Light and Airy Home Decorating Ideas {+Spring Home Tour}

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If you’re just about over the dark and moody vibe and are ready for something light and bright, keep reading! I’ll show you how I keep my home light and airy as well of give you a tour of it in action for spring – a fresh blend of farmhouse chic and cottagecore!

Light and Airy Home Decor Vibe is For Me (How about You?)

My mind is moving toward spring long before the first daffodil push up through the earth. And here in Tennessee, that can be in the dead of February sometimes!

By the time we cross over Valentine’s Day, I’m more than ready to move onto spring. And sometimes, I even push ahead with spring decor as part of my Valentine’s Day styling!

This year was a busy one – another story for another day – but I completely skipped Valentine’s Day and went straight to spring decor.

I’m all about a light and airy vibe in general, but for me, spring is its time to shine.

How to Define Your Personal Decorating Style

I’m not too big into labeling my style – and to be honest, I’m probably more of an eclectic mix.

While I generally lean more rustic or cottagecore if anything, there are other ways I prefer to define my decor preferences in a way that translate beyond one particular decor style.

A few words that come to mind are:

Light

Airy

Bright

Natural

Garden

Breezy

Relaxed

With rustic being the exception, none of those words are attached to a particular style. Light and airy transcends one particular style and can be applied to many different home decor styles.

If you can picture a garden shed in its natural element and bring some of that indoors, that’s usually the look I’m aiming for: warm, inviting, cozy while feeling spacious and un-claustrophobic.

I might have just made up that word, but I hope you get what I mean… open and airy, light and bright.

So when thinking about your own personal decor style, try to come up with adjectives that describe the feel or mood of the space… words that describe the result that you’re trying to achieve or qualities that you like or feel at home in, rather than just finding a decor style label. 

My guess is that light and airy is somewhere in your mix of adjectives, so let’s go on and dive deeper!

How to Decorate in a Light and Airy Style

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It’s not hard to get a light and airy look in your home, regardless of your style. Here are a few pointers:

1| Light Colors

Obviously, a more neutral palette, even monochromatic at times, and soft colors are a key element in light and airy decor. That doesn’t mean you can’t have any color, but your accent colors will take a softer hue.

You can check out this post for some color palette ideas!

This applies not only to paint color but furniture, wall art, accessories, etc. Even your florals should be mainly softer hues or pastels, with a few muted pops of color.

Fresh flowers would be the exception to this. Real flowers in any color always add a lightness and freshness to a space. 

If you use colors with deeper intensity, use them sparingly for a pop of color. You don’t want to have moody colors for accent walls, etc. 

If you like to use some color, mute, earthy colors lend themselves to a lighter feel than dramatic hues.

2| Lightweight Fabrics

Soft cotton textiles, canvas upholstery, sheer curtains… all of these lightweight materials lend to a lighter atmosphere, as opposed to heavy leather, wool, etc.

For fabrics, light also refers to colors as well, with more subtle pops of color rather than large items in bright or rich color.

You also want to avoid very loud and busy patterns in your fabrics, such as pillows, blankets, etc. 

Any designs or patterns should be more subtle. 

3| Natural Elements

Fresh flowers, real plants, woven seagrass baskets, rattan, wicker, bleached wood all bring nature indoors for a light and airy feel.

I know fresh flowers are hard to keep up with, but use them when you can, as much as you can!

Soft elements from nature always had lightness to the atmosphere.

4| More White Space

Light and airy doesn’t necessarily mean minimalist. But clutter certainly does weigh a space down.

So one of the first things you should do is to declutter!

Scale back what you can and keep what you absolutely love. 

There is nothing wrong curated collections or having items you love.

But try to keep those collections in the same color family (the lighter and softer, the better), without a lot of varying patterns.

The idea is that you want an open flow in the room, without a lot of obstructions.

You just want to leave some ‘blank space’ in between for an open flow to a room, even if you don’t have an open floor plan (I don’t, either – but it can be done!).

5| A Variety of Lighting

I know you may not have control over this aspect of your home, but natural light definitely helps to keep things breezy and is ideal! 

