Welcome to this month’s installment of Dear Urbaneer, where I take on real estate questions from both clients and inquisitive readers. This time, I’m offering guidance to a client who’d like to tap into the synergy of Spring and refresh his home, beyond the usual spring clean and decluttering.
Dear Urbaneer:
After a long winter, my home is feeling a bit heavy and tired. I know the usual advice is to declutter and do a deep clean, but I’m looking for something more impactful. I want to tackle tasks (not full renovations) that make my home feel like spring: lighter, brighter, while tapping into positive energy.
What do you suggest for an effective spring refresh at home?
Signed, Ready for a Reset
Here’s my reply:
Dear Reset:
All the seasons have unique benefits, but Spring in particular brings the promise of rebirth and new vibes after months of cold, dark days, and this winter has been particularly long, hasn’t it?
Spring is all about renewal and opportunity. The sun shines longer, nature reawakens and blooms; we open windows for fresh breezes and reconnect with the world outside.
It’s no coincidence that Spring is the busiest season in the Canadian real estate market. It’s also when Canadians start planning their gardens, their maintenance programs, and any renovation projects. Personally, I love Spring, and it’s when I’m most likely to reset and refresh my home. Popular activities in Spring include a deep clean and a declutter – it’s pretty much standard practice by those who make it an Annual Tradition – but it also invites many homeowners to go deeper and really reset their home. I’m one of those folks, who ends up having to distill the dozens of changes I’d like to make to the few that will be the most impactful and rewarding.
One of my favourite advertising tag lines in real estate doesn’t even mention real estate. It’s Spring Blooms Fresh Beginnings. In a season of potential and possibility, making a move seems like part of the natural order if your current digs aren’t serving comfort and joy. Not that I’m advocating you sell. If your home can be your castle, save the buying and selling costs of a move, and invest them in your bricks and mortar. The byproduct isn’t how it might increase the value of your property, but the degree to which it improves your health and well-being.
Getting Your Foyer And/Or Mudroom Ready
Entry points to your home, whether the front door, garage door entry, or mudroom, get put to the test during the spring, especially if you have pets or kids.
Start by getting rid of seasonal clothes, like boots, hats, and mittens. Instead, introduce rain gear, an umbrella stand, or similar storage.
If you have pets, keep pet leashes and rain gear stored tidily next to the entryway. Stock microfiber towels to wipe down muddy paws before they can track.
Open Up to Spring Light and Air
Layer in a sense of freshness through lighter textiles, a small mirror to reflect natural light, or a simple vase of greenery or flowers. Even in homes without a defined entry, creating a subtle “landing zone” helps establish order and intention.
After months of short days and chilly temps, it is time to raise the curtains, open the windows, and let the fresh air and light flow in.
Start by maximizing natural light wherever possible: swap out heavy drapery for sheer panels, place mirrors intentionally to reflect and distribute daylight, and keep window areas as unobstructed as possible to let air flow while enjoying the view, too.
Make the most of a cheery spring-like atmosphere by making things lighter, by swapping out textiles for linen, cotton, and gauze, all of which bring a softness that feels breathable and fresh. The result is a home that feels lighter, more open, and aligned with the upbeat rhythm of spring.
Let fresh air flow, important if you’ve been sealed in all winter. To improve indoor air quality, especially when outdoor air circulates, this is a good time to replace the filter in your HVAC system to catch any particles and allergens coming in from outside.
Decorate With Fresh Flowers
Decorating with fresh flowers is one of the simplest and most effective ways to channel spring energy at home. Beyond their obvious beauty, flowers bring movement and scent. It’s also an easy way to elevate everyday spaces into something special.
The key is to keep arrangements feeling natural and effortless rather than overly styled.
Start small and place blooms where they’ll have an impact, either for you for daily joy, or for guests. Think loose arrangement on a dining table, a few stems in a bedside vase, or a cluster in the kitchen near natural light.
No need to be fancy. Flowers can be beautiful all on their own. Grocery store flowers or clipped branches do the trick. Mixing heights, textures, and vessel types, from ceramic pitchers to glass jars, adds to that collected, lived-in look.
Celebrate spring seasonal flowers, for a spot-on seasonal vibe, such as tulips and daffodils, for the full impact of fresh spring renewal.
Use Colour For Spring In Your Step
Want to give your home a quick spring-style pick-me-up? Embrace trending paint colours this spring. Painting is an easy way to refresh a space.
Or, if you’d rather avoid re-painting frequently as colour trends change, stick to a neutral base, such as a warm white, navy, or earthy taupes, and use accents, furnishings, and textiles to add colour, and swap them out seasonally.
