Spring Living Room Refresh and Shopping Tips

Does your living room need a refresh? Mine did! After a long, cold winter, it’s nice to embrace a fresh color palette at home. I have always loved softer tones in our living room because it’s the place we spend the most time relaxing. Pale colors are soothing and give the eyes a place to rest after a long day. My spring living room decor was inspired by mother nature this time of year. Birds, blossoms, bunnies, and butterflies in a muted color palette depict springtime without screaming “Easter”. 

Believe it or not, most of these items are not new! I shopped my home for a majority of the pieces shown here. I’ll be sharing my styling tips, home decor items (or similar ones) and favorite places to shop so you can get your living room in tip top shape for springtime.

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Styling a Mantel or Shelf

Find an Inspiration Piece

My mantel is the focal point of our living room so easily becomes the place I change out decor most often. If your fireplace isn’t your living room’s focal point (or you don’t have one) it’s not a big deal. You can apply similar design concepts to floating shelves or bookcases you may have instead. I love starting my design with an art piece that serves as inspiration for the theme and color palette. I already had this blossom canvas art print (similar art here) I found at Ross years ago. I placed it in the center of the mantel then started building around it.

Chose a Color Palette

In general, sticking to a color palette creates a more cohesive look. For my spring living room decor I chose dusty aquas, muted blush tones and pops of gold. These colors were pulled from the canvas art print. Make sure the color palette you decide on pairs nicely with your wall color. My walls are already an ivory color that lends itself well to these slightly warmer shades. You’ll want to pick decor in colors and styles that compliment your inspiration piece.

Add Other Decorative Pieces

Using my canvas print as inspiration, I found pieces from my home that had a similar look and feel. Some of the items I chose are more seasonal (birds, flowers, bunnies), while others (ceramic house vases, books, glass vases, candle) are year-round basics. I personally like to mix up the materials I use (wood, glass, metal, plants etc.) for a more interesting look.

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Add Natural Elements

I love using plants and flowers to freshen up a room. Sometimes fresh flowers and plants aren’t at my disposal (I do not have a green thumb!) so I incorporate artificial ones. The trick to doing this well is to actually have a real plant (or two) in the room. It helps if that plant is visually larger or more vibrant than your artificial ones. The only real plant I used is the philodendron on the bottom half of the fireplace. I incorporated faux blossoms (similar to the canvas print) and a faux succulent in the ceramic bunny planter (similar bunny planter here) as more “natural” elements. The faux fiddle leaf fig tree in the corner is also artificial, but still adds the feel of greenery to the room.

Consider Scale and Symmetry

In addition to the color and style of a supporting piece you add, it’s important to consider their overall size in relation to the other items. Note that the pieces I chose for the top of my mantel were all smaller than the inspiration piece and similar in size to one another. To add variation in height and create some overall symmetry, I used books to prop up the bird figurine, nest, vase and bunny planter. I placed several pieces at different depths to create more dimension. Even though I used different pieces on the left and right, I was able to achieve symmetry and balance by using a similar number of items on each side that take up roughly the same amount of visual space.

Achieving Balance

You’ll want to pay attention to shapes, color and materials when styling your mantel/shelves. Too much of one element in one place can make it look off balanced. Notice that I placed similar looking objects on opposite sides (ie. the glass vases on the bottom left and top right, the bunny planter at the top right and gold bunny figurine in the middle) in order to achieve balance. This is something that comes with practice as you develop your eye. Take a step back while you’re styling a space to make sure you’re liking it. Don’t be afraid to switch out and reposition items.

Create a Comfortable and Stylish Living Space

To tie in the mantel decor with the rest of the living room, I carried over the color palette to our taupe sectional. I added light blue velvet throw pillows from West Elm (they are so soft!) and pink watercolor crane pillows from Home Goods (similar here) that have the same relaxed feel as my mantel. The crane pillows were a lucky find and I knew they had to come home with me the moment I saw them. Cranes are good luck symbols in Japan, so I was more than happy to incorporate this element of my heritage into my decor. To complete the cozy factor, I added this blush faux fur blanket from Martha Stewart. It’s so plush and is perfect for curling up for afternoon naps with my pup Frankie.

My Favorite Places for Finding Inexpensive Home Decor

Most of the items I used to style my spring living room are items I’ve collected over the years. I truly believe you can design a beautiful home without spending a ton of money. I love switching things up and playing with my style, so purchasing inexpensive pieces or DIY-ing my own makes the most sense for me. If you have a larger budget and are confident about your style, purchasing more expensive items that you’ll have for years might be worth the investment.

Discount Home Stores

Stores like Ross, Marshalls, and Home Goods are great places to find stylish, on trend items for less. I found the canvas print at Ross years ago and still love it today. Because these stores don’t often have a stable inventory, my rule of thumb is if I see it and love it, I have to buy it today (if I can afford it!). Even if you love it but don’t know if you’ll like it in your home, just buy it and see how it fits into your existing decor. Keep your receipts so you can return it if you change your mind. The chance of finding that exact item on your next visit is very slim, especially if it’s a popular item.

Craft Stores

The craft stores I routinely visit are Joann Fabrics, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby. I’m lucky to have all three within a one mile radius! You can find home decor items at all of these stores, but the largest selection is probably at Hobby Lobby. Craft stores are a great place to find faux flowers and plants too. There are some pretty realistic varieties if you keep an eye out, but might have to pay a little more for them. I actually assembled the mini bird nest from materials I found at Michaels. The best part about shopping for seasonal home decor items at craft stores is that there’s probably a sale or coupon you can use for extra savings. Be sure to open your Joann or Michaels app upon check out to apply those coupons!

Target

The Target Dollar Spot is one of my favorite places to find bargain home decor. You can often find seasonal items for $1-$5! It’s a place worth checking if you like to switch out small items for different seasons or holidays. The pink candle, white bunny planter, blue “Spring is here” sign and small aqua glass vases are all from the Dollar Spot. Target also has really nice things in their home decor section. You could probably furnish your entire home here if you wanted to!

IKEA

I love shopping at Ikea for accent pieces. This is a great place to find inexpensive and modern wall art, picture frames, plant pots, baskets and other decorative items. In fact, the pink plant pot on my fireplace is actually from Ikea!

Thrift Stores

Thrift stores are amazing places to find unique treasures you may not be able to find in retail stores. My favorite thrift stores are Savers and Goodwill. If you like mixing vintage items into your home decor, this is the place to find them. The carved mirror tray on my coffee table and old books on my mantel are actually thrifted items. One of the best kept secrets about shopping at Goodwill is the possibility of finding rejected items from Target at discounted prices. These are items that may have been returned, have damaged packaging or are from last season, but are in otherwise great condition. I actually found my Nate Berkus table runner this way! Shopping stores in wealthier neighborhoods may also increase your chances of finding designer gems.

Home is what you make it!

Remember that the design and styling tips I shared are just tips, not rules. You get to dictate how you want your home to look and feel. Your home is your safe space, so remember to fill it with things that make you feel good. Allow yourself to experiment with different styles and decor pieces. Sometimes just moving things around gives you the change in environment you’re craving. Get creative! You might surprise yourself!

Hope I’ve inspired you to give your home a fresh look for spring!

Ready for more fun? Head back to my blog for more DIY projects and inspiration!