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Spring Home Refresh: Simple Ideas on a Budget

By Rachel

published 03/21/2024

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Last Updated on October 23, 2024 by Rachel Granholm

Let’s welcome a new season together! I’m sharing a spring home refresh and simple ideas on a budget.

Spring is in the air! And, with it, comes the desire to refresh and revitalize our homes. You don’t need to do a complete overhaul nor do you need a big budget to breathe new life into your living space. It’s easier than you think! Join me for a spring home refresh along with simple decorating ideas on a budget. Find tangible and tactful ways of rejuvenating your space for the new season!

Table of Contents

Spring Decorating on a Dime

With a handful of simple and budget-friendly ideas, you can give your home a spring makeover that will leave you feeling inspired and restored. From decluttering to re-arranging to DIY projects, I have compiled a comprehensive guide on how to refresh your home for spring without breaking the bank.

So, put on your creative hats and get ready to transform your humble abode into a welcoming space that is full of life!

Spring Decorating FAQ’s

1. When to swap out Winter decor for Spring?

There isn’t a set of rules when it comes to decorating your home. I always tell others, “Do what feels right to you and to accomplish them in such a way that makes you happy.”

However, when it comes to switching out seasonal decor, I do so according to the calendar. So, I usually take down the Winter decorations at the end of February. I dust my whole house and give it all a nice vacuum and then start decorating for Spring at the beginning of March.

2. How to decorate my house for Spring without spending money?

Sometimes, I love challenging myself and not spending a dime on seasonal decorations. And luckily, there are so many ways to accomplish this.

You can:

use decor you already have and add seasonal colors to it
tie pink or green ribbon to knobs, jars, handles, or wreaths
simply re-arrange a space without adding anything else
switch out table linens
light a Spring scented candle

Shop Favorite Spring Decor

Fresh Spring Color Palette

When it comes to any seasonal decor change in my home, I always start with deciding on the color palette.

Choosing a color palette first, before anything else, helps to bring your Spring decor vision to life. But, more importantly, when you have cohesive colors throughout, your home will feel balanced and harmonious.

However, if you need inspiration for deciding on a Spring color, peruse Pinterest or flip through some home decorating magazines. That always helps to get my juices flowing if I feel stuck!

Spring Home Refresh: Simple Ideas on a Budget

Hello, guys! I’m so happy to welcome you into my home all decorated for one of my favorite seasons.

Usually, I’m drawn to a certain color(s) each season and this year I was inspired by pastel colors, specifically light pink and jadeite green. So, throughout this tour today, you will notice those colors in each area of my home.

I took my love of vintage dishes and gave them a softer feel through the use of vintage handkerchiefs and other linens. You will also notice many varieties of faux flowers, vintage books, and other thrifted decor that I’ve found over the years.

I truly hope you find encouragement for your home and use these ideas in a way that’s all your own.

Budget Entry Decor for Spring

Let’s start in the entry.

If you’ve been around for any length of time, you probably remember that we have a very small entryway. I have a tiny shelf that sits above the coat hooks on the wall that I use for seasonal decorating.

While this small space may be bothersome to others, I love it. It’s just the right amount of area to decorate while still being functional for my family.

For Spring, I placed an antique German book on it’s side, set a thrifted vase on top, and placed two coordinating vintage plaques to the left. The pink faux flowers tie in with the colors in the rest of the house.

Living Room Spring Decor on a Budget

This space is the largest living area in our small home so I wanted it to feel open and airy. To achieve that aesthetic, I carefully chose decor pieces that were light in color, helping to keep each area feeling as uncluttered and spacious as possible.

All of the decor that you see here has been found thrifted or purchased at antique shops. This method of decorating a home takes time and patience but I promise it’s so worth it!

To usher in a cheery Spring look, I first styled my milk glass collection on the shelf above the couch.

Using my grandma’s needlepoint table linen as a base, I worked my way down the shelf from left to right. I placed milk glass pieces, one at a time, according to size.

The hobnail pattern on many of them helps to add texture without distracting from the visual beauty of the display.

A secondhand basket with faux pussy willow stems anchors the left end while a thrifted milk glass vase with faux flowers spilling out anchors the right.

To help add height underneath the vase, as well as break up the white on white colors, a vintage green book was used.

To round out the shelf, I set two matching vintage floral plates in the background. Finally, I added a few sprigs of faux Baby’s Breath for some movement within the display.

Spring Decorating with Vintage Finds

On the other side of the living room is the credenza.

It sits underneath two large windows, gifting this room with the most glorious morning sunlight!

Truly, I have no idea what I would do without vintage decor. Vintage pieces add such a special touch of character and uniqueness to your home and are found for such affordable prices!

