As we bid goodbye to winter, it's time to start thinking about updating the main spaces in the home, and a spring living room is a great place to start. Where winter embraces thick, cozy textiles and deep, moody hues, spring is all about brighter colors, lighter fabrics, and enjoying the prolonged daylight.
If you've been looking for spring decor ideas, consider the colors and textures you use, and remember a successful spring scheme is more than just visual appeal – embracing living room ideas that make a space feel inviting and comfortable is just as important.
From spring colors and motifs to bringing the outdoors in, these spring living room ideas, courtesy of leading interior designers, will ensure your space feels refreshed for the season ahead.
Spring living room ideas to decorate for the season
Whether you're planning a simple refresh or a complete makeover, spring is the perfect time to give your living room a new lease of life. From injecting seasonal hues to switching out decor, these spring living room ideas are sure to inspire.
1. Create a display with spring flowers
The changing season focuses on the garden and the new blooms that grow in it, so create a spring living room with bountiful bouquets to introduce seasonal cues to your space. 'It may seem like a no-brainer, but never underestimate the power of fresh flowers when refreshing your living room for spring,' says Kathy Kuo, CEO of Kathy Kuo Home.
'After I finish up with a nice, thorough spring clean in my home, I love to really mark the start of the new season by filling my favorite decorative vases with seasonal blooms. You get that special touch of seasonality, as well as a pop of color and a fresh scent,' she adds. 'Whether you add your flower vases to your coffee table, your mantelpiece, or your media cabinet, they're sure to have the space feeling decidedly like spring.'
2. Introduce a spring scent
A successful interior encompasses all of the senses, so when introducing spring into your living room, consider the scent you use. A seasonal home fragrance, whether you add scented candles or diffusers, offers the perfect finishing touch to any spring living room.
'While most folks don’t think about it, the fragrance of your room can truly set the tone (and season) for your visitors. With springtime just around the corner, one of my favorite accessories to incorporate into my living room decor is Lafco New York’s Fresh Cut Gardenia candle or diffuser,' says Kristen Scharer, of Kristen Scharer Interiors.
'This scent smells just like fresh cut flowers from your garden (even if you don’t have any) and frankly, just smells like the epitome of spring. I also love that it comes in a fresh green container – perfect to compliment your spring décor,' she adds.
3. Add floral throw pillows
One of the easiest and most effective ways to refresh your living room for spring is through the soft furnishings. Introduce floral throw pillows to inject a sense of the season while retaining the coziness a living room requires.
'My favorite way to refresh a living room for spring is switching out your throw pillows. Adding new pops of color (goodbye winter white!) and images of flowers in a pillow immediately feels like spring. As a plus, they last longer than any fresh flower decor,' says Mary Jo Major, owner and principal designer at Rise Interiors.
Introduce a few floral throw pillows alongside plain and textured cushions in a mix of neutral and spring hues to create a more interesting scheme. Try not to overwhelm the room with too many colors – choose two or three shades to add a subtle nod to the season.
4. Introduce a fresh color for spring
Color can transform a living room, but painting walls isn't the only way to inject a new hue. Spring decor is a great way to add color without investing in major changes, and gives you the option to easily swap pieces out through the seasons.
'Introducing spring into a living room could easily take two tracks depending on what scale you are willing to embrace. Spring is a time of new beginnings, which look different for all of us. For those who prefer to keep it simple, one route would be to introduce a fresh color that you can carry throughout the room without replacing major furniture pieces,' explains interior designer Patricia Knight.
Be creative with how you add spring colors into your living room scheme – the obvious option might be through soft furnishings, but wall decor is just as important. 'You can easily add decorative throw pillows, a lovely piece of art, recent photos in picture frames, or look no further than your yard for early blooming flowers or to your closest florist,' adds Patricia.
5. Decorate with lightweight textiles
Creating a spring living room is all about replacing winter decor with lighter fabrics and brighter hues. Instead of buying completely new pieces, think about updating instead of replacing. No one has space to store large pillows from season to season, but simply replacing the covers and using the same inserts is not only cost-effective but space-saving too.
'Spring is all about shedding the cozy winter vibes, for light and bright. Update your pillows for a quick and cost-effective shift to a new season. Keep the same pillow inserts and opt for light-colored, linen pillow covers rather than velvet or heavy textures,' says Mackenzie Wood, principal and lead designer at Tribe Design Group.
Opt for pillow covers in lighter hues and made from natural fabrics such as cotton or linen – these textures feel much more appropriate for spring compared to the thick velvets and faux furs you might embrace during winter.
6. Swap out your window treatments
Our thoughts of spring are heavily associated with nature – from the plants that grow to the longer, lighter days, embracing those elements into a living room refresh is an easy way to add new life to your space. Try to introduce house plants, flowers or increase the amount of morning sun you let into your home.
'Allow as much natural light as possible into the space by replacing heavy draperies for woven shades, lighter weight panels, or even nothing at all,' suggests Mary Beth Christopher, of MBC Interior Design.
Sheer, lightweight curtains, or drapes are a popular choice in a living room. They offer a sense of privacy and dress windows beautifully without blocking any natural light. Alternatively, shutters are becoming increasingly popular to add character to a scheme without feeling too heavy.
7. Invest in a complete spring makeover
Spring is the time of year we prioritize refreshing and reorganizing our homes. As such, leaning into a complete living room makeover can make all the difference. Adding a new paint color, living room wallpaper, or even new light fixtures will make your living room feel brand new and rejuvenated for the year ahead.
'An alternate option would be to embrace a larger refresh and consider a full-scale reinvention. Working with a skilled designer, you can make changes such as updating light fixtures and re-painting or adding statement wallpaper and complete new furnishings. No matter which track you take, you can't go wrong. Have fun,' says Patricia Knight.
Spring living room ideas range from small changes to large refreshes, it really just depends on the scale of update you want to make. Swapping out soft furnishings and introducing a beautiful arrangement of spring flowers can make all the difference to a scheme without any major changes. But, if you've grown tired of your current scheme and simply want a change, a lick of paint and a roll of wallpaper will transform any living room space!
