In Need of Some Touches of Spring

At this time of year I'm always craving some touches of spring.  I'm tired of winter, but here in Canada it still looks pretty wintery outside so I have to do the next best thing - add some spring inside.  


Here are eight ways you can add a touch of spring to your home - even when it is still cold and snowy outside.


1. Add some spring flowering branches - cutting spring flowering branches and forcing their blooms is a time-honoured right-of-passage to welcome spring.   Pussy willows and  forsythias are the easiest to force, but you can also use flowering almond, flowering quince, magnolia, redbud, cherry, pear, and apple.

Style at Home

Canadian House and Home

2. Buy some spring flowers - Every year at this time I buy a pot or two of spring bulbs to enjoy or a bouquet of cut tulips or daffodils to arrange in a vase.  They have a powerful way of bringing a room to life.

Style at Home

Martha Stewart

3. Add something bird or nest or egg related - Classic, maybe even a tad cliche, but they nevertheless spell spring.

Pussy willow nest (Martha Stewart)

Birds on a wire cushion (Etsy)

Birds on the rim of a bowl (Etsy)

Watercolour Painting from Etsy

4. Lighten up the colours in your home - By removing dark coloured objects and injecting some fresh bright or pastel shades, you feel like spring has sprung in your home.  Try removing heavy rugs and drapes and dark coloured cushions and objects to make a room seem lighter.  In the following two rooms the furniture and walls are fairly neutral, but yellow, pink, blue, and green rugs, cushions, bedding, and flowers have been added to brighten them up.

Canadian House and Home

Canadian House and Home

5. Add some floral linens, cushions, or  dishes - Changing the cushions, linens, tablecloths, and dishes for fresh bright floral ones is an easy way to create a lighter, brighter spring feel in your home.

Williams-Sonoma

Etsy

Ten Thousand Villages

6. Put away the dinner candles and bring out the flowers - As much as I love having dinner by candlelight, by the time March rolls around I'm ready for a change.  I love putting a pot of narcissus, a basket of crocuses, or a vase full of tulips in the centre of the table.

Martha Stewart

Country Living

Country Living

7. Clean the windows -  See what happens when you clean your windows - the sunshine pours in and you can actually see the ocean.  No really it's true, you just need to clean them really well.

Coastal Living via Location and Lifestyle

8. Make a salad for dinner - Hearty soups and stews seem so wintry so try a light fresh salad for a change and make a cool rainy March day seem more like spring.

Salade Nicoise

How do you lighten and brighten things up to welcome spring?