing some of nature's best inside your home. Plants are an excellent accessory for any room and most people do not have enough plants incorporated into their decorating inside.

• Put a tree in a corner of the room.
• Add some floor plants here and there around the room.
• Buy some table or shelf plants.
• Choose darker leafy plants for darker areas of the room. The darker the leaf, the less water and sun is needed.
• Vary the sizes of plants: small, medium, large.
• If you're not good with live plants, invest in some quality artificial plants.

These decorating tips for the home are, of course, not everything one should consider but they should start you out correctly and help you move in the right directory with your spring decorating choices.

Quick Links

Choosing Colors
More Spring Decorating Tips
Caring for House Plants

Barbara Jennings is author of 10 decorating books: Decor Secrets Revealed, Rearrange It, Home Staging for Profit, Home Staging for Yourself, Arrange Your Stuff, Advanced Redesign, Pro Art Consulting, Where There's a Wall - There's a Way, The Art of Hanging Art, Great Parties! Great Homes!