Avoid heavy drapery or chunky blinds that will block that gorgeous natural light.

Sheer fabrics can really brighten a room when you don’t have a lot of natural light – or even no curtains at all!

Also, layering different types of artificial light – ambient(overhead) lighting, task lighting (such as a desk lamp or over a stove), and accent lighting (tabletop lamps, chandeliers, wall sconces, above artwork, even fairy lights and artificial candles) can brighten a space as well.

Floor lamps also are a great way to add light to a room as well!

You can experiment with different kinds of lightbulbs to see which bulb imitates natural light in your space the best.

And don’t forget about mirrors! Mirrors can also help brighten up, reflect light, and enlarge a darker room.

6| Repurpose and Repaint What You Already Have

Having a light and airy home doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy all brand-new decor. There are likely many items that you have that you can already use as is or repurpose! 

Often, all you need it a little paint to brighten things up.

 

First, if your walls are dark, consider painting them white or a light, neutral color. That will immediately brighten up the space.

If you have a piece of dark furniture you love, try repainting it lighter color.

Try repainting vases, candlestick, picture frames, mirrors, shelving… just about anything can be made light and breezy with a little paint.

If you have a dark wood table, try sanding and refinishing it with a lighter stain (or keep it natural!).

 

My Goals for Spring Home Decorating

As I said what my style in general is, for spring, I’m trying to put a few aesthetics together:

Light and Airy

I want my home to feel breezy – light in weight as well as in color. 

Rustic Garden

I love the vintage feel of terra cotta pots, any kind of flowers – faux, real, and even dried – and little gardening accents. A cross between farmhouse chic and cottagecore.

Soft Colors

I generally go with light hues for spring (light yellow, light green, light orange). I like beginning with a more neutral color palette and then adding in softer accent colors. 

The brightest I go for spring is some rich greens such as eucalyptus or boxwood and some deeper terracotta colors – muted earthtone colors. 

I like to use brighter colors for summer, but spring is a less harsh feel.

Natural Textures

I like to mix all kinds of textures from nature: wood, seagrass, stone, clay, canvas tapestries, flower garlands, soft pillows and light blankets… 

Different textures add vitality to a home, and I love incorporating them throughout the house.

Light and Bright Spring Home Tour

Let me show you how I incorporated this all throughout my home this spring.  

I like to think of my style more as guidelines rather than rules – I’m sure you’ll see where I break some of my own. 

But it’s OK! As long as you enjoy your space, you’re free to break your own rules!

Light and Bright Spring Porch

First, I initially decorated this space for Easter, as you can see below.

Once Easter passed, I made a few changes to carry me over through the rest of spring.

I switched out a darker, heavier jute rug for these lighter rugs – both in weight and in color!

I added a wood round to the wall that has light colors and bright white hydrangeas.

I kept the 2 flower arrangements, as they were soft color. 

And I’m OK with some soft colored eggs, as new birth is a major spring theme!

I removed the egg trees (those were too Easter=y) and just simplified the arrangement in general.

For a light and airy concept, less is typically more!

Light and Airy Spring Living Room

These are a few spaces around my living room.

As you walk in, this what I’d call an ‘entryway.’ It’s not really – but it’s kind of an awkward nook with our thermostat and vent. 

I do my best to pretty it up. Forsythias are probably my biggest exception to my soft spring color palette.

But to me, in addition to daffodils, forsythias are the quintessential spring flower and have their place!

I typically start with neutral colors and accessories, such as the fabric wall hanging, and then add in some color – usually yellow and green for spring.

Before you get to the living room, you’d make a right down, the hallway. 

It’s pretty dark down there, but I like to add light and airy decor touches, even there. A hat and tote bag in natural fibers, a DIY canvas wall hanging, and a simple sign (from Dollar Tree!).

This table shown below is seen from the front door, just past the hallway, but it is in the living room.

It is a very neutral space with primarily cream colors, which gives it a very soft feel.

All the pieces here on top are upcycled – the bowl and pitcher were upcycled thrift finds, and the candle holders were once a different color!

Below, there is a little bit of color in clay mini vase.

