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Health & Fitness

Spring Decorating, Part One: The Living Room

Spring is just around the corner. It is time to make some decorating changes to put a spring in your step and a smile on your face!

Walking to my car this morning I was so happy to see that the crocuses are starting to poke through the ground. This is the first sign that spring is just around the corner! It has been a long and cold winter and now is the time to start thinking about getting your home ready for spring.

I love to sit down in my favorite chair with pad and pencil and make my list of things to do. This week I am thinking of what needs to be done in the living room. Over the next few weeks I will tackle  different rooms in the house.

We spend a lot of time in the living room. I like to change things around every once in a while to keep things interesting!

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FLOORS: Every spring I like to roll up the oriental carpet and have it cleaned and stored until the cold weather comes around again. Natural textured rugs like sea grass, sisal or jute are a great alternative for your floors. They are readily available and relatively inexpensive. They lend a lighter feel to the room and can work with either a casual or formal decor. These rugs also work as a terrific neutral and can be layered with another smaller area rug on top like a needlepoint area rug which will help define a seating area. A fun idea is to stencil the sisal or jute rug with a geometric pattern using paint. If you are crafty you can do this yourself, if not a decorative painter can do it for you. If you are daring, consider having your wood floors painted in a geometric pattern.

UPHOLSTERY: Slipcovers for your upholstery is a great idea if you want to make big changes to your room. If your sofa is upholstered in a solid plain fabric, think about a slipcover in a fun print like a stripe or a floral pattern. You can also have white cotton duck slipcovers made that can be made to be washable. White slipcovers are great looking put together with a sisal floor covering! Sunbrella fabric is also a great option for covering your furniture, especially if you have young children with sticky fingers or pets with muddy paws. Sunbrella is actually made to be used outside and stands up to harsh weather. They are used very often inside as well.  Slipcovers can be made to look less formal in your room and certainly makes a great change! They are less expensive than re-upholstering and you can have fun with them! If you are only looking for a small change in your room, consider just changing out your throw pillows on your sofa or chairs. Choose something colorful and fun.

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WINDOWS: In my home I have drapes that are tied back as well as some wonderful tortoiseshell roll up blinds underneath. I like to change things up by removing all the drapes and keep just the blinds. It makes the room less formal and seem a bit lighter and larger. There are some great blinds out in the market now. If you don't need the privacy, consider leaving your windows without any dressing...especially if you have a great view. Perhaps the most important thing to do after a long harsh winter is to simply wash all your windows inside and out!

ACCESSORIES: If you have a built in bookshelf, change it all around . Re arrange your books where on some shelves the books are stacked standing up with some next to them stacked on top of each other. Add small decorative items. Add a photo or two in nice frames. If the walls are painted a color in your living room and the bookcase is painted white, paint the back wall only of the bookcase the same color as the wall. It makes everything in the bookcase look new and pop! Re arrange your items on the tabletops. Go around the house and change all your art work around. Rearrange the mantel with spring and  summer motifs.  I love fresh flowers in my home all year round. I especially love daffodils in the early spring. They are so cheery and always put a smile on my face. If you have a white pitcher, put a big bunch of daffodils in it and put it somewhere in your room so you will see them often.

I always tell my clients to look through design magazines to get ideas on what they may want to change in their homes. Keep a file and organize the pages. Figure out what exactly you like in the picture. Is it the overall color scheme? A specific furniture piece or how everything in the room harmonizes?

I suggest you sit in the living room in your home and take a long look at it and see what you can come up with to make changes in your home for the warmer weather. Spring is here...let's get ready!

 

 

 

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