Five ways to decorate your home for spring

There's a reason we get a little spring in our step come March. After a long, dreary, cold winter, the days are getting longer and sunnier, giving us a glimpse of warm days to come.

Not only does this make us shed the heavy layers of our wardrobe, but it also inspires us to lighten up our decor at home.

"I think a lot of us get an itch toward the end of a long dark winter to see some colour and life," said Tracy Wharton, owner and principal designer of Dovecote Design Studio in Calgary.

How the right hue can change our moods 

With so many choices in paint colours, the hunt for the perfect hue can be a daunting task. And who could blame you? Most stores feature sample walls that have every colour under the sun – on one-inch-by-one-inch paint chips, to boot.

How do you convince yourself you're selecting the perfect colour? How do you commit to that one-inch teaser of colour for the next five years?

For myself, I always try to start with a hue I can build on. Then I bring more colours together on everything from trims and casings to carpets, linens or draperies.

'A place for everything and everything in its place'

Over the past several months, I have been getting ready to move. And as I've packed up my life, I've realized every object has a story, whether that be who designed it, where it was bought, where it has been or how it has been used and by whom. This story gives the object more importance. It gave me a reason to keep it or chuck it.

Yet even if you're not moving, you should all be editing your objects. Don't think about it too hard about it. If you love something, keep it. If not, repurpose it, whether that be putting it in storage or donating it to charity. After all, one person's junk is another person's treasure.

If you have many pieces of one collection, (my weakness being cake plates), put them together instead of spread everywhere. Show them off as one. Or repurpose them take sea shells from past vacations and put them in a glass vase or crystal bowl lined with a handful of sand.

Reinvigorate your space with a personal hue

There's nothing like a downturn in the economy to make you rethink your priorities.

Yet you don't have to give up on great style. Instead, you just have to find new ways of spending less on great things, as well as you determine what can and cannot live without – in other words, become a creative director of your own fabulous space.

Start with the backdrop. There isn't much that invigorates a room more than a fresh new coat of colour. I have my go-to colours, which are tried and true: timeless shades of whites and grays; greens and blues that evoke serenity, soulfulness and calm.

If you want a hint of glam or mood, be brave choose a saturated palette. Use a rebellious colour, introducing a passionate and romantic mix that will add sophistication and attitude to your room. Paint a master bathroom with deep turquoise blue high gloss so candlelight reflects off the walls, impersonating that of a moonlit ocean.