Decorating For Spring

Welcome to Decorative Arts for March 2003! As Spring is arriving and it's time to go through the house and clean? Naaahh! That's no fun! The time to really clean is Fall, when a deep cleaning gets out all the dust and dirt from open windows and constant traffic into and out of the house. Then, when you close windows and the traffic slows, the air that circulates is dust-free. But...that's another newsletter!

Spring is about welcoming "newness! New life, new growth, new recipes, fresh new decorating ideas! There is a trend towards wonderful decorating ideas our grandmothers followed. That is...changing accessories, carpets, slipcovers, lamp shades, and any heavier, wintry decor, and replacing it with lighter, brighter things for Spring and Summer. Even in the South, a home can be transformed by using a lighter touch.

Lightweight area rugs or floor coverings can replace heavier Persian carpets. Or be placed over wall to wall carpeting. Sisal or straw mats are especially fresh looking slipcovers are a great way to spruce up darker colored furniture and welcome Spring. Try prints in your color palette if your furniture is solid colored. Or light colored slipcovers in a different fabric if you have a wintry print already. Denim is fun in a den or family room for the warmer months. Your husband adores his dark leather chair? Denim or the new washable suede cloth covers lighten the look without removing the chair! Assure him that his chair is still under there, and that you are prolonging its life by giving it a break from wear and tear for the season! This is a decorating idea especially made for husbands! ~grin~

Do you have a fireplace? Here is another decorating idea! After cleaning out winter's ashes, how about a beautiful screen with a seasonal flair? Or a large vase full of warm weather silk flowers? Add cheerful colors in the form of floor cushions around the hearth.

I painted an outdoor scene on a wooden, three-panel hinged screen that fits inside the firebox. A low window planter in the front of that is filled with spring flowers of silk. A fresh and cheery look! You can make your own with a¼" plywood and small hinges. Measure your firebox, cut your three panels, and sand the edges smooth. If you are not an artist, simply paint the panels in a pale blue background color for the sky, and purchase some deep (12") wall border paper with an outdoor scene you like and use that in place of painting a "scene". If you find paper that has large graphics, it would be easy to cut out some flowers or trees and paste them slightly above the border to add a more "painted on" look. Come Winter, you fold the screen and tuck it away till the following Spring.

Let's look at decorating ideas for our draperies. If, taking down the regular drapes and putting up lighter ones is out of the question, how about tie backs to open the window area and tension rods to add café style sheers? Pale yellow is nice, or whatever Springy color works with your own color palette. I, personally, have sets of leopard and black scarves draped around black wrought iron rods with 2" oak blinds. A dramatic and wonderful look, but heavy and dark. Solution? Blinds pulled up under the scarves and rods , light cream colored scarves added to lighten the leopard and black ones, and cream sheers covering the window. Still dramatic, still my decor, but lighter in look and feel.

If your couch is a dark green, try sage for a change. Dark green throw pillows with print pillows using several shades of green and the colors from your room , keep the whole look coordinated. Add splashes of color you would not ordinarily use! Red and yellow tulips clashing with the green foliage? Nope!

Try tucking away some accessories and replacing them with more summery touches like fruit, silk flowers, clear bowls of colorful potpourri, etc. How about Indoor Fountains in keeping with the season? Have a canopy bed? Take down the canopy and have it cleaned. Put it away and replace it with Netting! A neat look! Fun, too! A new decorating idea whose time has come, again! ~grin~ A nice change for a few months.

Don't forget porches, decks, pool areas, and gazebos. You know those pretty colored outdoor storage units for yard and garden stuff? You know the ones I'm talking about! Not exactly beautiful are they? But, with some simple landscape, or even stripes, to match your outdoor umbrella! Use stencils or decoupage fun posters onto the doors and/or sides for a jazzy look. Be sure to spray a good sealer on your work if you want permanence! I like to use freehand or stenciled designs and craft paint without sealing. By fall, the weather has left it's mark and the paint can be scrubbed off with steel wool. By Spring, I have new ideas of how to paint them! As for the other outdoor areas, pots of real or silk flowers and greens work wonders!

For the really adventurous, here's a fun trick...In a kitchen, this looks really neat! Starting in a plain corner, paint or stencil some ivy vines. Just a few! Every week add a few more! Start letting them "grow" up the corner and over a doorway, cabinet, or window. By summer, you'll have fully grown ivy vines! This is a more or less permanent addition to your decor, but can be painted out with a couple coats of your wall color if you are tired of it come Fall. More fun would be to add some Fall colored leaves with the rub off glue so they can be removed in time to add Holiday stick -ons! Berries, a single Cardinal, go for it!

By now you should be eyeing your spaces with ideas of your own. Have fun with it! Greet the new season with eyes and spirit wide open! Try your own decorating ideas and don't be afraid to experiment!