Spring Decorating Tips

Spring is coming, Spring is coming! On Thursday, March 20, 2008, to be exact!  Is your home still in Winter mode?  Use these tips from interior decorator, Kathy Passarette of Creative Home Expressions to freshen up your home for spring. 

To freshen up your living areas for spring, and while doing a good spring-cleaning, move some of your collectibles around to give you a fresh perspective and appreciation of your belongings.

Keeping your décor simple adds to the relaxed feeling of the season and readies you for the summer months.  Use colors a couple of shades lighter than the existing colors in your rooms.  This way you are not disrupting your color scheme, just giving it a lighter, more airy look.

Remove thick, and dark colored, area rugs.  If you must have an area rug, use a natural fiber rug in its place; sisal, sea grass and jute are just a few of the many options available.

Take down heavy drapes, and replace with sheers or unlined curtains.  They come in all colors and textures, so there is always something to match your décor.

Clean out your fireplace, but don't leave it bare.  Fill it with a display of varying heights of candles, a floral arrangement, or white birch logs stacked neatly.  Or you can display a decorative fire screen, one you've made or purchased to fill the space.

Lighten up your mantle by leaving it decorated simply; a vase or pot of spring flowers or flowering stems (like forsythia) will add some color and fragrance to the room.  A simple painting or mirror with a couple of votive candles is all you need.

Trade out dark colored throw pillows for light colored florals or stripes.  If you want to sew your own pillows, today's outdoor fabrics are being used indoors now for ease of cleaning and durability.  Slipcovers in denim or cotton duck fabrics look clean and crisp; they also wash up easily.

Finally, a fresh coat of paint, whether on your walls or to update some tired furniture is the least expensive thing you can do for the most impact.

Copyright 2008 Creative Home Expressions 

Kathy Passarette, and Creative Home Expressions, is based on Long Island, New York, and offers interior decorating, home staging, interior redesigns and color consultations.  Please visit our website at www.creativehomeexpressions.com for more information.