These floating shelves on the same wall as the table have floating shelves have themed spring decor on them.

Greens, yellows, terra cotta add a burst of life while remaining uncluttered.

A simple Oh, Hello Spring sign adds to the freshness of the greens in the space.

Below these shelves are live plants on ajute circle rug, which coordinate with the fresh, vibrant decor above it. 

 

The shelf over the TV stays consistent with the garden type theme, with terra cotta pots, a woven lantern and some covered vintage books. 

 

I love mixing in some personalized decor. The tree with the flowers and faux rhinestones is a centerpiece from m wedding.

Inside the small frame is a card from a local store! 

Below in the TV stand is a mix of both seagrass and concrete trays, mixed with candles, mini vases and colored glass.

 

 

A simple DIY tray is on the coffee table with peonies in an oversized glass bottle (a repurposed apple cider jar!), with green moss, a bird, bird’s nest and some eggs.

This combo of decor keeps things light and breezy.

 

This set of wall hooks has a garden canvas (Target Dollar Spot last year) with coordinating flowers in the same color palette. This is another space I add a burst of color.

Below are some soft textiles – spring pillows and a lightweight blanket – light in color, weight, and feel!

This spot on top of a cube cabinet (below is filled with canvas bins where I hide my sons’ toys!) is simple with fresh daffodils and a few spring signs.

 

Light and Bright Spring Kitchen and Dining Area

This tablescape is simple with apothecary bottles in a chicken wire holder with faux tulips. A light-colored table runner lightens the mood along with the help of lots of natural light! 

Below is another version of the dining table with a lighter, rustic crate of flowers.

You can see in the background, there are two cabinets, one on each side of the window, where I have live plants for a garden feel as well as a rustic tiered tray.

 

 

And here’s the whole space all together:

We spend a lot of time at this table – it’s one of my favorite spaces in the house!

Now, on to the kitchen!

In the kitchen I don’t do a whole lot, but the soft, sheer curtains add lightness to the room. The hanging pothos as well as the propagated stems in bud vases add a natural vibe!

I use the book Cozy White Cottage Seasons by Liz Marie Galvin all year for kitchen counter decor.

I just open it to a pretty page in the appropriate season, place it on a book holder, and it’s some pretty kitchen decor!

Even though I don’t have chickens, I have friend with chickens! 

Not only are the eggs delicious, but they also look gorgeous in a wire basket until we are ready to eat them!

I also have a few areas where I like to bring a light and airy spring touch.

This area right above my kitchen sink is a space where I took down the cabinets but left the bracket up!

I was mostly afraid of destroying my ceiling, but it’s become a fun space to add rustic decor.

For spring, I’m buying clearance flowers at Kroger and drying them! I love them as gardeny, light and airy kitchen decor!

 

Bringing nature indoors always adds a light and airy touch!

Family Room for Spring

This room is the opposite of my dining area – and has hardly any natural light. For this reason, I try to keep the mantel and fireplace as light and bright as I can.

An off-centered flowered garland with some vintage books, antique candlesticks, flower pots pulls this all together for a natural feel. 

I also added another card from a local shop to a frame here also. I don’t usually use light blue for spring, but I love what this particular piece contributed.

It tied in with the blue mason jar I place below. The rope tray is an easy DIY, which I filled with assorted spring decor. 

OK, some leftover Easter decor, but it works!

 

 

And lastly, on the other side of the hearth, there is a basket with more spring pillows and light weight blankets  – light in color to add to the airy feel!

And that’s the whole tour!  I hope you found some helpful ideas for decorating in a light and airy style, especially for spring! 

If you’d like to see other ways I’ve decorated for spring in my home, in a similar light and bright style, check these out! 

Rustic Spring Mantel Idea: Wildflower Garden Theme

Neutral Spring Color Palettes and Decor Ideas

How to Create a Stunning Farmhouse Spring Porch (Cheap!)

Minimalist Spring Wall Art Printables {Farmhouse Decor You Need in Your Home}

If you try any of these ideas, I’d love to see them! Please tag me on Instagram @100affections and I’ll share them in my stories!

Other thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!