Lighten up and say hello to spring: Quick and easy low-cost changes

Decorating your home with rich reds and chocolate browns during the winter is a natural way to ward off the effects of our infamous gray-filtered light.

But when blue sky emerges and the sun flashes merrily at you, those colors might start to feel cumbersome.

It's time to lighten up the décor.

But you don't have to completely redo your home to achieve a summery look.

A few small, inexpensive touches can turn around a room.

We consulted several décor experts on easy, affordable ways to update your home in time for the new season.

Here are their thoughts:

Elizabeth Mayhew

Deputy editor,

Real Simple magazine

• Clean the windows. It's not a décor thing, but "nothing makes your house look better," Mayhew said.

• Roll up heavy wool area rugs and replace them with sisal or cotton rugs.

• Add green to your home with a new houseplant.

• Put a glass bowl on the coffee table, and fill it with green apples. They'll last for days and look great.

• Cover the sofa with a slipcover. "Covering burgundy or navy in white can give a white, fresh, springy look."

• Go all white in the bedroom. Replace a down comforter with a white coverlet, and use white sheets.

"Most people underutilize white because they're scared of it, and they think it's going to cause messes," Mayhew said. "White you can bleach, and white you can wash in really hot water. It can really add a lot to a room."

• Take five items in the same color scheme, like a turquoise book, plate, pitcher, box and vase, and group them together on a flat surface.

• Remember to declutter as you decorate. Clear frames and other tchotchke from flat surfaces. Think about hanging all your family photos in matching frames in a hallway designated for pictures.

"It's taking wall space as opposed to shelf space," she said. "Shelf space is much more valuable real estate as opposed to walls."

Seattle designer

Terris Draheim

Showroom owner at the Seattle Design Center, 5701 Sixth Ave. S., Plaza Suite 288, Seattle, 206-763-4100, www.terrisdraheim.com

• A can of paint will freshen up a room more quickly than any other option, and you only need to paint one wall to make a difference. Draheim suggests a soft green or orange to update the room.

• Change lampshades for the season. For the summer, try lampshades in lighter colors and in fabrics like linen.

• Try new artwork. Buy cheap black frames, and add black and white photos. Group them together on a wall for a graphic look.

• Move furniture to change a room's dynamic, turning sofas diagonally or moving lamps between rooms.

• Change window treatments. Buy gauzy tie-back panels in a new color or fabric to instantly lighten a room.

The Salvage Studio

formerly the salvage sisters: Beth Evans-Ramos, Lisa Hilderbrand and Amy Duncan (they are currently looking for a new location for the studio that was in Lynnwood),

425-774-5296, www.thesalvagestudio.com

• Fill mason jars with sand or shells, and put a candle in the middle.

• Group seven or nine milk-glass jars (available at thrift stores) on a shelf or table. Add a single green fern frond or pink tulip to each jar for a summery look.

• Create a gallery display by hanging photos or magazine clippings from pants hangers on a wall.

• Turn quart canning jars upside down and slide in pictures. Paint the lids your favorite color.

• Decorate a pillow with vintage pins. Or, slip a necktie around a pillow.

• Use Scrabble tiles for decoration. Spell out words such as "renew" "persist" or "bloom" with the tiles. Use the trays that come with the game to display the words on a flat surface.

• Put a new bar of soap on a pretty dish in the bathroom.

• Fill an unexpected container like a rusty toolbox with primroses, and place it on the porch.

• Dedicate one corner of the room to a future vacation with reminders of what's to come. For an upcoming beach vacation, set out seashells, postcards and travel books.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com