Decorating & Design
35 Unexpected Decorating Moves To Wake Up Your Home
Published on April 15, 2021
While fresh-cut flowers are a spring staple indoors, we’ve rounded up cheerful decorating ideas that don’t need to be refreshed on a weekly basis (think: unexpected bursts of color, whimsical motifs and foraged finds that double as art and bring the outdoors in). If you’re looking for new ways to bring life into your space this season, keep reading to get inspired!
Play with patterned drapery. Add visual interest to a simple dining room with fun fabric. This color-blocked pattern has graphic impact without stealing the focus away from the sculptural furniture.
Paint the inside of your closet. Designer Ben Leavitt brightened up this walk-in closet by painting the inside a welcoming shade of blue.
Go bold with art. There are no rules when it comes to dressing your walls! Mix and match your favorite artwork (in different mediums and styles) for a memorable design moment. The bigger and brighter, the better!
Color code your bookshelves. Looking for an easy update with maximum impact? Organize your book spines by color.
Display plates to achieve a cottagecore vibe. In the kitchen, hang pretty dishes in an array of shapes, colors and sizes for instant charm and character.
Don’t be afraid to go dark. When choosing an accent color, don’t shy away from bold, dark hues. Adding a pattern to your walls, like Kelly Wearstler’s Graffito wallpaper, feels warm and dramatic.
Mix and match your dining chairs. Add a playful touch to your formal dining room, like designer Ali Budd, who chose blue, periwinkle and pink velvet chairs to tie in the art on display.
Don’t forget the ceiling. Look up! The ceiling is a blank canvas for wallpaper or paint. In this kids’ bedroom, yellow stripes are a whimsical choice.
Use vintage portraits in modern spaces. Designer Quinn Cooper layered a trio of antique paintings on patterned wallpaper from Urban Outfitters to create the perfect mix of old and new in this quirky living room.
Recreate a restaurant feel. You don’t always need to leave the house to achieve an elevated dining experience. Designer Anne Hepfer created a custom banquette in this fashionable penthouse.
Paint your staircase ombré. The newest way to give the staircase a dose of personality is by painting the steps in a single hue that fades with every step you take.
Dress the table with floral dinnerware. Colorful plates decorated with blossoms will brighten up al fresco dining any day of the week.
Decorate with bird nests. Step into your backyard to forage abandoned birds nests and rest them on plinths for a unique look that delivers a rustic yet refined feel.
Refresh light fixtures with a playful coat of paint. If your light situation is looking a little tired, consider spray painting your fixtures in a grass green hue. It’s one of the hottest hues of 2020.
Bring fauna indoors. Don’t just bring flora into your home, fauna looks just as good. Case in point: the breathtaking tribe of birds taking flight on the wall of this global-inspired living space.
Display foraged finds. A wasp’s nest is transformed into a sculptural work of art on this office wall, while stones, shells and sea whip coral give the desk an eclectic vibe.
Frame dried stems. These floral stems were collected during a walk in a city park, but you can finds yours just about anywhere. Sewn onto a linen-wrapped backboard and placed in a shadowbx frame, blooms are transformed into museum-worthy wonders.
Paste floral wallpaper on a feature wall. You can’t help but feel energized when working in a space accented with Sanderson’s sunny Wisteria Blossom wallpaper.
Bring in light fixtures that imitate bird cages. Mathieu Challières birdcage pendants add a whimsical element to this bright, svelte kitchen.
Refresh your bathroom tile with a calming hue. A restful shade of blue is a popular choice for bathrooms. However, opting for a tile on the paler side, visions of a clear spring sky take form.
Use trellis-inspired wallpaper. This lush wallpaper style brings a pretty garden vibe to rooms, so you can get into the spring spirit no matter the season.
Paste flower decals on the wall. With the same mood-boosting effect of an intricate mural minus the maintenance, this charming DIY is easy enough to complete with kids.
Facelift doors with a coat of pastel paint. This decorating move looks good in any room but adds an unexpected pop of color to otherwise white spaces.
Bring the garden to your bedside. Waking up next to a beautiful bed of blossoms is one way to wake up on the right side of the bed.
Embrace farmhouse details. A rustic blue window panel, wood accents and white envelope give this West Coast living room a light and airy vibe that feels perfect for spring.
Fill a woven handbag with blooms. We love disguising plant pots in decorative baskets, but this decorating move is perfect for putting vintage carryalls to use.
Hang a basket of flowers on your door. Floral containers look lush adorning outdoor spaces, especially porches. Rather than hanging them on the edges of a porch, consider festooning one directly on your front door!
Create a floral mosaic. Graphic honeycomb-shaped floor tiles create a floral mosaic in designer Rebecca Taylor’s stylish Brooklyn kitchen.
Spruce up the entryway with pastel paint. Soft yet charming, a splash of green in this often forgotten space will welcome future guests into your abode in style.
Paint the insides of cabinets. A punch of pink color on the insides of glass-fronted cabinets gives this restaurant-inspired Montreal kitchen a playful punch of flavor.
Decorate with spring motifs. Reminiscent of pinwheels, this artful chair brings a child-like feel to artist Bobby Burgers’ sunny Vancouver home.
Invite colors from nature indoors. This cheerful kitchen by Jean Stéphane Beauchamp is reminiscent of spring’s clear blue skies and sprouting fields of greenery.
Roll out a colorful runner. A swathe of rainbow hues underfoot bring a dose of happy to this crisp space.
Hang a mirror framed with branches. Swap out an ordinary framed mirror for one that embraces the rustic glamour of the great outdoors.
Let produce do the talking. This whimsical kitchen’s wallpaper outfitted with flora and rhubarb stems feels right at home next to a fresh basket of veggies.
See more of this uplifting space on H&H TV.