Colour trends, especially paint colour trends, lean into nostalgia, timeless hues, and nature-inspired shades.
Every year, paint brands announce their Colours of the Year, which, in addition to hinting at trends to watch, reflect cultural temperature. Among this year’s paint colours, there are numerous shades of green, from smoky jades to mossy, ground-cover-inspired greens to sultry, Art-Deco-inspired chartreuse.
In addition to greens, this season, watch for plums, creams, burnt reds, and charcoal greys.
Getting Spaces Ready for Planting
Spring is the ideal time to prepare your home for planting and produce, even if you’re working with limited space. In the kitchen, consider carving out a small zone for an herb garden. Choose a sunny windowsill with potted herbs to make cooking more flavourful. whether
For your outdoor garden, planting season isn’t too far away. Prepare a dedicated spot for starting seedlings: think a bright corner, a spare shelf, or a tabletop where you can pot, water, and nurture early growth before the outdoor season begins.
When you are planning your garden for the coming season, consider hosting a native garden, which is a more sustainable choice. Manicured lawns look lovely, but they can be an environmental drain on water and energy. Native, naturalized yards are planted with native plantings, which typically require less watering, and also are very supportive of the local ecosystem, like birds, butterflies, and bees
For more ideas on sustainable gardening, check out this past post: Dear Urbaneer: How Can I Make My Outdoor Space More Eco-Friendly?
Biophilic Design
Biophilic design, which aims to integrate the calm of nature into the home through intentional design choices, has been trending for years. It’s become increasingly popular lately, as homeowners become more aware of the connection between health and wellness and the built environment, and look for ways to enhance that mind-body-home connection.
Spring is a good time to give your home a biophilic refresh. Bring in natural materials such as wood, stone, rattan, bamboo, or jute. Focus on natural light and airflow; use views outside your windows to enhance decor inside by keeping window treatments bare and choosing colours to complement those in the outdoor vistas. In outdoor spaces, embrace the prospect-refuge dynamic that is a key part of biophilic design, meaning balancing wide vistas with shelter and safety. This can easily be done with a covered porch, or with a terrace or balcony with clear railings.
I’ve written a lot about biophilic design in the past. Check out my past posts for more biophilic inspiration: Dear Urbaneer: What Is Biophilia And How Can I Use It In Home Design?, Dear Urbaneer: How Can I Incorporate Eco-Friendly Décor And Products At Home?
Fresh Styles Perfect for Spring
Want to try on an aesthetic, just for fun? It’s a great way to introduce new energy into your home. Consider checking out one of these popular trends below:
Spring Is The Season To Express Yourself
One of the most refreshing parts of interior design right now, and perfect to harness spring energy, is that colour, self-expression, and personality are decidedly in. Permission to be yourself and to make your home look lived-in and loved are guiding trends.
Take a look at Pinterest’s Spring Trends Report for 2026, which reflects users’ searches. The underlying theme of the report is a tilt away from perceived perfection and movement towards design that offers comfort and positive vibes.
The report found that Gen Z and millennials aren’t waiting for a budget for dream homes or total gut renovations; instead, they’re embracing the culture of micro-makeovers, which could be anything from a fun paint job to creating a hobby nook tailored to their individual passions.
People are going all-in on colour in the kitchen, with Pinterest reporting spikes in search traffic for Aubergine kitchens (up 495%), sage green and cream kitchens (up 410%), moody blue kitchens (up 325%), and vintage pink kitchens (up 275%).
Cabbagecore
Cabbagecore is a microtrend that’s gotten a lot of buzz on social media lately, affecting everything from home design to fashion to food.
Microtrends are not usually long-lasting, but they are playful. They are usually sparked by a social media trend and gather steam quickly, reflecting cultural moments and interests at a given point in time. You can typically identify them with having “core” as part of their name, and you might be familiar with some recent microtrends, including Cottagecore, Grandmacore, and Castlecore.
They start with an idea, or a feeling, and the aesthetic evolves from there. Microtrends usually evolve from a fully imagined aesthetic world built around a central theme or vibe.
In this case, Cabbagecore has risen to prominence as a reflection of several cultural moments: cabbage is experiencing a revival in food, thanks to its many nutritional benefits. It’s affordable too (a head of cabbage goes a long way!). Cabbagecore is colourful, fun, and invites self-expression, all decor-at-home priorities right now.
Cabbagecore is also well-suited for the spring: think greens, yellows, pinks, and leafy greens, along with produce-inspired decor. It’s particularly fun for tablescapes and for smaller decor projects. Some are describing it as a revival of lettuce-ware, a nod to retro produce-inspired botanical ceramics.
