By Katherine Tanney

It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! — Mark Twain

The sweet smell of flowers. The light of longer days. The profusion of exploding buds on tree limbs. How can you not want these sensations reflected and enhanced by your home surroundings? With so much freshness outdoors, spring is a natural time to spruce up your décor. You can clean and polish. You can rearrange. And, with a modest expenditure of money, you can put together a collection of seasonal touches that will sing, “It’s spring!” each year — that is, if you can bear to put them in winter storage.

We’re attracted to tints and pastels, to the feel of cotton and linen, and to an uncluttered, airy environment in the months after winter. Patterns and shapes should be cheerful and simple, which is why flora and fauna are out front from designers — on textiles especially.

Tablecloths, Bed Linens and More

Sometimes, it the small things that speak loudest in a room: throw pillows on the sofa rather than the sofa itself, for example. The napkins on the table. The bedspread. At Pottery Barn, the pillow covers demonstrate this concept beautifully. Choose from a wide variety of patterns and colors, though we suggest the leaf, flower and butterfly designs in soft greens and golden yellows. Of course, not everyone favors floral patterns, which is why we’re thrilled by The Company Store’s Building Blocks Percale sheets. The colors call to mind summer skies, green tea ice cream and cantaloupe. Getting back to botanical themes, at Anthropologie, the Shade Tree napkins and placemats are sweetly in step with spring/summer. We love the ric-rac trim on the mats, and even on a dark table, these will lighten a room. Last but not least, consider the statement your drawer pulls and doorknobs make, other than “pull here.” It takes very little time to change them out and the incredible selection of glass and novelty knobs , and drawer pulls at Cool Knobs and Pulls will make you run for the screwdriver.

Pages: 1 2 3