To celebrate the beautiful season of spring, brighten up the atmosphere in your home with shades of yellow. Yellow symbolizes optimism, joy and enthusiasm – all necessary to bring about change. Here are a few ways you can spread cheer throughout your home with yellow.

1. Flowers: Place sunflowers, daylilies, tulips, daffodils, golden rods or any other flowers around your home – in the living room in a vase, in your bedroom in a bowl with water, in flower pots near windows, on the dining table in old wine bottles. Brighten up any corner with a few well-chosen flowers. If you feel as if you won’t have the time to keep replacing them, buy fake but pretty flowers and do the same.

2. Throw Pillows: Pillows are a sure way to bring a splash of color to any setting. In honor of spring, use cushion covers that are brightly colored on your living room couch, chairs and in the bedrooms. If you would like, create a small sitting area on the floor with a soft mattress and adorn it with yellow throw pillows. Make it look as comfortable and inviting as you can for someone to enjoy a little spring break after a hard day of spring cleaning.

3. Drapes and Bed Covers: It’s important to remember we only want to brighten up the place, not blind somebody from all the yellow. Use bed covers and duvets that only have hint of yellow on them – in a pretty pattern or in embroidered flowers. To complement the yellows in your bedroom and living room put up bright yellow drapes on the windows. Tame them with white or other pastel colored drapes on the sides so they don’t look too garish.

4. Miscellaneous Items: Yes, this means anything yellow goes! If you have yellow colored ornaments – little figurines, toys or anything you don’t mind showcasing, place them on mantles, in display cases and on tabletops next to the pretty flowers. You can even do this in the bathroom by using yellow toilet seat covers, yellow toothbrushes, even yellow soap! Just remember, the evidence of your spring makeover should be sprinkled around your home rather than appear on every surface.

5. Mats/Carpets/Rugs/Table Runners/Bed Runners: Place a yellow “Welcome” mat outside your front door; use lemon yellow bath mats and towels. Table runners is a great way to add some life to your living room or kitchen spaces – place yellow ones for spring and summer, orange for fall and green and red ones when Christmas comes around. Rugs also make a huge difference to the appearance of a room – so when spring and pollen are in the air put some yellow rugs down and enjoy your happy and bright new living space.