Spring?
We finally have a few nice days coming up before a return to chilly weather – but the calendar tells me spring is upon us, so I have been slowly refreshing things inside.
When the spring season comes around I usually like to introduce little pops of green and softer colors and textures around the house. I’ve never been big into pastels, but anything in the family of white, ivory, beige or even a light gray, feels light and fresh to me.
How about a little spring decorating, dining-room-style today?
Our dining room is such a small and simple space, I don’t like to add too much or it starts to feel a bit claustrophobic. I like small spaces that are filled just enough to be cozy, but not cluttered. It’s a fine line I find myself crossing just about every time I’m changing things up from season to season, and as soon as I do, I start taking away a little from here and a little from there and suddenly it all just feels right.
Do you love super easy DIY projects you can do in just a few minutes – no special skills required?
You do?
Oh good. Me too.
And I just so happen to have one to share with you today. 😉
Cozy.
Neutral.
Simple.
How many times have you heard (or read) me describe a room using one or all of those words?
A lot, right?
I can’t help it – those three little words just to seem to sum up what we have going on around here so well. I apologize for the repetition. 🙂
And so it goes without saying that, regardless of the season, my decorating choices are going to reflect those three little words – and this spring is no different. I simply wanted things around the house to feel fresh, open, and airy – which to me meant lots of white, soft and subtle neutrals, and pops of green.
I shared a little look at a few things last week…
Last weekend I tried out milk paint for the first time.
Based on what I’ve read, milk paint can sometimes have a mind of its own – chipping and flaking wherever it sees fit. I loved the idea of that. The idea that I would apply the paint and then the piece would kind of get to decide how it wanted to look. However, I was a little intimidated by the fact that it comes in a powder and you mix it with water to turn it into paint. I was afraid it wouldn’t mix well, or that the color wouldn’t be consistent, or that I would be stuck with lumpy bumpy paint.
I love the farmhouse plate rack we have in the dining room – it’s one of my favorite projects to date (you can read about it here). I have fun changing it up from time to time and adding things to introduce a little seasonal flair in the dining room.
And no matter what I incorporate, the one constant has always been the plates…because…well…it’s a plate rack.
Right?
But maybe it doesn’t have to be just a plate rack…
Whenever I share a post about styling or creating vignettes around a room, readers will often write to me and say they struggle with this part of decorating. How do you know what to bring in? How do you know how to arrange it? When is it too much and when is it not enough?
You know what I’m about to say…
There is no right or wrong – it’s completely about personal taste.
Not what you wanted to hear, right?
I know. I get it. It can be a little overwhelming, and having no direction when you’re not sure what to do does not help.
So how has 2017 been treating you so far?
Here we are, already into March, and I can definitely say it’s been off to a rather rocky start here at the Smith house. I suppose starting a new year off with a major surgery can do that, right?
You may have remembered I mentioned that Jordan had surgery right after Christmas. I’ll spare you all the nitty gritty details, but in a nut shell he was supposed to have colon resection surgery, his condition ended up being a lot worse than predicted, and they were unable to do the surgery as planned. So my poor husband went in thinking he was going in for a fairly routine procedure and instead woke up with a colostomy and news that as soon as he healed from this surgery it would be time to head back for round two.
Major curveball.
With all the talk of the front porch…and the back porch…and the landscaping…and the bathroom…and the office, you’re probably thinking I have abandoned our bedroom makeover. It’s still very much in the works – but I’ve decided I need to let it evolve on its own, instead of forcing it along.
I don’t know about you, but a lot of the time I feel like everyone else starts and finishes projects over night, and I often feel the pressure to do the same. But the truth is, sometimes I don’t know exactly what I want – or I can’t find exactly what I want – and when I start making choices for the sole purpose of getting a project complete, I almost always end up disappointed, frustrated, and wanting a do-over. So now, whenever I reach a sticking point or lose interest, I simply take a break and wait for the inspiration to strike again – sometimes it’s days, sometimes it’s months, and sometimes it might even be years, but I’m always happier in the end.
Hopefully you all enjoyed Monday’s post, because spring decorating continues today with the dining room. 🙂
Seasonal decorating doesn’t have to be an elaborate process – just one or two quick changes can instantly freshen your entire space. Aside from maybe fall (just because I love it so much) and Christmas time, I keep my seasonal decorating pretty minimal and easy.
