5 Ways to Brighten Interior Spaces for Spring

Spring is in the air. Maybe it's because winter barely made a showing. Before you know it you'll be opening windows and venturing outdoors just because. When you return from work or a day of recreation, you don't want your home's interior to stifle your new found sense of freedom. Lighten and brighten your home's interiors for spring.

Lighten by Whitening

Nothing screams clean and fresh like a fresh coat of white or barely tinted white paint. Go beyond repainting trim, although you should do that too if you didn't find time this winter.

* Paint or replace sad-looking coat racks. go for white, paint colorful stencils with playful designs of crawling bugs, small birds, butterflies, lizards or dragonflies.

* Update an old wooden or unfinished wooden floor with a fresh coat of white paint. Use porch paint which can stand up to foot traffic.

* Replace heavy winter curtains with white or lightly colored sheer curtains. If you're concerned about privacy or too much sun in the morning, install inexpensive blinds or shades.

Branch Out

Create the illusion of tree branches on a prominent wall. Use a series of decals or use black paint to form a silhouette.

* Place picture frames or decorative accessories to look as if they are perched in the tree. The result is a little bit of nature and a sense of being rooted down. Allusions to family tree, being one with nature, and bringing outdoors inside are all present.

* Decorate with thin wire wall accessories in place of heavy wrought iron this spring.

Get Spring Feverish for Blue

The color of Robin's egg is a delicate and versatile blue. You can see it everywhere this spring. Decorate with it as the foundation for a fresh spring look. Or as a way to way to cool the warm off-whites in Shabby Chic decor. The color can be seen in many forms for spring 2012. A light blue with hints of green is Benjamin Moore's color of the year, Wyeth Blue. They also have Woodlawn Blue and Blue Bay Marina.

Think Sea Glass

Recall the last time you were at the beach and picked up a piece of "sea glass." It was smooth and soft and cool to the touch. Was it a frosty hue of white? Had the sea water turned the once green glass into a near translucent green? Did you find a piece of barely blue glass and wonder what it was originally? Incorporate the colors, textures and translucency of sea glass into your home this spring.