I Asked Interior Designers: "How Do You Make Your Home Feel Like Spring?" Here's What They Said

Forget Christmas, spring is surely the most wonderful time of year. The air smells different, the dust gets blown off your "good" tableware, the menu switches to salads, and mulled wine by the fire becomes Aperol Spritz in the sun.

Oh, and spring decorating gets underway. While the excitement and promise of a new season can make it tempting to do a complete interior overhaul, interior design experts say there's simply no need.

So, rather than letting your to-do list get out of control, look to the advice of the biggest and best names in the field. I asked six interior designers to share how they welcome spring into their homes, and here's what they had to say.

1. An Entryway Refresh

An unfortunate symptom of winter is the cluttered entryway. The hats, the scarves, the huge coats, and cold-weather boots; it all adds up to form one big, bulky mess that creates chaos rather than calm at the door to your sanctum. Not ideal! So, the start of spring calls for an entryway declutter.

"The winter scarves and hat baskets can be put away and allow for an airy entry into the home," says Susana Simonpietri, creative director of Brooklyn-based Chango. "We like to add trays to catch your essentials and clear space to add a nice vase of springtime florals."

2. Fill Your Home With Florals

It may be an obvious one, but florals are a hallmark of spring for good reason. After winter's dark days, it's hard to resist the soft curves of a tulip, the moody hues of a hellebore, or the crinkly petals of a poppy. This year, the experts are saying, when decorating with flowers, go structural and architectural.

“Spring for me is all about renewal, growth, and change," says Blaire Moore, principal and founder of Moore House Design. "I love to bring natural florals into the home, large outdoor branches with some greenery."

"Forsythia, Japanese quince, cherry blossoms, and redbuds are some of the sweetest springtime flowers," adds Susana Simonpietri. "Lately, our team has been playing with kenzens (flower frogs) to create sculptural floral moments in vessels that may not typically be able to be used for flowers. We love metal Japanese-made kenzens — the heavier, the better!" (Or try this Ikebana vase from H&M Home.)

Shona McElroy of Smac Studio recommends thinking about the knock-on effect of florals and how to integrate them into various scenarios. "We love hitting the flower markets as spring approaches, so our tablescapes start to lean toward bringing out our vases and swap out our candle holders," she explains.

3. Create an Indoor-Outdoor Connection

If constantly swapping out vases of flowers isn't in your weekly budget, fear not. House plants count, too, says Holly Vaughan of Vaughan Design and Development.

"One of the simplest yet most impactful changes I make is bringing nature indoors," she adds. "Being in the countryside, I love to make the most of what’s around us in the garden and start to fill vases with a taste of spring... a few spring-inspired houseplants can transform the atmosphere."

Another, more permanent, solution is to bring botanical motifs through wallpaper, tiles, and furniture choices. In Greg Natale's Exeter project (pictured above), he did just that.

"To further explore this theme, we accented the space with tessellated tiles chosen for their durability and suitability to its outdoor connection, featuring intricate floral motifs that draw on the residence's heritage fabric," he explains. "This has been paired with a French bistro dining chair, enhancing the overall relaxed indoor-outdoor dining experience."

4. Lighten Up Your Material Choices

No, not just in color. Material choices should be swapped out for breezier fabrics — put away the wool and cashmere and bring out your lighter fabrics for spring, like linen and sheer weaves with intricate details.

"When spring is approaching, I do a bit of an edit of the home to make it feel overall lighter," explains Shona McElroy. "I pack away the heavier cashmere throws and blankets we've had for winter, take off our heavier doonas and end-of-bed throws, and bring in our crisper linen sheets and lighter throws."

Blaire Moore recommends extending this practice to table linen, and, if you're able, even window furnishings. "Lighten the space with airy linen drapery that moves effortlessly with an open window," she says. "A touch of lace on the table, whether as coasters or placemats, softens everything."

5. Get Ready for Guests

Although your mind might go straight to long lunches, there are other guest-related spaces that the experts say you should not neglect — including those that allow for sleepovers, says Susana Simonpietri.

"We like to refresh guest spaces just in time for springtime sleepovers, swapping out our heavier winter bedding for lighter quilts," she says.

So, while you're cleaning, changing, and storing your own heavier sheets, don't forget to throw the guest set in the rotation, too. Look for soft, gentle hues, pretty frills, pintucks, or playful patterns in cotton and linen.

6. Opt for Subtle, Simple Updates

Before you get too carried away and blow your budget, interior designer and creator of eponymous homeware brand, Laura Hammett, says it's all about the subtle swap-outs, such as changing up the color accent or incorporating a new decorative piece or two.

“I find the most impactful updates are often the simplest," she says. "Spring is always a moment for me to gently reset a space rather than completely redesign it. I like to keep the overall aesthetic feeling classic and elegant, but refresh certain elements so the home evolves with the seasons."

It also helps, says Laura, to change up the focal point in your spaces. Invest in a new large-scale artwork, layer in new textiles, and, of course, pop a vase or two of your favorite florals and branches around.

7. Go All-In With Green

Decorating with green is on this spring, according to interior designer Laura Hammett, who says it provides the perfect backdrop from which to layer with natural materials like stone, warm metals, and linen.

"This spring, I’m drawn to nuanced, heritage-inspired greens — soft sages, olives, and chalky celadons. I love how these tones feel both grounding and quietly luxurious," she says. "For me, it’s about designing spaces that feel fresh and seasonal, but still timeless and deeply connected to how we live.”

With the 411 on spring-ifying your interiors in your proverbial pocket, go forth and embrace the new season. Don't forget to select your perfect spring palette before you make a start.

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