4 Fun Ways to Welcome Spring into Your Home Today
Spring can’t get here soon enough. I know you’re tired of the cold, wet weather and gray skies. Me too! You can start updating your living room today — right now — to bring the light, energy and new beginnings of spring into your home. Start with these four tips below.
1) Glassware
Winter’s light is on the cool and blue side still, and only bright on occasion this time of year. You can make the most of the light you have by adding glass accessories to exaggerate and accentuate the light that is coming into the room. Glass will also make the most of light in the evenings as it reflects and sparkles with the warmth from floor lamps and table lamps. One suggestion is to create a grouping of vases waiting for the flowers of spring. Add tea lights and candles among them. A collection of glass bowls also works. And always think in terms of odd numbers, 3, 5, 7, for groupings.
With any accessories for spring, minimize the items with blue tones, for example cranberry or purple. Instead, layer yellows from the palest shades (like in a nursery) to deep golden shades like daffodils. For greens, go for a range from celery to a bold citrus green. There’s also Murano glass, found in nearly any color and in combinations of colors. You can find a wide selection locally at Home Goods, Pier One, and Bed Bath & Beyond .
2) Accent Pillows
Keep in mind my suggestions on the colors above when adding new throw pillows. This is such an easy addition to the neutral beige and gray sofas that I see. They will complement beautifully if you select one of the colors within your patterned rug or drapery and then layer multiple shades of that color. I recently did this for a client in Clarksville, MD to create some new excitement in her living room.
Great throw pillows are so easy to find now. Target has collaborated with some well-known designers (like Nate Berkus) who want to bring fabulous design to the masses at reasonable prices. Home Goods shops the big design markets and they offer shelves loaded with accent pillows. Pier 1 brings in designs from overseas enhanced with embroidery, texture and sequins. Anthropologie is the spot for something artisanal and in limited editions, and is nearby at the Mall in Columbia. And if you prefer something custom crafted just for you, I know local seamstresses who can create completely unique and personalized pillows.
3) Rotate What You Already Have
We all get caught in the trap of leaving items in the same place or with the same accessories and it can make a room feel stale. Rethink what you already have and restage it to bring spring into your home. “Shop” your home for brighter colors that you can bring front and center to your primary living spaces. Do you have a landscape painting or nature image in a bedroom or bath room? Move it into your family room and you’ll see how the light hits it differently and how it can energize the items around it, bringing them to life again. If your existing artwork doesn’t excite you anymore or you have empty walls, I recommend Horse Spirit Arts Gallery and Still Life Gallery, for unique and beautiful pieces that might make your heart sing, both on Main Street in Old Town Ellicott City, MD.
4) Get Creative with Grouping Items
As you’re bringing these spring elements into your home, don’t scatter them around, as it minimizes the impact. The items don’t have to all be the same either. Cluster the old with something new, or mix different styles together. Contrast the smooth and glossy texture of glass with something with deep texture like distressed wood, or something simple and elegant with the intricate details of something with a bohemian vibe.
All of these ideas are meant to create energy and renew everything around us. That is what spring is all about! Call me to schedule a two-hour design consultation to help bring spring into your home!
