Readers’ Top Spring Decorating Ideas

We know our House & Home readers have tons of great decorating ideas, so we asked our Forum members, Facebook fans and Twitter followers for tips on spring cleaning and seasonal decorating. Here’s what they came up with:

Organize Before You Decorate

1. Group Collectibles Together

Find an area for knickknacks to prevent clutter throughout your home, suggests Twitter follower Jordana (@WhiteCabana) from London, Ont. She lined up her Eiffel Tower models on a shelf.

2. Get Rid Of Things You Don’t Need Stop hoarding items that you’ll never wear, or that don’t suit your decor style. As Michelle Cortizo (@cortizointerior) of Boston, NY, says, “I love to start by editing in my closets and then work my way out.” If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, Tidy Solutions (@Tidysolutions) of Newfoundland suggests “opening windows to allow fresh air to flow through and make cleaning fun.” Just think of it this way: cleaning and reorganizing will give you peace of mind, and a fresh, new look for spring,” adds Nathaniel Ross (@MATTERandORDER) from Chicago.

3. Arrange Books By Colour Facebook fan Dajana Fabjanovich suggests using books as part of your spring decorating, especially displayed in similar colour groupings.

Read our Readers’ Best Storage & Organization Tricks article for even more ideas to organize, clean and declutter your space.

Change Fabrics

1. ?Use Neutral Linens As Susan Abramson (@Susan_Abramson) of Toronto Designers says, “Add a bit of 100 per cent linen, all in neutral tones, to update any interior.” The lightweight fabric can be used on pillows, placemats and tablecloths.

2. Switch Out Shades Make use of the longer daylight hours. The Savvy Bee (@TheSavvyBee) from Cleveland, Ohio replaces her dark bamboo shades with white linen ones to let in more light.

3. Dye Cloth Materials “If I can dye it, I change the colour,” says Catherine Dianne Mini Jacques, one of our Facebook fans. She starts with white items and a box of RIT dye to update what she already has.

Add Splashes Of Colour

1. Revitalize Seating With Slipcovers Facebook fan Renee Sylvestre-Williams says “you just have to go for it” when it comes to colour. She has a red slipcover on her couch, which really pops in her otherwise neutral home. Lee Lee Padovan agrees: “I have different slipcovers for my sofa which I change with my mood. I love homes with lots of white and small hits of colour.”

2. Select Colourful Pillow Covers One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to update your home is to make or buy new pillow shams for your throw pillows in patterns and bright colours. Chanele C. (@designBLISSinc) in Toronto, Tiffany C. (@TiffanysToyBox) of New York, and Edyta Czajkowska (@EDYTAANDCO) all recommend this idea for its big impact. Facebook fan Justine Taylor also suggests changing your tablecloths, recovering lampshades and sewing new drapes.

3. Hang Artwork And Display Objects CasaCullen (@TheCasaCullen) suggests using art to inject colour into your home. You can create your own inexpensive artwork by framing fabric, hanging plates on a wall or covering MDF with wallpaper panels. There’s a great Editor’s DIY in the April 2011 issue on hand-painting and displaying dishes, too. Facebook fan Debbie Comartin also shared a great idea: change the matting on a framed print to an accent colour in the room or from the picture. Facebook fans Catherine Dianne Mini Jacques and Charlene Vidal both switch-up accessories to change the way a room feels based on their mood and season.

4. Paint A Room Or Accent Wall Weekender Design (@Weekenderdesign) says spring is the time to paint, as you can finally open your windows and add colour. Vanessa Gibbons Gammel agrees: “It’s very inexpensive and can completely transform a space. You can change it when you tire of it and add in accessories to complement it.”

5. Give Life To Old Furniture & Accessories Adding large doses of colour doesn’t have to mean a big cost. Charlene Vidal and Justine Taylor, H&H Facebook fans, suggest purchasing second-hand items such as a side table, lamp base or wooden chair. “Small pieces can be easily sanded, primed and sprayed with your new colour crush,” says Justine. Charlene adds, “When you’re tired of them and want to create a new look, give it away or re-donate it.” (Try senior design editor Cameron MacNeil’s step-by-step instructions for colour-blocking vintage furniture and Joel Bray’s techniques for paint-dipping accessories.) Kayla Gale, another Facebook fan, also likes to add colour through furniture: “An elegant, vintage-inspired deep purple bed frame will create more bedroom drama and character than a purple throw. It’s not something that everyone would be brave enough to do, but that’s what makes it surprising and unique to your home.”? Check out our Colourful Spring Rooms photo gallery for more vibrant inspiration.

Bring Plants & Florals Indoors

1. Use Real and Faux Blooms As Dena Kareotes Arendt (@iNSIDE_iDEAS) from Chicago says, “Display real (or faux) blooming branches in a tall glass vase. Instant spring regardless of the weather outside!” Earlier this year, style editor Morgan Michener shared some great examples of how to incorporate real and faux flowers into your home.

2. Create A Herb Garden Chanele C. of Toronto invests in new plants, especially herbs, as they are both pretty and practical, adding life to meals.

3. Place Floral Accents In Every Room Many of our readers like to add fresh flowers throughout their house. Anne Kootenays of British Columbia (@ddreamsbyanne) buys potted bulbs that she later plants in her garden, while Dane Caldwell (@2hounds) buys “heavenly scented and colourful spring flowers, like tulips and hyacinths, along with flowering dogwood branches.” Neil Gazmen (@ngazmen) adds: “To me, spring is about life and rebirth, so I try to add flowers or plants to every room to remind me that warmer days are ahead.”

Fresh bouquets can get quite costly, but Colleen Crummy-Tatum has a budget-friendly solution: “I buy a cheap bouquet at the grocery store and split it up around the house. I use funky vases or little tiny port glasses lined up for flowers like mums — which makes the one bouquet fill my entire home.” Lily Ninkovic Ellis uses her own boxwood clippings in vases almost year-round. “I love hitting local thrift stores for fresh finds, like vintage bottles and tins,” she adds. Paint glass jars, vases and containers in varying tones of the same colour, as seen in this online video, for a cohesive look.

Share your spring decorating tips in the comments below! Plus, be sure to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and interact in the Forums so we can include your thoughts into future web articles.