9 Spring Home Design Ideas - Front Porch

🌻 9 Spring Decorating Ideas

“If you wait until you have enough money to decorate and make your home your own, it will never happen. If you wait until you can afford to buy everything new, you are missing the point. It is the old, the new, the hand-me-down, the collected, the worn but loved things in your home that make it your own.”

—Stacy Risenmay, Not Just a Housewife

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Get easy and inexpensive spring decorating ideas, tips and tricks to transition your home from winter. It might not feel like spring outside, but it can sure feel like warmth and sunshine in your home with all these ideas for spring home decor!

Spring decorating doesn’t have to be complicated or pricey! Use what you have to create a look you love, filled with the fresh vibrancy of spring.

After a long winter, it feels amazing to give your home a little refresh. It softens your home and makes it feel light and airy, like a spring breeze.

Spring decor goes so much further than Easter eggs and Easter decor. When it comes to transitioning your home for spring, I love to layer soft textiles, relaxed materials and subtle accents.

Declutter

My first step to spring decorating is to declutter. There’s nothing that makes your home feel lighter than eliminating clutter, unwanted toys, clothes and decor.

It’s the perfect way to spend a chilly day (because I know you won’t want to do it when it’s gorgeous outside), but it’s always worth it. Decluttering allows you to focus your eye on the decor you have.

You can get my decluttering tips (and checklist) here.

I find so much beauty in organization. It doesn’t have to be all plastic and paper – I like to use baskets, peg rails, hooks and metal labels, too. (above: garage organization, below: kid’s closet organization)

building that houses the newly resurrected Record Factory (the former Record Plant), where the likes of Prince, Metallica, and Fleetwood Mac once laid down tracks.

Second: Explore Point Reyes National Seashore

A spectacular stretch of West Marin coastline that’s brimming with sandy beaches, organic dairy farms, and incredible Pacific views, Point Reyes National Seashore is a 71,028-acre treasure. You’ll find hiking trails—like the popular 9-mile out-and-back Bear Valley Trail, and the 13.8-mile out-and-back trek to Alamere Falls, which starts at the Palomarin Trailhead in nearby Bolinas—backcountry camping for hikers, cyclists, and boaters, and plenty of wildlife, including elephant seals who come to Point Reyes’ rocky headlands for mating and birthing (December through March), and tule elk whose bugle calls are prominent August-October. The park is home to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, a recently rehabilitated 19th-century lighthouse that retired from service in 1975 and is the perfect place for spotting migrating whales January through March; as well as the 33,373-acre Phillip Burton Wilderness Area, replete with dunes, grasslands, and forests filled with fir and pine trees. In a county filled with impressive landscapes, it sits toward the top of the list.

Third: Experience The Headlands

Nestled below majestic Mount Tamalpais, Mill Valley is reminiscent of a charming European village. Surrounded by national parks, including Muir Woods, an ancient coast redwood forest, Mill Valley’s lush landscape of hills and canyons is a favorite place for visitors who enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and running. And don’t miss the delightful downtown area near Lytton Square, where people gather for coffee at Equator Coffee or for a game of chess. As you stroll up and down the quaint nearby streets, you’ll be tempted by an array of fashionable boutiques and restaurants.

Start off right with some decadent gluten-free avocado toast from Flour Craft Bakery in the lovingly restored original site of the Mill Valley Lumber Yard. There are plenty of unique shops here, as well as Watershed restaurant, a good choice to consider for a meal later in the day. If you’d rather grab and go, head up Miller Avenue to Equator Coffees, founded in Marin and selling quite possibly the best-tasting, most ethical beans around. Another breakfast option is the historic Depot Café and Bookstore. This café and former railroad station has recently been renovated and provides a fabulous opportunity for people watching. Stroll up Throckmorton to spots like the Poet and the Bench, where you’ll find art, jewelry, and home goods.

The town has long been known as a cultural hub. The Mill Valley Film Festival is an internationally recognized festival that has attracted leading filmmakers and movie aficionados for the past forty-two years. The Mountain Play, produced in June in an outdoor amphitheater, attracts thousands of theater-goers to the top of Mount Tamalpais to watch Broadway musicals performed by talented local actors.

Fourth: Hug A Giant Redwood In Muir Woods

It’s easy to feel small when you’re standing at the base of the towering coast redwoods permeating the 554-acre grounds of Muir Woods National Monument. These relatives of the giant sequoia reach up to 258-feet-high within the park, and many of them are hundreds of years old. The park’s tallest trees reside in its Bohemian Grove, accessible by a boardwalk, though Muir Woods is also home to dozens of miles of trails. Easily the most popular is its 9.7-mile Dipsea Trail, which ascends through the park to reach stunning Pacific views, then crosses into nearby Mt. Tam State Park and down into Stinson Beach. Muir Woods is a must on almost every travelers’ list, especially with its superb San Francisco proximity. Congressman and conservationist William Kent deeded the entire swath of land to the U.S. Department of Interior in 1908, and it’s now part of California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, along with sites like Alcatraz and the Sutro Baths.

