Affordable Spring Décor To Bring Optimism Home

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After a cold Winter, Spring comes to tell us that life goes on. Friendly warmth blooms around us and spreads a general sense of optimism. Usually. Optimism is in short supply with the tough times currently plaguing us. We need to help that optimism along a bit. It’s time to shake off the Winter blues and dance into the airy brightness of Spring. Use Spring décor to bring optimism home.

Your Spring décor can be subtle. There’s no need to have bouquets on every surface. You only need a few touches to bring the freshness of Spring to your home. I’ll be giving you a lot of options here that you can pick and choose from.

For Spring décor we need elements that bring in fresh sunshine breezes and the hope of rebirth. Try to stick to minimal décor that invokes the senses of Sight, Smell and Hearing. Choose colours, scents, textures and sounds that infuse your home with optimism.

Pack away the cosy Winter blankets and then get ready to swap out some décor items.

Let’s explore the most obvious first. The flora and biophilia.

“Come forth into the light of things, let Nature be your teacher.”

William Wordsworth

Biophilia Brings Nurturing Nature In

Biophilic design is simply bringing the outdoors in. Spring is the season of regrowth. Flowers bloom and trees develop tender green leaves. Adding plant life to your home in various ways helps to connect you to the nurturing spirit of nature. Don’t forget that you are a mammal. Humans have an affinity for Nature. We were not meant to live in concrete cities. That is a very recent backwards step in human history. For thousands of years, we lived out in Nature or very closely surrounded by it. That’s why you feel so good on a camping or beach holiday. Or on a walk in a forest. Nature heals us.

First, open your curtains and let the outdoors in. The natural sunlight streaming in supports good health and will uplift all spirits.

If you’re lucky enough to have a garden that you enjoy tending, then you know it’s in full bloom. I have butterflies and bees frolicking all over my garden beds. Make sure you open all your curtains and blinds if your bedrooms look out onto a garden. You won’t be in your bedroom all day, but at some point, you’ll walk in or through the room. Seeing the flowers and greenery as you go will refresh you.

Bring Spring plant life into your home with houseplants from your local nursery. Get cut flowers or herb plants while you’re doing grocery shopping, and set them up on your kitchen counter.

If you know you would even struggle to keep a cactus alive, or you suffer from Hayfever, there are other options. You can trick your mind with the imagery of plants. Artwork of flowers or outdoor settings fools your subconscious. Looking at a landscape painting of a meadow is the same as looking out a window into a beautiful garden. This is especially helpful to do when you don’t have a beautiful garden outside your windows.

There are also some super realistic-looking faux plants and flowers available too (but if you get these, please remember to dust them).

Incorporate green in your soft furnishing or wall finishes. Any green touches in your interiors count towards a biophilic design. Biophilic interiors boost our moods, increasing our positivity and optimism.

Floral Motifs To Brighten Your Days

Flowers. The biggest biophilic element of Spring. Flowers bring new beginnings and soothing colours to a space. Flowers brighten moods. Who can stay glum looking at a pretty bouquet?

As I mentioned before, you’re not restricted to bouquets and houseplants:

• Bring in floral fabrics. Get seasonal cushion covers for your existing throw pillows. Swap out your plain dishtowels for bright protea prints. Bedeck your dining table with a bold floral tablecloth.
• Spring is the perfect time to host a tea party. Bring Granny’s floral Noritake set out of the cabinet and actually use it for a change. Then display your pretty teapot on a pastel-coloured tray in a kitchen countertop vignette.
• Add large gardening books with blossoming covers to your coffee table. If the photos inside are really good, leave the book open to view. Don’t have gardening books? If you want to try this idea without committing to owning the books, borrow some from your local library. Library cards are free if you don’t already have one. Or if you like to hoard books anyway, support a local 2^nd Hand bookshop. They always have gardening books and 2^nd hand coffee table books are usually under R100.
• Switch out the artwork and photos on your walls for something flowery and bright. Cut up a gorgeous flower-patterned wrapping paper or the side of a gift bag to put in your photo frames. A family gallery gets a fun fresh vibe with random frames showcasing Spring florals. They’re so easy to switch out.
• Got skills? Do your own artwork – display your talents with pride.
• Get a print. Art doesn’t have to be expensive. It could be digital art that you purchase online and have printed, or a canvas print from any of the affordable home decor stores in SA (that sadly don’t have affiliate programs, but you know which ones I mean).
• Don’t forget still-life paintings or drawings. Support local artists that sell at markets. Gallery shops charge more and take a big cut. You could probably find some vintage pieces at a Hospice Shop as well.