So here, on the credenza, I used many pieces from my vintage dish collection and combined them with some books, linens, and florals.

On the right side, I tried something different that I’ve never done before…stacking dishes! I’ve seen this done in so many other blogs and magazine photos yet never thought about doing it with mine, until now!

So, I stacked up some of my favorite ironstone platters according to size. Then, for some color, I placed a mint green handkerchief on top with a little bunny.

Easy? Yes. Simple? Yes. Affordable? Yes. What’s not to love?!

Vintage Books for Spring Decor

Books, of any kind, make the most wonderful fillers when decorating. If I’m styling a shelf or certain area of my home and I’m lacking height, color, or anything in-between, books are my go-to.

Vintage books can be:

stacked
side by side
have only the spines showing
have only the pages showing
flip some books around so both spines and pages are seen
wrapped together with twine or ribbon

In the middle of the credenza, I stacked three vintage books, side by side, in shades of green. To bookend the left side of them, I used a milk glass compote dish on top of a mint green plate.

Styling Tip: When decorating a shelf or cabinet top, you don’t need everything to match. Instead, you can use coordinating items that you already have around the house. This eliminates the need for buying new things!

Baskets are beautiful options for adding texture to a display, especially for Spring! On the left side of the credenza, I put together this Spring basket vignette. Each decor piece used in my basket are things that I already had on hand.

Decor items that you can use for a basket vignette include:

pitchers, vases, or teapots
books
butter pats or small plates
platters
linens such as handkerchiefs or doilies
creamers
flower frogs
faux flowers
ribbon

If creating decorative displays or vignettes isn’t your cup of tea, here are a few other super easy ideas to usher Spring into your home.

Seasonal Spring Refresh Tips:

Swap Out Throw Pillows.
Switch Up Blankets.
Change Out Artwork.
Incorporate Flowers.
Swap out Linens.

DIY Spring Decor

Creating your own decor, or adding your own spin to pre-existing pieces, is so rewarding.

Case in point. I needed a tall item on the end of this shelf yet couldn’t find exactly what I needed in my decor stash. So, instead of going out and purchasing something new, I created this ‘ribbon tree’!

All I did was place a few pieces of floral foam at the bottom of a thrifted basket, stuck one large pussy willow stem inside, covered the base with a vintage table runner, and then tied pink bows to some of the branches!

This whole thing cost me a total of $2.00 because all I had to purchase was the pink ribbon.

Isn’t that so cool?! This method can be used for all seasons and holidays, as well. Using ribbon for decorating is one of my favorite hacks. Ribbon is so cheap and it elevates the most mundane things!

Thrifty Mantel Decor for Spring

The last area of my home I wanted to show you, for this Spring home refresh: simple ideas on a budget, is the mantel. If you need paired-down mantel decor ideas, I got you.

It’s truly amazing what a thrifted piece of artwork, a mirror, and some small pieces of vintage decor can do!

To tie the left side of the mantel in with the credenza, I placed my milk glass banana stand atop another green book. For softness, I added a few vintage linens and some of my favorite faux Tulips.

On the right side, a pussy willow stem inside a vintage crock adds height while the wood tones of the vintage cheese box bring character to this space.

To usher the pink theme into this area, the milk glass candlesticks are adorned with pretty pink taper candles. Lastly, some small bunnies, which are quintessentially Spring, fill in the front.

Simplicity and an un-cluttered aesthetic was my aim for the mantel. Through the use of a few key elements, such as height and color, I achieved it AND without spending a dime!

When you are able to mindfully choose decor pieces that can make a statement all on their own, and then add small accents that complete the look, each piece will truly shine.

Closing Tidbits

It’s my sincere hope that I’ve shown you how you can rejuvenate your space with this spring home refresh along with simple decorating ideas on a budget! By incorporating these simple and affordable tips, you can give your home a fresh new look without draining your wallet.

From decluttering and rearranging furniture to adding pops of color and bringing in natural elements, there are endless possibilities to refresh your space.

Let’s embrace the beauty of Spring with a paired down aesthetic and a clean slate. Happy spring to you!

Leave me a comment! How do you like to decorate your home for Spring? I love hearing from you!

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If you are new here, I’m Rachel, the writer and content creator here at The Antiqued Journey. I’m so happy to have you! I encourage you to stop by the ‘about me’ page to get to know me a little more.

Here on the blog, you will find loads of inspiration for decorating with vintage and antique decor, simple DIY crafts and many thrifting adventures. If that interests you, I invite you to sign up for my e-mail. You will receive a free digital download as a thank you!