Tips to refresh your home for spring

Written by Chris Pearson for Australian Seniors

Here comes the sun! Warmer days are on the horizon, and it’s the perfect time to refresh your space. These 10 easy updates will help breathe new life into your home for spring, summer and beyond, all without stretching your budget.

A few simple changes can make your home feel brighter, more welcoming, and ready for the new season. Whether you’re adding colour, clearing out clutter, or bringing the outdoors in, these expert-backed ideas will help you create a space you love. Let’s put a spring in your step and your home with these 10 easy tips.

1. Add colour to your home

A fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper can transform a space, says interior designer Sarah McPhee of Sarah McPhee Interiors. “I guide clients toward colours and patterns that feel timeless and suit every season. I love blues and greens as a foundation for a space, then layering with colour and pattern through artworks, cushions and lighting. For wallpapers, botanical prints bring the outdoors in.”

Wattyl’s latest palettes, both warm and fresh, straddle the seasons perfectly. Think rich rusts, terracottas, beiges and clays, paired with pops of azure blue, plum, berry, moss green and clay pinks. “A desire for nurturing spaces underlies these colour directions, along with our passion for connection with nature,” says Katherine Champion, Wattyl colour specialist.

2. Refresh your fabrics

Pack away the throws and swap out cushions in heavier velvets and wools for fresh cottons and linens, says Sarah. “A timeless and interesting mix of florals, stripes and geometrics breathes new life and interest into your spaces – they will transcend seasons seamlessly.” Meanwhile, flip, plump and vacuum your cushions to remove stubborn dust.

3. Rearrange your space

Rearranging furniture can transform a room, says Three Birds Renovations. “You don’t need anything new – just a zhuzh of what you already have. In summer, pull furniture back from doors and windows so you can throw them open and let the breeze flow.”

You can also revisit tables and shelves by placing vases and knickknacks on seasonal rotation. “I love rotating a mix of contemporary, vintage and antique objects – it keeps the home feeling fresh, layered and personal,” adds Sarah.

4. Change out the winter blankets

In the bedroom, “Replace heavy woollen throws and blankets with lighter linen and cotton,” Interior designer Meredith Lee says. “Heavier winter doonas can be replaced with lighter versions, and darker colours with pale pinks and greens.” 

In the process, tackle your linen cupboard. “Everyone has sheets, quilts and pillowcases they no longer use,” Decluttering expert Amy Revell of The Art of Decluttering shares. “One set of sheets should suffice for a spare bed.”

5. Consider wooden furniture

Streamline your rooms with sleek Scandi-style furniture in solid wood. It offers a minimalist, modernist look, while adding warmth and durability, says Nikita Crockett, designer at Australian solid wood furniture company IconByDesign. 

But the beauty is, once summer is a memory, these chameleons adapt beautifully to winter with rugs and throws. The Danes invented ‘hygge’, aka ‘cosy comfort’, after all.

6. Organise the junk room

“Our clients often have a spare room that isn’t working, but they can’t work out why or what to change,” Meredith says.

Get a fresh set of eyes to offer suggestions on what can be added or subtracted. “We’ve seen junk rooms become sitting rooms and studies with some simple, but well-considered, changes.”

It can be tempting to hold onto furniture that is too big and too much when you’ve downsized, she adds. “Giving furniture to younger family members leaving home or donating to op shops enables it to be reused without it going to landfill.” 

7. Decorate with plants and flowers

Bring spring indoors with fresh flowers or lush foliage to add colour and zest. “I adore tulips in all their beautiful varieties,” Sarah says. “Even a simple arrangement can uplift a corner.”

And glass vases give a luminous look. “Seasonal flowers or fresh foliage, such as eucalyptus year long, keep your home feeling alive and in tune with nature,” says Three Birds. “If you have black thumbs, amazing faux options give the look and feel without the upkeep.”

8. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products

Sophie Kovic, founder of online eco retailer Seed & Sprout, offers tips for a spring detox journey. “Switch to clean, green and sustainable cleaning products. You’re protecting our environment as well as your family’s health.”

Her company’s planet-friendly range of cleaning materials includes the Dish Soap Bar (equal to 3.5 bottles of dishwashing liquid but with zero plastic packaging waste) and The Laundry Bar, with lemon and eucalyptus, for stain removal. Or try its Compostable Sponge with Scourer, with a loofah on one side and cellulose sponge on the other. The thirsty sponge cleverly doubles as a de facto paper towel.

If you want to make your own natural cleaning products, follow this guide.

9. Declutter the garage and garden

“As the warmer weather returns and you re-engage with the outdoors, visit your garage or shed where long-forgotten projects often languish,” Amy says. If you had started restoring or fixing something, either finish those projects or allow them to be decluttered, she suggests.

Scout the garden for items that could be rehomed or taken on a trip to the tip. Are there the grandkids’ forgotten toys, broken plant pots or tired chairs? “You’ll be surprised at how much just hangs around.”

Once you’ve decluttered and freshened up the garden, take the next step toward making it thrive – learn how you can create a sustainable garden.

10. Spruce up your outdoor living space

“Refresh your outdoor spaces”, Sarah suggests. Ensure your outside furniture is comfortable for lingering lunches and add a beautiful mix of cushions to create interest and comfort in tones and patterns that connect with the garden. 

Meanwhile, the transformative magic of LED lighting gives your patio a fairytale feel after dark.