Bring in Spring!

Spring has FINALLY sprung! At least here in New York, and let me tell you, it is long overdue.
With the changing seasons comes the need for some sprucing up: now, you may be asking yourself, how can I make changes that will make a major impact on my living space but not so major on my wallet? Simple. 





I always try to reiterate the point to my clients about the importance of painting in neutral colors, and also keeping static furniture neutral as well (furniture that cannot easily be changed out) and I recommend this because of this exact situation: you may want to change the look of your home as the seasons change. So for those of you looking to liven up your living area after it has been in hibernation, here are five simple ways to bring spring into your home -

1. FLOWERS!!! - Scrounge up every single vase you own and put them everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Or at least, you know one vase per room. Keeping live plants in the home is a wonderful way to lighten up the area, bring in pops of contrasting or complimentary colors; also note the types of flowers to display during the spring: tulips (duh), hyacinth, orchids (personal favorite), and Oxalis (because they look like butterflies) are all vibrant, unique and easy to maintain indoor options. It is proven that flowers can elevate mood through color, so rid your winter blues with some springy pinks and purples!

2. Decor - pack up that wool blanket you had draped over your sofa all winter long and change it out for a tapestry, maybe you have deep plum and navy throw pillows out, try mixing a neutral and a bright color with opposing patterns instead, like these ones here and here. in professional design it is important to have n equal distribution of visual weight, larger and/or brighter objects are considered heavy and need to be balanced out by "lighter" objects.

3.Lighting - Besides the obvious fact of opening up the windows, consider changing your window treatments. If you have very heavy, dark, or curtains of a thicker material, try out a linen (here) or lsheer set (here) this season. Another way to change the lighting in your home is to switch from regular light bulbs to natural lighting bulbs. Regular bulbs tend to give off a warmer light whereas a natural bulb is, well, natural. Get a cooler ambiance using the GE Reveal Bulb.

4. Use Food (huh?)- Displaying fruits is a sure welcoming sign that warmer weather is upon us, whether it is a bowl of green apples on the table or a pitcher of lemon, cucumber and mint water (YUM). You'd be surprised how much of a difference these little natural pops of color can make (and even encourage you to eat healthy after putting on some, er, winter weight). I mean, look how gorgeous this DIY Flower and Fruit project is!

5. A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G. DIY screams spring. When the sun starts shining people start wanting to actually, I don'y know, do things??? So if you begin to use your spare time to create beautiful little things for your home, you'll be put right into the spring spirit! Make a wreath (using all those gorgeous flowers you picked up from tip #1) and hang it right on your front door; paint your front door (drastic, but hey, turquoise is a beautiful color), or try any of the other great DIY's on my pinterest (self promotion at its finest).

I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post and share with me, do you do anything special to prepare your home for spring? Let me know in the comments below!