Spring Into Spring Colours

The gentle colours of Spring coax an energy shift into us. We’re generally more enthusiastic about getting out and getting going. People start entertaining more at home. Families go out to markets and local parks. Adventures begin. It’s not too hot to spend the day outdoors, but it’s usually bright and sunny enough to enjoy Nature.

Nature comes alive in Spring. The flowers are blooming and there are new leaves on tree branches. Garden enthusiasts begin pottering around the flowerbeds on Saturday mornings and grasses begin to grow wild.

Of course, many of the colours come from those same flowers that now begin to surround us. Yellow and creamy white of Arum Lily’s. Delicate Clivia orange and soft Protea pinks. The sky adds a breezy blue and fluffy cloud whites.

Bring pinks into your décor with chunks of Rose Quartz or this Saltpur Natural Himalayan Salt Lamp.

Put your green houseplants in a yellow or orange planter for a pop of warm colour. Candles come in all sorts of colours and shapes. Add these Simply Bee Beeswax Candles to your dining table. Bees are also a happy symbol of Spring.

Hardcover books often have a pastel linen binding under the dust jacket – you may have one or two that bring in some peaches and cream.

Introduce other Spring colours with fabrics. Swap out your bath towels for a cheerful aqua hue. Drape an apricot throw over the back of your grey couch and throw in some fresh Spring greens (like in the image below). The possibilities are endless and particular to your own style. Try and be subtle about it though – your home doesn’t need to look like an ice-cream parlour if your norm is vintage eclectic or black & white lux. Even a simple pastel-hued vase will do.

If your home is already infused with Spring colour happiness, you’re already ahead of the game.

Check out my post 6 Colours To Improve Your Mood for some more ideas on adding uplifting colours to the home.

Make Your Home Smell Like Spring

Scents are intrinsic to human memory. Floral aromas will instantly invoke the lightness of Spring optimism. Bringing floral scents into your home is easy and really affordable (you may even have some of these already without realising it):

• Fresh flowers in a vase will permeate the space with heady floral scents. Again, I do NOT recommend if there is anyone in your home with Hay Fever issues – ask me how I know 🙁
• Scented Candles – these come in many different floral scents. Try this Soylites Coconut Candle (Jasmine & Lavender)
• Essential Oil Diffusers – create a peaceful ambience with an Earthsong Diffuser – Balance (with rose geranium & grapefruit fragrance oil)
• Floral-scented handwash soap – you’re probably buying it anyway, but pick a herby lily, lavender or rose-scented option for the season, like Earthsap Lavender & Rosemary Hand Soap
• Cleaning products – when you buy cleaning products this month, get the Potpourri or Lavender scented options rather than the citrus or pine. Keep citrus for Summer and Pine for Winter.

Between writing and editing this post, I’ve actually been decorating my home with some of my own suggestions. I sadly can’t have fresh flowers in my home – my child is struggling enough with the pollen from the garden. I have a flowery gardening book on top of my coffee table stack and plenty of non-flowering houseplants and succulents around. There’s a rose-hued tablecloth on the breakfast table with a white bowl full of fruit. One bathroom displays a floral sketch, and I’ve left a floral scarf on top of my bedroom’s dresser. I’ve got oil diffusers in both bathrooms and the lounge. And all the curtains are open to see the bees buzzing around the bottlebrush tree.

Make sure you pack away the cosy Winter touches as you do the Spring refresh.

Pick two or three ideas that you can manage on a low budget. Check what you already have at home that you can create vignettes with. There is likely to be more than you may think.

Which ideas are you excited to try?

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