Feeling optimistic this spring? Might be the decor

By Kim Cook


In home decor, there’s something about the start of spring. When life’s renewing itself outdoors, we feel the urge to revive our interiors too.

This season, decor offerings are especially upbeat.

Start with the palette. “Saturated” is a word being used a lot; it means ripe plum hues, intense tangerines, rich indigos, verdant greens, zingy turquoises, hot reds and peppy yellows.

Dee Schlotter, a color expert with PPG Pittsburgh Paints, said Exuberant Orange is No. 1 on her trend radar.

“It’s full of joy and playful,” said Schlotter, who also cites Geranium Pink as a hot hue. “It goes really well with orange, and it’s a happy, girly color.”

Teal and turquoise are back after a lengthy retirement, and with experience in mid-century modern and traditional decor, they’ve got legs that will carry them into fall.

Erin Olson loved the color family enough to devote a blog to it; the House of Turquoise follows all things blue-green.

“What I love about turquoise is that it can be paired with any other color, since it has both warm and cool undertones,” she said.

“My personal favorite is using turquoise as a fun punch of color to an otherwise neutral space. A turquoise throw pillow, lamp or rug will instantly bring new life to your room, and can easily be switched out,” she said.

Crisp clean white’s a common counterpoint, but you’ll see black as a foil as well.

Graphic prints pop in these bold colors: Zigzags and stripes are all over the home accessories marketplace. So are lattice and ironwork prints; big and little florals; and abstracts. African handblock, Moroccan and Silk Road patterns have crossed over from last season.

Not a fan of bright? Look for a whole world of calming neutrals such as soft putty, grellow (a gray/yellow blend), greige (a gray/beige), aqua, pewter, copper, vanilla and shell pink.

You’ll see lots of texture in this category: weathered wood, animal hide, burnished metals, burlap and gauzy cottons. Honeycomb patterns, naturalistic motifs like twigs, leaves and birds, watery Impressionist prints and airy florals soothe the soul.

Neutrals are “taking the popular gray trend and moving it forward, by adding warmth with natural materials like jute and linen, and then giving it a real punch by adding a sunny pop of yellow,” said Sherwin-Williams’ color marketing director, Jackie Jordan.

Repainting walls in a fresh spring hue is one way to update a room, but if you’re not ready to commit in a major way, small changes can also alter a room’s mood. Try a lemony throw, clean white paint trim, a teal rug or sandy-toned drapery.

Go for a bright, candy-hued lamp base, and pick the color up again in a big fruit bowl. In the kitchen, replace cooking tools with new ones in luscious tomato red.

Flor’s new spring collection of floor tiles features Fedora, in a soothing palette of dusty turquoise, oatmeal, walnut and flannel. Used in a bedroom with lavender, cream or pale pink textiles, you’d wake up to spring’s birdsong in the most serene of sleeping spaces.

Land of Nod has a cheery Watermelon Stripe duvet cover in a rainbow of fruity hues, as well as the Dot Matrix rug, composed of hundreds of rolled felt balls like colorful gumballs.

Black and white geometrics make a dramatic statement — you’ll find them on dinnerware, patio umbrellas, candles and awning stripes at Z Gallerie, including a very Jonathan Adler-esque vase made of lacquered bamboo.

IKEA is offering its Expedit shelving in fire engine red; there’s the new Varmdo rocking chair in the hue, too.

Loll Designs’ cubby bench comes in a pretty grass green. And CB2’s Go-Cart desk in vibrant blue would be a fun place to work. Their Parlour atomic orange chair adds energy to a neutral room.

Pier 1’s Liliana armchair has an ironwork pattern that’s recurring in textiles and furniture detail this season. The Annie Black Bird wingback chair features a dramatic black and white nature motif that would pop against dark or white walls and wood floors. And a hanging lamp in caramel with leaves rendered in gold is the perfect addition to a restful room filled with tawny hues.

If you like strong patterns but prefer quiet colors, consider Blissliving Home’s muted deep sea and celery chevron reversible Maru throw. DwellStudio’s got a new collection of zigzag flat-weave wool and cotton rugs in lapis and citrine. And Galbraith & Paul’s loop-embellished velvet pillows come in gentle shades of coral and nutmeg.

A hammered brass stool from India makes a cool side table, from Wisteria; there are Kuba cloth chocolate and white throw pillows and a great collection of cowhide stools, trunks and benches here, too. — AP