Spring is near and it’s time to give some consideration to decorating for this time of year. Yes, we like to decorate for the holidays like St. Patrick’s Day and Easter but there’s some all over the house transformations that go on which celebrate the newness of this time of year. This week’s blog is about how to give your home a fresh new look with paint and fabric colors and patterns as well as with a beautiful and not necessarily high maintenance garden for the outdoors which translates into fragrant flowers for the indoors. Come along with me as we delve into all the tips and tricks for decorating to suit the season.

Pillows and Linens

A springtime must is changing out kitchen and bath towels, bedding, curtains, and putting out some new pillows. Pastels and brighter colors represent this time of year. Flowers blooming outside and matching colors inside. Go ahead and brighten it up. Paint that rooms that you’ve been putting off all winter and transform it into something that makes you say ahhhhhh. Use beautiful leafy or flowery patterns in your linens to make the house feel fresh and outdoorsy. And do not forget the curtains. You’ll want to use lighter weight fabrics to let the breezes flow through the open windows like linen along with those lighter colors. Darker colors are warm for winter and heavier fabrics keep you warm for winter. Putting out a new tablecloth that is lighter and brighter is a great and inexpensive way to spruce up the kitchen.

Plates and Dishes and Flatware…oh my!

Not into table linens? Try some chargers underneath plates and bowls to bring a new look to the table. Dinnerware can be something that you use all year long if you get it in a neutral color that matches all the seasons like white. Buy a few colorful bowls to throw in there with a vase of flowers and some colorful cloth napkins and your set for springtime. There are plenty of choice for silverware as well. Various metals like stainless and gold look and the choices in styles vary quite a bit as well. If you want to take the springtime theme to a new level, try some forks with handles that look like sticks. I’ve seen them around a lot and they definitely suit.

Speaking of Flowers

Most of us like a beautiful garden in theory but couldn’t grown one if our lives depended on it. Some of us are blessed with a green thumb as my grandmother used to put it. Whichever you are, there’s a way to get something pleasing to the eye. Now I personally happen to be the not so green thumb type. I hire someone to do some of the planting for me but that’s not friendly for all budgets. The way to get something pretty in the springtime is to plan ahead during the previous fall. I’m talking about bulbs. Tulips, irises, and daffodils are just a few of the types of flowers that can grown from bulbs. If you follow the directions and plant them during the right time of year, you’ll get gorgeous flows the next spring. Voila! And let’s talk ornamental grasses. Too many to name, these are the best way to take up space in your yard, add dimension and color as well as have add some softness to hardscaping. All you must do is cut them back in the spring and they do their own thing the rest of the year. And there are outdoor pots. If you don’t have the necessary creativity for these, buy them in plastic pots, and put the plastic pots into nice decorative pots so it looks as if you arranged them yourself. This one is my favorite hack. I’ve even gone so far as to bury the plastic pot in potting soil to disguise it.

Do Not Forget to Clean and Declutter

Last week’s blog was on the topic of cleaning and decluttering but I can’t say enough about it. There’s no point in decorating for spring in pursuit of a fresh new look when you have all the wintertime dirt and clutter still handing around. If you don’t want to do this bit yourself, most housekeeping companies provide a one time deep clean service and will happily do it for you. In fact, my service is Maid Brigade here in Omaha. I’ve used them for years and they do a great job plus they knock it all out in short order. As far as decluttering, there are professionals for that as well. Hire one and take the headache out of getting rid of the things you don’t need or use anymore. They’ll help make the decisions and they know how to get you organized.

Well…that’s my two cents on springtime design, décor and more. If you’d like to read more of my blogs or find out how we can help you find a home go to www.omahaprioritygroup.com