Hello Spring!

Welcoming in the warm season

 

Is there anyone in the Triangle who hasn’t caught spring fever? Vibrant color beckons at the mall, home-furnishing stores and nurseries. But, if you need a nudge, here are ways to bring the best of spring into your home today:

Reinvent your entryway.

Give the gateway to your home an instant and inexpensive facelift by putting a fresh coat of paint on the front door.

 

But don’t stop there. Coordinate your new look by adding containers brimming with plants that accent the color, along with a fresh door mat, new house numbers and a wreath.

 

Punch up your sofa.

The home-décor magazines scream with color this time of year. But if you’re not quite ready for chartreuse walls or a bright pink rug, get comfy with color by adding it in small doses.

 

Throw pillows in tropical colors can give a room an instant lift. This season, you can find a rainbow of accessories at any price point.

 

Or, if you’re crafty, visit your favorite fabric store and sew your own covers.

Rearrange the furniture.

Has your living room been set up the same way since, oh, the day you moved in?

 

Could you wake up to a view of your garden if your bed faced a different window?

 

Changing the way a room is laid out can bring an instant freshness even to pieces you’ve owned forever.

 

Sometimes, it’s as simple as pulling the sofa out into the room a bit, or cozying up a couple of chairs to make a more intimate conversational area.

 

If your bedroom is large enough, try placing the bed on an angle.

 

The best thing about rearranging furniture is that you can always move it back if you hate the new look.

 

Plus, if you want a no-sweat preview, there are oodles of apps that let you create virtual rooms based on the measurements of your rooms and furniture.

 

The low-tech approach, of course, simply involves graph paper and a pencil.

 

Make a clean sweep.

Get busy undoing a winter’s worth of cobwebs that are hanging from every rain gutter and window frame.

 

It’s great exercise, and your home will sparkle when you’re finished.

 

Safety first, though.

 

If you must get on a ladder to reach some spots, make sure you’re on solid footing.

 

Even better, wait to tackle out-of-reach areas when there’s someone around who can spot you. An old broom works pretty well, but try tying an old towel or a T-shirt over the broom’s bristles. The fabric tends to snag the webs nicely.

 

Organize and pitch.

Wouldn’t it be nice to put your hands on the tool you need, when you need it?

 

Also, wouldn’t it be great if there were a little more space in your closets, medicine chest or pantry?

 

Take it one little project at a time, and you’ll be amazed how much progress you can make.

 

Cutlery organizers easily corral frequently used tools, such as screwdrivers, small hammers, tape measures and scissors.

 

Use the space under your bed to store out-of-season clothing in zippered or snap-lid containers.

 

Weed out first-aid items that are past their prime and replace them with new supplies.

 

Check out container stores and office mega stores for more inspiration.

 

But, before you invest in any sort of storage “system,” ask yourself: Is this something I need to save?

 

Maybe that stack of twin-size sheets—unused since the kids moved out of the house or since you moved out of your college dorm—is something you can finally part with.

 

Install new cabinet hardware.

Used to be, you had to spend an arm and a leg to get really cool cabinet knobs and drawer pulls.

 

But today, good design can be found even at discount stores, making it easy to give your kitchen and bathroom a mini makeover.

 

Look for stainless steel and polished nickel to coordinate with appliances in the kitchen, bold ceramics to transform a powder room and whimsical motifs to put your stamp on a room.