Late winter living room refresh

It may be wishful thinking, but I like to think that we are into late winter now. Which means it’s fair game to dream about spring and to freshen up our décor in anticipation of the season of renewal. Valentine’s Day has passed and like any décor lover, I’m thinking about the next seasonal celebrations. On the radar are St. Patrick’s Day, the official beginning of spring, and Easter. For now, I’ve decided to put most of the pink décor away and focus on neutrals and bringing in some fresh greenery. It’s been a gradual transition from Christmas décor to winter décor to late winter/anticipatory spring décor. If you’re unsure how to decorate for the doldrums of winter, look no further. In this post, Late winter living room refresh, I show you how to take your winter décor and freshen it up in anticipation of spring.

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Neutral colour palette

I’m a neutral décor lover at heart and my bread and butter are white, cream, greige, and grey. I love having a neutral base and it is the key to easy seasonal transitions. If you love to change up your décor, you might want to consider painting your home in a light neutral shade like white, ivory, beige, or light grey. All the paint colours in my home can be found here. Our living room walls are painted in Benjamin Moore Classic Grey (above the board and batten), and the wainscoting board and batten itself is painted in C2 Paint Sheer. To see how I added character to our living room with board and batten, click here.

What items to keep when contemplating a seasonal refresh

I generally don’t remove any large pieces of furniture when refreshing a space. This includes our piano, coffee table, sofa, chairs, and large wall clock. However, I certainly would consider painting furniture during a refresh- I did just that when I painted our piano two years ago. To see the transition from orange 70’s style piano to the white piano you see in these photos, click here. I would also consider reupholstering an upholstered piece such as a sofa or chairs. Alternatively, you could make or purchase slipcovers for your existing furniture.

What to change

The types of items I change during a refresh are rugs, wall art, side tables and small accent chairs, pillows, blankets, plants, baskets, and tabletop décor. As mentioned above, you can also repaint your space, add trim, or paint or wallpaper an accent wall. I save my seasonal décor from past seasons and reuse it in different combinations. I tend not to precisely reproduce décor from previous seasons because I love exploring new décor ideas. Every season, I do purchase a few new items, but now that I have a solid base of décor items, I buy less each season.

My late winter living room refresh

Before adding new décor, I removed the snowflake décor, and the heaviest, thickest blankets. It’s always a great idea to start decorating with a clean slate.

The main change I made to this space was adding a new rug. Previously I had a gold and cream rug layered over a sisal rug. Adding a rug or changing the rug in your living room can make a huge impact. Rugs can be very expensive, but my secret to affordable rugs is buying from online stores like Boutique Rugs when they have their unbelievable 55% or 60% off everything sales. The large wool rug I chose for this space was extremely affordable when purchased at 60% off. The rug is neutral, yet it has a striking pattern that adds character to the space. Surprisingly, it makes the space feel both more expansive and cozier at the same time.

The next change I made was to add touches of greenery to the space. I added some faux greenery plants to the coffee table.

And to a little stool by the piano, I added some faux Lamb’s ear stems. Baskets also add warmth and a hint of days spent outdoors, perhaps gathering flowers.

For the wall decor, I added green glass vases to the windowpanes on either side of the wall clock and filled them with olive stems. Additionally, I replaced the blankets on the blanket ladder with lighter coloured and more lightweight ones. I kept the pillows neutral in shades of cream, beige, and green. Pretty simple, but now I want to spend a whole lot more time in here!

Ideas for giving your living room a late winter refresh

• Paint your walls a lighter colour
• Add a paint or wallpaper accent wall
• Reupholster a piece of furniture
• Make or purchase slipcovers for your sofa or chairs
• Paint a piece of furniture a light or fresh colour
• Replace your rug
• Change your artwork
• Add real or faux plants
• Add lighter blankets
• Replace pillows with ones in light or fresh colours or botanical prints
• Add baskets
• Add fresh flowers
• Consider adding whimsical touches that hint at spring (market bag, bicycle images, subtle floral patterns)

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my late winter living room refresh. What are your tips for updating your space this time of year?