Spring's color forecast is bright and sunny

It's a pretty outlook for spring 2009 on the home decor front. The color palette includes fresh blues, saucy pinks and upbeat yellows, as well as a veritable laundry line of clean whites.

Patterns are playful or romantic. It's the season of renewal, and a great time to fluff up the feathers in the nest.

"This is the year to go wild and express yourself," said Louise Smith, color and design manager for Dulux. "Since fewer people will be moving, the onus is on personalization and reinvention."

So if you've never been brave enough to dip your toes in the color pool, now's the time to get wet. Never been a flower child? You may reconsider when you see the new floral motifs. The mood-enhancing benefits of a restyled living space cannot be underestimated.

Yellow is such a happy hue, and so right-this-minute. Look for it in dishes, furniture, soft furnishings, even trash bins: Vipp's Yellow Cab stepcan may be made in Copenhagen, but the vibe is New York.

Spring in the city is evoked in Blissliving Home's contemporary bedding ensemble, "Off the Park," which pairs a black-and-white print with bright yellow. Designer Mei Xu said the color's "cheerful, optimistic tone. It has the power to bring a smile to your face."

Conran USA continues to support international craftwork with the ceramics of South African designers Philippa and Werner du Toit. Their pitchers and cake stands are embossed with tribal fabric textures, then washed in soft yellow. They're quirky, rustic and charming.

We'll see white as another dominant color, either crisp and pure or vanilla-tinged. Gather a group of snowy vases, fill them with white blooms, and place on a textured runner. Pull off all the dark drapes and hang white cotton or silk; the light will pour in, awakening everything.

Garnet Hill has the Angie lamp, a curvy little number in soft tones accented with barrel shades in on-trend motifs like black and white ironwork, white-on-white bubbles, or orange and green zinnias.

Florals are blooming on casual dinnerware, wall art and soft furnishings. Some are feminine, painterly prints while others are bold, contemporary graphics. Xu said her Kew Gardens bedding ensemble, which has a green and white trellis pattern as its centerpiece, was inspired by her visit to one of the royal British gardens.

"I wanted to translate that happy memory into an uplifting design that would bring home the essence of spring," she said.

Over at Homegoods, there are little footed bowls in robin's egg blue, as well as a creamy lacquered chest hand painted with chrysanthemums.

Indeed, as befits the season, garden themes dominate. Wrought iron and trellis motifs are a new twist, and a departure from the ubiquitous damasks of the past couple of seasons. Lattice patterns are versatile; they can evoke either English Garden traditional or Palm Beach Moderne.

Spring's the perfect time to change out a few accessories and introduce some new hues; without spending a great deal, a room can look refreshed and invigorated in no time. Target has inexpensive yet appealing floral throw pillows and wall art, as well as a pretty filigreed votive holder in grass green, white or deep pink. Perfect for the patio, when the nights begin to warm.