Top 5 Paint Colors for Spring

For each of us, spring evokes a fresh color: yellow for sunny days, blue for clear skies, purple for fields of flowers. Whatever color we choose to bring into our home for spring, how we pair it with other spring colors makes all the difference in the world. Here are five paint colors for spring that I saw in pairs, and every room had an atmosphere of spring unique to itself.

Purple & Aquamarine

The loveliest attic playroom I've ever seen was decorated in spring colors of purple and aquamarine. The ceiling joists were showing, so to match their pattern the decorator attached horizontal strips of floor molding to the wall every foot or so. Then she painted the walls in deep aquamarine and the ceiling in soft purple. She spread a giant cotton Jersey woven rug on the floor in colors that wove purple and blues. She tossed lilac and sky blue pillows on the sand colored sofa, and added two aquamarine bean bags opposite. It was the kind of room that makes you want to smile.

Yellow & Blue

Growing up in icy Montreal, I loved our sunflower kitchen. With its yellow walls and periwinkle blue cabinets, it always felt like spring. China plates hung on the wall, hand-painted with sunflowers. The valance on the window repeated the floral pattern. The cushions on the wooden chairs were blue like the cabinets, and on the round pine table bloomed silk sunflowers in a glass blue vase. Beneath our feet spread a round Thimbleberries braided rug woven in a sea of blues. And sunflower knobs added whimsy to the blue cabinets. It was a place where sunshine and blue skies mingled eternally.

Magenta & Purple

Looking for the romance of spring, my brother and his wife painted the accent wall behind their bed in deep magenta. The remaining bedroom walls they painted in purple, but because these were partial walls with closets, windows or doorways, the color purple was minimal. They tossed a duvet the color of African Violets over the bed, then added silk lilac pillows. And on the magenta wall they hung an over-sized canvas of Impressionist purple flowers. Only the tall windows with their sheer white curtains seemed colorless as light shone through them.

Lime & Yellow

Inspired by a magazine picture, my friend redecorated her living room for spring. She painted the entryway wall behind the living room in saffron yellow, and the living room walls in a soft shade of lime. She covered her soiled old sofa in a white slipcover and tossed silk green and yellow pillows over it. Two old ottomans became a chic coffee table when she covered them in white slipcovers and placed large trays over them. And to give her spring living room its final whimsical touch, she placed two white rocking chairs opposite the love seat.

Orange & Sage

To redecorate my guest bedroom for spring, I chose a color palette that surpassed my wildest dreams. I painted the walls in sage and the window trims in bright orange. I chose sage-colored bedding and a duvet of pale orange. Over the sage sham I tossed cream pillows with embroidered orange flowers and sage leaves. On the cherry wood floor, I spread a round cream rug with a pattern of tree branches, leaves, and orange flowers. I replaced the boring lampshade on the bedside lamp with a sheer orange one, and over the bed I hung a wind chime with orange butterflies and green fairies. It's an enchanting guest room, if I say so myself.