Hosting a video-chat get-together this holiday? Here are some tips for smaller gatherings at home that feel every bit as special as being all together, and how to share a lovely backdrop with distant family that celebrates Spring!
Spring To-Do’s
The wind has lost its bite, and in the early morning birdsong now fills the wood just outside my window. These are the days that we are supposed to start spending more time out of the house: the gardens need clearing and mulching, the kids’ sports should now be back out on the field, and ice cream shops ought to be opening their window service. The perennial springtime occasions are beckoning: Red Sox games, garden shows, the Easter holidays…yet, this year, none of the usual is happening. Few of the things we look forward to at winter’s end can be enjoyed now, with the necessity of social distancing keeping us indoors. At heart, we all yearn for normalcy and a return to those things which mean Spring to us! But there are ways to live the season more fully, while we wrestle with these unfamiliar constrictions. Living in the moment, pausing for reflection, and bringing a bit of Spring in the door will help until we are back out in the world! Read on for how-to…
Force Branches
This is quite literally bringing Spring in, and a good place to start. Many of us have blooming branches in our own yards and gardens. Look for forsythia, lilac and red maple…common to New England gardens. Other popular branches to force are apple, cherry, pear, witch hazel, magnolia, quince and dogwood. Choose branches that have buds just beginning, or maybe showing only a flower or two. Snip the branch diagonally, preferably from the crown of the shrub where new-sprouting growth would be pruned in any case. Once inside, submerge overnight in a tub or deep sink. Before placing in a container filled with warm water, be sure to remove foliage or twigs that will be below the water line, in order to keep the water fresh, and change the water every few days. Place in a spot you can enjoy seeing them often, but out of direct sunlight. Blossoming branches make lovely Easter centerpieces, and liven up kitchen island countertops. By selecting longer branches, you can create a layer of height in a sitting room where most furnishings are at hip level.
And don’t forget pussy willows. Just don’t place them in water! Their velvety catkins will leaf out if they get a drink…so let them dry naturally.
Glitz and Glam
Sure, spring is all about soft pastels. But silver and gold aren’t just for the winter holidays! A mix of metallics can put a little sparkle on your Easter decorations. Gilt highlights on colored eggs evoke the opulent Faberge eggs popular at the turn of last century. I made the eggs seen above the year I was married and I put them out every Spring (they’re very old, but they stand the test of time!). Gold leaf egg-shaped boxes tied with twine add a bit of sophisticated rusticity to the Easter table display – and hide egg hunt clues! And try to look at your winter ornaments with a different eye…this champagne glitter feather ornament was bought to dangle from my Christmas tree…but it looks fetching next to this willow nest.
Spring Skin Care
In the cold months, the heated house is very drying to the skin, and now our winter hibernation has been prolonged. With salons and spas temporarily closed, it’s a good idea to try a little diy to provide a special treat or two for your complexion. Meagan Visser is the author of Growing Up Herbal, a blog for living life naturally. She provides an excellent article on spring skin-care, outlining her routine and offering recipes to nourish your skin. Her tip on drinking plenty of water and herbal teas is one every member of the family should take up now! Be healthy to stay healthy! See Meagan’s recipes for Nourishing Face Serum and Microdermabrasion Floral Face Scrub at www.growingupherbal.com/spring-skincare-routine.
Cook with Seasonal Produce
Hopefully by the time Farmer’s Market dates are upon us, we’ll be able to take advantage of fresh veggies and herbs from local gardens! In the meantime, why not start your own victory garden? This throwback idea harkens the home front during World War Two, and certainly the sacrifices we are making today remind us of the difficulties and deprivations of rationing and “making do” in wartime. Instructions and ideas abound online. Order new tools (or sharpen old ones with a mill file), pull on those terracotta-pot-printed canvas gloves and get sowing! Its also a great time to take a gardening course online or join a Farm-to-Table organization near you. When filling your grocery cart, select what’s in season, especially the green stuff! Find excellent recipes for asparagus – one of Spring’s first vegetables – at www.michiganasparagus.org.
Photo via www.thibautdesign.com
Change out Soft Furnishings
While good design should be seasonless, it never hurts to switch out a throw pillow or two on the sofas or layer a new area rug over the plain jute rug when turning the clocks ahead. I often design pillows for my clients that have a contrasting pattern front-to-back. This allows for a simple flip of a pillow to create a fresh look. And if you’ve had those pieces for a while, the ritual of turning them over as you turn the calendar page becomes like revisiting old friends! The addition of a drapery tieback, the altering of a lampshade, or a new collection of vases can be a game changer. When we plan décor for a space, we make sure the bones of the design have longevity. Still, even the best-dressed room occasionally needs a pick-me-up. We are always happy to source a new accessory or different detail to add to the rooms we’ve created for you.
A Garden of Wallpaper
Take a look at these botanical beauties! This selection of wallcoverings have put a spring in our step as we enter the first season of the year, with cuttings from new collections. Though they take their cue from warming weather and pastel blooms, these timeless prints are meant to be enjoyed year round.
Anna French’s new Aerial Garden offers classic French parterre symmetry in soft greens and golds. Photo via www.thibautdesign.com
Tongli Grasscloth is a fresh take on chinoiserie, with bright pink blossoms that wind their way up a kelly green field. Brunschwig & Fils introduced this pattern together with a corresponding linen that would match windows to walls for an all-encompassing effect. www.kravet.com/brunschwig-fils Photo via VAVAinteriors
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a blank wall must be in want of an enduring patterned paper! Medlar is an orchard espalier that’s always in fruit, and comes in 5 outstanding colorways, including this trendy blush. It comes from Osborne and Little’s new Mansfield Park collection - fabrics and papers entitled with riffs on estate names from the novels of Jane Austen. We’re in love! Photo via www.osborneandlittle.com
Palm prints are plentiful, but Manuel Canovas struck gold with this bronzy tropical take. Salengro makes a bold statement, but effortlessly walks the line between trend and tradition. A permanent vacation from winter blahs. Photo via www.cowtan.com
And while we’re on the subject of “bold”, fearless Joan by Schumacher sprouts citrine blooms that would enliven any space. Imagine in a sunny breakfast nook or shared bathroom for teen girls. When life gives you lemon-inspired wallpaper, hang it up! Photo via www.fschumacher.com