One of the beauties of this particular “core” trend is that many of the decor items are relatively versatile and can be integrated into other styles and mixed and matched with them.
To do this style, think about layering tables (and tabletop decor), like a leafy green garden, including tableware, linens, ceramics, and produce (real or artificial). Keep the base colours fairly neutral (but neutrals can certainly be cheerful, like muted greens, pinks, or yellows) to let the cabbage-inspired pieces really pop.
Here are some more fun design tips in this Good Housekeeping article, The Cabbagecore Home Design Trend Is Taking Over This Spring.
Designing For Whimsy
Also, with fun as the goal (do you see a pattern here), designing for whimsy. It’s about not taking your home (or yourself) too seriously. Whimsical decor should feel fun, but mostly, it needs to look light and playful.
Look at this aesthetic as though your inner child is the designer. Focus on fun colours, like primary red, blue, and yellow. Pink, orange, and green are popular too.
As for accents, animal motifs are popular- and are especially meaningful if you are a pet owner. Who doesn’t love animal-themed prints, textiles, and accents, like lamps? If you are a pet owner, use your pet as a muse- what do they love the most (other than you)?
This, like many of the self-expressive aesthetics at the moment, is curated, so there is a need to strike a balance. While the goal is pattern, colour, and fun, too much is, well, too much.
Instead of going all-in with all the colours and patterns, think location- colour and pattern in unexpected places, which is fun in itself. Try a shiny disco ball in your bedroom, or bright colours, or doors or trim, or even on the ceiling.
Here are some more tips in this Better Homes & Gardens article: 2026 Is the ‘Year of Whimsy’—and It’s Bringing Playful Personality Back to Home Design
Dopamine Decor
While whimsy brings a playful visual language into the home, dopamine decor shifts the focus deeper, dialling in on how a space makes you feel, not just how it looks.
Dopamine decor saw a surge last year and remains popular. It’s well-suited for spring, because it dials into designing for joy. It’s an anything-goes, but curated aesthetic, with the only criterion being that you must love what you choose.
Dopamine is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter released when you experience something pleasurable. It creates a sense of happiness and well-being, positively influencing your mood and physical state, while playing a key role in how we experience joy, reward, and motivation.
Think fun, bright colours, and pattern play. Include colourful furniture, wallpaper in botanicals, stripes, suns, moons, stars, or other similar patterns. A good way to integrate dopamine decor is with artwork that is meaningful to you, because that positive, personal connection delivers a dopamine rush.
The Lived-In Look
In: Patina, eclectic, intentional decor. Out: Picture-perfect, impersonal looks.
At the intersection of the lived-in look, blending vintage with modern is appealing to consumers right now on a number of levels. Vintage brings the patina and the individuality for conversation-worthy items. Having a lived-in-looking home is warm and welcoming, which trumps trendy styles for homeowners right now.
There is also the sustainability aspect of the lived-in look, which makes it a perfect style for spring (though it works great year-round), since spring is all about sustainability. The lived-in look celebrates thrifting and the second-hand economy. It also focuses on older pieces that have already off-gassed. Meanwhile, there is a focus on re-purposing or refinishing existing pieces, which keeps decor and accents out of landfills.
There is also a design focus on “less is more”- as in choose pieces that are loved, and serve a purpose in the decor (functional and emotional), so it is naturally a lower-consumption aesthetic.
At Urbaneer, we are here to guide you through all the seasons of buying and selling. Spring brings a positive energy to add zest and zeal to all things housing and home. With decades of experience navigating the real estate market in Toronto, I’m here to help!
*Title image courtesy of TheSummeryUmbrella
For more insights and information, check out these helpful posts:
Property Primping: Urbaneer’s Style Enhancement Service
Dear Urbaneer: When Selling Toronto Real Estate, Is Staging Worth It?
How Urbaneer’s Custom Marketing Program Sold This Authentic Broadview Loft In Riverside
Dear Urbaneer: Five Reasons Owners Are Selling Their Toronto Real Estate At A Loss
Since 1989, I’ve steered my career through a real estate market crash and burn; survived a slow painful cross-country recession; completed an M.E.S. graduate degree from York University called ‘Planning Housing Environments’; executed the concept, sales & marketing of multiple new condo and vintage loft conversions; and guided hundreds of clients through the purchase and sale of hundreds of freehold and condominium dwellings across the original City of Toronto. From a gritty port industrial city into a glittering post-industrial global centre, I’ve navigated the ebbs and flows of a property market as a consistent Top Producer. And I remain as passionate about it today as when I started.
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