Refresh Your Home This Spring: 6 Simple Decorating Ideas

Spring is for new beginnings, de-cluttering, re-painting and a little creativity. It can be the perfect chance to breathe new life and colour into your home. As the days get brighter, a modern take on pastels and florals can be the perfect antidote to a long and cold winter. Whether it’s building your own greenhouse, putting up statement wallpaper, or just setting the dinner table outside more often, read our simple spring decorating ideas for this year’s inspiration.

1. Playing with Textures

While changing up your colour scheme will certainly change the mood of a room, playing with textures will bring depth and character to your space. Fabrics like linen and cotton are beautiful in the spring and will transition well into the summer months. A linen tablecloth or curtain is effortless and elegant. Using a naturally textured material like rattan will make a space feel warm while keeping things light and will work perfectly in the form of lampshades and matting.

2. Dinners Al Fresco

With warmer days on the horizon, it’s tempting to fling open all doors and windows to let the fresh air in. So, why not take it one step further and move the kitchen to the garden? Solid wood garden furniture can be a worthwhile investment, and holds endless possibilities of varnishing and chalk paint, so you can easily update its look when you feel like it. Wicker is also a classic choice, and perfect for armchairs which can be piled high with cosy blankets and pillows on cooler spring evenings. A set of tables and chairs can last a lifetime with a little care and are a great reason to spend Sunday morning drinking coffee outside in the sun.

3. Install a Skylight

A skylight can be a wonderful way to update your home for spring. With so much of our time spent indoors, it’s essential that we get enough light and fresh air. If your house faces away from sunlight, having a skylight installed can turn a dark room into your new favourite space, and will even give you more freedom to experiment with bolder colours. When more natural light fills a room, you have a greater opportunity to use richer colours and less harsh synthetic lighting. With so many sizes and shapes available, it’s also a great way to maximise your view, whether it’s looking out onto your city, your garden, or just the stars.

4. Invest in Smart Storage

With longer days and brighter weather, spring is the perfect time for a clear out - it’s called spring cleaning for a reason! If you’re feeling the urge to organise, there are plenty of clever storage options that can help. If you can never find anything to wear in your wardrobe, invest in an organisation system that divides up the space and ensures everything from scarves to shoes has a dedicated spot. If space is at a premium, utilise hidden spaces like under beds and stairs. Vacuum bags are great for storing winter clothes and banishing the bulk.

5. Statement Wallpaper or a Lick of Paint

What about those walls? Wallpaper is back on-trend and a great way to add interest to a room. Think William Morris-style rich florals in deep greens and blues. With no need for any pictures or ornaments, this is an effective but minimal way to re-decorate, and can set the colour scheme for a room with little effort. To keep the look modern, stick to one feature wall and leave the others a neutral tone.

A coat of paint is always guaranteed to freshen up your home and can make a space seem cleaner and neater instantly. Colour is the foundation of any plan to re-decorate, and a change to brighter and warmer tones can be as uplifting as it is invigorating.

6. Consider a Greenhouse

Whether you’ve always wanted to grow your own vegetables or you just fancy a quiet place to potter and listen to the patter of rain, a greenhouse or conservatory is a great addition to a home. Practical as well as beautiful, they can offer a welcome break from the daily tasks of the main house and they’re endlessly versatile. Imagine a vegetable garden, an orangery, or even imagine a separate living room flooded with natural light.

Doing a Spring Refresh?

If you’re looking to spruce things up this spring, a Home Improvement Loan can help. AIB offer loans from €1,000 with a loan decision in just three hours*. You can apply online through AIB Internet Banking and the AIB Mobile App. You can also book a branch appointment or phone 0818 724 725 if you’d like to speak to someone in person.

Use our handy loan calculator to find out how much you can borrow today.

*3 hour loan decision applies to fully completed new personal loan applications processed within 3 hours 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri excl. bank holidays. Loans from €1,000-€30,000. Excludes applications: to restructure or clear existing AIB credit facilities; received through Branch and referred to a lender for review, from customers in financial difficulty; for Student and First loans; applications through Business Centres; or where total borrowings exceed €100,000 (excluding Home Loan debt up to €600,000).

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