Well, it finally felt like spring this weekend! With the new baby and constant 30 degree weather, I’ve been feeling a little cooped up, but Saturday was finally in the fifties and we were able to head downtown for brunch. We ran across a cute Mini Cooper “dressed” as a rabbit that the kids loved and hit up the Jonathan Adler store just off Michigan Ave (I’ll tackle that drool session in another post!)
Anyway, after a fun and warmer (warm would be stretching it…) Easter weekend, I’m ready to liven things up for spring.
1. Inject some color with accessories. We’ve talked a lot about mixing up pillows, but think about the other accessories in your room. They’re an easy and affordable way to bring a new color into a space. So go buy that bright lamp shade and try it out or pull up an unexpectedly colored side table.
Paint is always an easy way to add color to your space and spring is a time when you can go a little bolder–it doesn’t have to be the walls, but maybe consider painting an old buffet a bold color or a vintage chair (finishing it off with one of spring’s biggest trends-florals-of course.)
2. Change out a rug–switch up a heavy wool rug for a natural fiber rug like jute or sisal or a graphic flat weave rug. Or, consider going bare like in the picture Amy featured last week as Chicago designer Summer Thornton did in her Lincoln Park condo
3. Add natural elements–bring in some beautiful branches and put them on your mantel or entry table; head to the grocery store for some affordable pink tulips.
It’s Spring, so have fun with it and go a little bolder than you normally would!
4. Consider mixing up your furniture–maybe replace two heavy upholstered chairs with lighter rattan ones.
I like these Storsele chairs from IKEA–I have two on my covered front porch, but they’d look great in a living room with a bright pillow:
5. Spring is the perfect time to reevaluate your decor and move things around. On your spring cleaning list, add doing an evaluation of each room–have a friend walk through with you and decide what you love and what you could change out. We recently spent an hour with a client walking through her home and it’s amazing how old pieces can take on new life when they’re moved from one room to another!
