The three main spring holidays – Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter – have such expected color schemes it can feel stifling.  If the bright glittery reds, shocking pinks, lurid greens and incessant pastels aren’t your thing, you have options!  Choose something in keeping with your personal style and the home you’ve built with a non-traditional color palette.  It’s so much more fun, anyway. 🙂  Here are a few tips:

Tip 1: Look to Iconic Shapes

Each of the spring holidays has it’s own set of shapes – hearts, shamrocks, eggs, and so on – but they don’t have to be in the “right” colors!  Look for items that convey the look of the holiday, but in a color palette that works with your décor.  You can also adjust the size to fit the look you are going for.  For example, instead of a giant heart make a garland of small hearts.  PRO TIP: If you can’t find the color you want, it’s a great time to get out the spray cans and paintbrushes!  The DIY route is always a fun way to create a unique look.

Tip 2: Stay Holiday Adjacent

Instead of going straight to the “typical” icons, look for ways to promote the idea in a more subtle way; like a beautiful chalkboard sign with an Irish proverb as opposed to a bunch of leprechauns.  You can also add a stack of books on the topic, or add a couple numbered items to make a 17.  PRO TIP: Holiday décor is very much about feelings and memories.  A great way to bring in the holiday is add framed photos of your family from the same holiday in the past.  And make sure you take photos this year, too!

Tip 3: Think Natural

A fabulous way to bring in the “expected” colors is to go natural.  Potted plants are wonderful this time of year (I’m a huge fan of pink cyclamens, and don’t forget shamrocks!).  Even if it isn’t generally a natural color – like pink – you can bring it in with a bowl full of raw rose quartz chunks (very trendy at the moment!).  PRO TIP: As designers say, always flowers!  Flowers are a wonderful way to bring in nearly any color in such a way that it melds with any décor, and I’ve never known an arrangement to be garish.  Flowers just always work!

Bonus Tip:  There is a lot of buzz in the home décor world about using a neutral color palette for holidays.  The magic key to making neutral work is texture and depth.  If you are decorating exclusively with whites, creams and taupes look for heavily textured and naturally textured items to bring it all together – rattan, jute, weaves, etc.  And always add depth with a few darker items to give the eye somewhere to go.  I recently read an article that made an excellent case for considering navy, burgundy, forest green and soft black as neutrals, and I am here for it!