Below is a outline of all you’ll need for your visit. Make sure you get a reservation ahead of time.

How To:

Plan ahead. Reserve, relax, plan ahead & enjoy the Woods! Make your parking reservation here. Parking reservations are required ahead of time.
Be patient and flexible. Hundreds of thousands of people visit Muir Woods during the months of June, July, and August. Traffic and narrow winding roads to Muir Woods often make the drive longer than expected.
Cell service. There is NO cell phone service or WiFi at or around Muir Woods National Monument. Download your parking reservation in advance.
Pets. Pets are not permitted in Muir Woods. The park is very small and can get very crowded. To protect the wildlife, other visitors, and your pet, we suggest that you visit nearby areas such as the Coastal Trail at Muir Beach, and some trails in the Marin Headlands where they are permitted. For more information please click here.
Visitor Center: A Great Start. The visitor Center and Park Ranger Orientation Stations provide orientation, information, and trip-planning advice. Park staff and park partners are on duty.
Park Passes. If you’re an America the Beautiful pass holder (“Annual,” ”Military,” “Senior,” “Access,” or “Volunteer”), you enjoy free entry to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites, including Muir Woods National Monument. Parking reservations are required at gomuirwoods.com.
Digital guide to enhance your experience.
Download the free NPS app (and offline content) before you arrive.
Trails: Choose Your Own Adventure. Muir Woods National Monument contains 6 miles of trails. There is a 1/2 hour loop, a 1 hour loop, and a 1 1/2 hour loop as well as longer hikes on trails that extend into surrounding Mount Tamalpais State Park. View a map of Muir Woods and its vicinity. All of these walks afford views of old-growth coast redwoods, the tallest living things in the world.

Fifth: Enjoy The Freshest Seafood on The Water

Marin County is one of the Bay Area region’s best spot for fresh oysters, and there are plenty of options to choose from. In the tiny village of Marshall on Tomales Bay’s eastern shore, you’ll find Nick’s Cove Restaurant & Oyster Bar, home to the original Tomales Bay BBQ oyster topped with garlic-parsley butter and house-made BBQ sauce. Nearby at the shack-like Marshall Store, choose among oysters ranging from raw to smoked and served with cheese, chives, and chipotle aioli. Other foods include fish tacos and a chorizo fish stew.

Tiburon—nicknamed the Culinary Coast—has been experiencing a renaissance, led by its exploding food scene. Besides the regular crowd-pleasers—we’re looking at you, Sam’s Anchor Cafe—there’s the Bungalow Kitchen, opened in 2021 by celebrity chef Michael Mina, with expansive waterscapes and two floors that include a billiards room. Last fall, Michelin-starred chef Roland Passot launched Petite Left Bank, a traditional French bistro. Add the Caprice, which welcomed diners once again at the end of 2021, to your list, as it has best view of the Golden Gate Bridge, along with a revamped menu.

Sixth: Experience The Marin Headlands

With their winding roads, endless views, and green grassy hillsides that undulate alongside the Pacific, the Marin Headlands are awash with incredible beauty and just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. It’s the perfect perch for taking in views of the San Francisco skyline or sitting out on foot for an afternoon hike. Once the home of Miwok Indians, the headlands later became a site for American military fortifications protecting the entrance to San Francisco Bay. You can still find several of these decommissioned military bunkers and batteries, including a preserved SF-88 Nike Missile silo. The Headlands are home to the dog-friendly Rodeo Beach, as well as Hawk Hill—a great place for spotting Mission Blue Butterflies, as well as migrating raptors, including vultures, eagles, osprey, and hawks, circling the skies from August to December. In spring, the hillsides come alive with colorful wildflowers. Still, you don’t need a particular season to visit the headlands’ mid-19th century Point Bonita Lighthouse, a still-active light that’s accessible across a somewhat rickety suspension bridge. It’s open Sundays and Mondays from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Seventh: Find Your Beach

Beaches are another perk of Marin’s extraordinary natural landscape. Hidden beneath rock cliff-sides just west of Highway 1 are gorgeous sandy stretches like the dog-friendly Agate Beach, a 6.6-acre park with nearly two-miles of beach during low tide, including a bevy of tide-pools filled with giant green sea anemones. Bolinas, or “Brighton” Beach, features calm, protected waters that are especially alluring for beginner surfers, while the crescent-shaped Muir Beach is known for its creek-fed lagoon and wetlands. While swimming isn’t recommended at this private cove, there are numerous hiking trailheads and pits for bonfires. The beach’s north end is also considered clothing-optional. Stinson Beach is one of Marin County’s best-known and most popular beaches—a 3.5-mile white sand beach where you can hunt for sand dollars and watch surfers tackle the swells. There are lifeguards on duty May through mid-September, making it exceptionally safe for swimmers. Traffic can come to a standstill in Stinson on warmer days, but there are plenty of eateries to wait out the backup once in town.

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