Spring Interiors ~ Easy and Inexpensive Ideas for Freshening Your Home

Spring means it’s time to throw open your doors, let fresh air inside, and change up your home.  After months of cocooning, its always a relief to update your interiors with softer colors and a lighter touch.

Spring decorating means lots of editing.  Out with winter’s deep, rich colors, and in with whites, blues, and pastels that will carry us through the warm months to come.  We store our winter throws and pillows and bring out our collections of willow and rattan baskets and sea shells.  Spring is a perfect time to rethink how you decorate side tables, fireplace mantles, and other surfaces.

Bookcases also need a lighter touch for spring.  Edit half of the decorative items and rearrange your books. It’s important to see your possessions in a fresh way.  Once your eyes get used to the new look, gradually add back a few items, but only a few!  Notice below how the books have been reversed to show only the white pages.  This is an effective way to make a bookcase neutral so your eye focuses on the accessories.

The idea board below is pure New England, with lots of hints to our seafaring past.  The blue and white color palate is visually cool, but it’s warmed up with natural color and texture.

Blue and white interiors are classic and never go out of style. They work best with lots of texture from wood, baskets, and plants.  Shop your local discount retailers for accessories and don’t overlook accessories that you already have.  Nautical themes work well with all metallic tones, whether bronze, gold, or silver.  Rugs are another great way to add texture and warmth.

We’ve kept things neutral for the next board.  Although we can’t claim to be color minimalists in our own homes, we do love these interiors and admire the restraint involved in putting them together.

Neutral interiors are a great antidote to soaring temperatures.  It’s best to incorporate many tones of white in a neutral scheme, from crisp, pure white, to antiqued and worn tones.   Texture is a must for neutral interiors.  Add woven baskets, nubby rugs, and weathered woods.  A plant ~ or a few ~ enliven neutral interiors.

You’ll be surprised at how satisfying it is to live in your newly freshened home and your eyes will quickly become accustomed to the new look.  Best of all, you’ll feel like you have a whole new room, and all you did was pare down and rearrange.  It’s definitely worth the effort.  Happy decorating!