Philadelphia ? Spring has finally arrived — and after the harsh winter and with stress over war, we’re not only glad for the new season, but perhaps primed to do a bit more than usual to spruce up our homes.

Barbara Bell, a design consultant with the King of Prussia, Pa., Home Depot, has noticed it in the packed parking lot at the store and “the flurry of people around the garden center.”

“It’s a sure sign people are fixing up their homes, both inside and out,” she said.

Maybe it’s an exorcism of sorts, not just to lighten and brighten our living spaces, but to bring the outdoors in, and find fresh pieces and colors to animate our decor.

We’re talking quick fixes here, nothing too pricey. Do one thing, or do half a dozen.

“It’s all about color this year,” said Greg Inman, in-house interior decorator with Foster’s Urban Homeware in Old City Philadelphia, whose store displays are a riot of pinks, oranges, reds, greens and teals.

“The best way to do a quick fix is a splash of textiles,” he said, pointing to throw pillows on a sofa in a variety of bold stripes, polka dots, and Marimekko-type florals.

“Then, bounce them through the house,” he said, showing how you can pick up patterns on dish towels, table runners, napkins or tablecloths to produce a coordinated look.

Color can also be injected with a few new serving pieces or dishes, he said, pointing to hot new melamine dishware, whose exuberant patterns are modern takeoffs on retro motifs.

“In the past, these plastic dishes may have been paler, and only used perhaps three tones. But this one includes pretty much everything,” Inman said, picking up a plate whose swirling design featured a multitude of color.

Picture frames that add new dimension to photo displays also can rouse the eye. Umbra’s Cityscape has a slotted wooden base on which you can arrange several two-sided acrylic photo holders like buildings on a grid.

Stylish wall and mantel clocks, such as Umbra’s Echo, with its concentric circles of walnut veneer in a retro design, also can spark interest.

And if you want a real conversation piece, consider LumiSource’s Puzzato seating, which resembles puzzle pieces in the way they look and fit together. Colorful Puzzatos, which are filled with foam and covered in microsuede, can be used as ottomans, coffee tables, or extra seating. With as few as two, you’re in puzzle mode. At about $70 each, more can be added without breaking the bank.

Lighting also can provide novelty. And LumiSource’s Chinese Carry-Out Lamps, which resemble food containers but with a Chinese character on the side and a pair of chopsticks sticking out the top, make great accent pieces.

Also consider the striking three-tiered paper lanterns that hang from the ceiling at Foster’s in solids of green, amber, turquoise and white.

“They’re really a lightbulb on a cord, so you can change them out easily,” Inman said of the fixtures, priced at $21.

Before you do any of this, be sure to switch out your dark, heavy furnishings for lighter things.

Nubby blankets and throws, heavy area rugs, and insulated draperies can be stored and sisal rugs put down. Or let the floors go bare, said Ikea spokeswoman Janice Simonsen.

To blur the separation between indoors and out, plants may be arranged near entryways or hung by windows, and budded branches brought inside to open up in vases.

“That’s such a nice way to get a blast of spring,” Simonsen noted.