HSM's Pretty, Practical, Fun, and Fantastical Springtime Decorating Tips

Spring is finally here and for some people that means getting out the old dusters and cleaning the house from floor to ceiling for a fresh, new start. It can also mean making some changes to your home in order to give your winter mood a springtime lift. So, why not consider some of these hip decorating tips to get your creative juices flowing. Since interior design means different things to different people, Hip Slope Mama listed four different categories for each room (i.e. the bedroom, bathroom, closets, dining room, foyer, kitchen and living room) to appeal to a wide range of tastes and styles. So, don’t just sit there, get motivated, get inspired, and get decorating!

Bedroom

• Pretty: Put away that heavy comforter and cover your bed with whites, pastels, florals, or plaids. Retro or shabby chic fabrics can add a light and welcoming feel to any bedroom. Change out heavy lamp shades to lighter ones that are similar in style to the bed coverings and place fresh flowers or silk plants around the room for a romantic look.

• Practical: For barely used guest rooms, purchase inexpensive bedding sets that come with a matching comforter and sheet set. Rather than using the sheets on the bed, turn them into simple curtains or valances for the windows. When company comes to visit use inexpensive, solid colored sheets on the bed instead.

• Fun: Make a unique looking headboard by hanging an old door behind the bed. Old doors can be easily found at flea markets or architectural warehouses. Paint them, stain them, distress them, and hang them for a cool new look. You can also make your own padded headboard by placing foam on a piece of plywood and covering it with fabric.

• Fantastical: Theme rooms are not just fun for the kids, they can also be fun for you and your spouse. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to live in medieval times, walk with the Egyptians, or have an affinity for the Wild West. If so, then why not transform your bedroom into a fantasy getaway? No one’s going to see it other than you and your knight in shining armor, pharaoh king, or handsome gun slinger anyway, so go crazy!

Bathroom

• Pretty: Replace your old, dirty shower curtain with a new light and airy one. You can buy a plain store-bought one and embellish it yourself by attaching individual silk flowers of bright or bold colors with a thread and needle or a little hot glue.

• Practical: Replace your old toilet seat with a removable one that comes off easily to make cleaning under the seat a breeze. Standard toilet seats are simple to replace and removable ones come off and on quickly by simply pressing two tabs at the top.

• Fun: Make the kids their own bathroom hand towels by embroidering their names on them. Embroidery is simple, even if you’ve never sewn a stitch in your life, and all the supplies you need can be found at any crafting store, including the towels.

• Fantastical: Frame your bathroom mirror with a painted on frame and bedazzle it with beads, sequins, flowers, rubber stamps, painted polka dots, or whatever you choose. You can also purchase mirror framing kits at the hardware store for a more sophisticated look.

Closets

• Pretty: The closet always seems to be the one room of the house that doesn’t get a decent paint job in it. Is that any way to treat your designer clothes, shoes, and handbags? Of course not, so give your closet a well deserved makeover and paint it a soothing and relaxing color that will help you start you day off with a positive smile.

• Practical: Completely redesign your closet to better serve your needs. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to do this either. Stores like Target and Home Depot have plenty of closet organizing pieces that are easy to put together and install on your own.

• Fun: Turn your kids’ closets into fun places to be by painting them bright colors, hanging colored closet organizers to keep things off the floor, incorporating baskets to separate dirty clothes, and installing closet hammocks to keep toys out of the way and in place.

• Fantastical: Rather than putting up with that boring old light fixture, why not install a beautiful chandelier type fixture in the closet? You’ll feel like a princess every time you go inside to choose an outfit. Carrie Bradshaw would be soooo jealous!

Dining Room

• Pretty: Give your dining room chandelier a springtime makeover by wrapping pretty silk flowers and lush greenery around it or hanging metallic bobbles and sparkly crystals from it. This is a quick project that can easily be removed or changed out with the seasons.

• Practical: Give your formal plates, utensils, serving ware, platters, and linens a good cleaning and then use them or display them. Oftentimes we forget we have formal pieces, so it’s good to get them out, give them a good washing, and put them to use.

• Fun: Make beautiful springtime centerpieces out of baskets, metallic ribbons, and silk flowers. Weave the ribbon into or around the basket and then hot glue floral foam blocks to the bottom. Then, just randomly stick flower sprigs into the blocks until you can’t see the blocks anymore. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake because you can’t!

• Fantastical: Install a tin ceiling with easy to attach tiles. Tin ceilings were all the rage in the early 1900s and now you can recreate this lush look with tile replicas. You can choose from copper, silver, and gold or paint them yourself any color you choose.

Foyer

• Pretty: Stencil flowers, vines, or architectural designs around or above the front door or other entryways to give your foyer a welcoming look.

• Practical: Place a small table or cabinet in the foyer and create a family message area. Leave notepads and pens on the table to exchange messages and use small drawers to keep keys, sunglasses, wallets, umbrellas, leashes, gloves, and hats easily accessible.

• Fun: Purchase a hallway seat that has baskets underneath for storage and paint them different colors. Designate one basket for each child to store their book bags and outdoor wear in. Or fill each basket with outdoor toys that they can easily grab and take outside.

• Fantastical: Hire a muralist to paint a beautiful mural on a plain, oversized wall or hang large frameless art pieces to give your foyer that high class appeal.

Kitchen

• Pretty: Add real flowers, lots and lots of flowers, all around your kitchen. Cut flowers you place in a vase only last a few days, but potted annuals will last all season long. Use inexpensive clay pots or get creative and plant them in pots, pans, bowls, baskets, hats, or whatever else you have lying around the house unused.

• Practical: Create your very own herb and vegetable garden right on your kitchen window sill. Everyday herbs, peppers, and cherry tomatoes will usually grow well inside as long as they have plenty of natural light. Use the fruits of your labors in your cooking for a fresh, homegrown, and satisfying taste.

• Fun: Let the kids create their very own placemats using paint, beads, feathers, silk flowers, foam cutouts, or whatever they like. Just purchase plain plastic placemats or use large pieces of art foam and let the kids create their very own dinner time masterpieces.

• Fantastical: Tile your own whimsical backsplash using new or old tiles. Tiling is simple to learn, even for the novice, and tile can create a beautiful focal point for your kitchen. Create an organized look with ceramic, glass, marble, or stone tiles of alternating colors or an artsy look using broken tile pieces to create a fanciful and unique mosaic design.

Living Room

• Pretty: Remove your heavy, dark drapes or curtains and replace them with light and airy sheers or keep your windows bare through the warmer months. This way plenty of bright sunshine and warm air can flow into the room unhindered. Also consider having two-sided window coverings made, one side dark for winter and one side light for summer.

• Practical: Quickly cover over tired, dirty, or boring furniture with bright and colorful fitted slipcovers. There are slipcovers now for every shape and size of sofa and chair imaginable. Some slipcovers fit so well that you can’t even tell they are slipcovers at all.

• Fun: Place garden and flower magazines and books out on the coffee table in order to bring the outdoors in without having to water anything! Flipping through these magazines and books will also give you lots of great decorating ideas for spring.

• Fantastical: Give your living room a brand new look by repainting it a bright or bold color. If you can’t bring yourself to paint the entire room, just pick one wall to paint with a strong accent color to give the room a well needed lift. Repeat this bold color throughout the room by adding pillows, rugs, or fun accessories throughout.