This is a time of year when we long to scour and scrub away any lingering winter mustiness. No wonder it’s traditionally the season to clean the house form top to bottom, banishing cobwebs, dust bunnies, and smudges on the windowpanes as clear light streams in. Along with the dirt, we’re moved to eliminate clutter. Tidiness, order, and simplicity drive decisions about what to keep and what to discard. Possessions that seemed relevant even a few months ago now appear superfluous.
Storm windows are stowed away, and screens take their place so that we can drink in fresh air. Also ready for storage are woolen sweaters and the cashmere throw that warmed us by the fire. Nature may have some fun by mischievously teasing us with a few frosty days and plummeting temperatures, but we’re not fooled.
We search the closet shelves for muted linen or cotton bedclothes that were folded and stowed last autumn. Lightweight open-weave tablecloths or bamboo place mats replace heavy jacquard as more formal tableware and place settings are exchanged for the casual. The winter pantry, filled with hot chocolate and mulling spices, holds less interest than spring onions, fresh greens, and asparagus – all suddenly available at the recently reopened farmers’ market. Refreshing, spirit-lifting showers with zesty, citrusy soaps become more alluring than long soaks in the tub.
Spring is a seasonal palette cleanser as well. The deep colors of autumn and winter now appear oppressively weighty. Inspiration comes instead from the subtle pastels of new life in the garden – an arrangement of greens and pale pink and white tulips or lilies. Cut to enjoy indoors at close range, these early blooms are reminders of the vivacious beauty still to come. Inspired by spring’s watercolor landscape, we flirt with the possibility of transforming what now strikes us as a drab bedroom wall into a field of lavender. When we pull up a rug to expose bare floor in the living room, the results embolden us to eliminate the drapes. Basking in brighter light, the geometry of square windowpanes in late spring softens against the first bloom of the rosebush just outside. Spring’s hopeful signals beckon us to unlock the creaky doors of our imagination and integrate seasonal design elements that nurture a mood of promise.
I’m pleased to reprint excerpts from my book, Living With the Seasons, in the hopes of sharing inspiration for living in harmony with the seasonal changes of nature. For the next 3 weeks, I’ll be posting tips to incorporate the symbolic renewal of spring into your home.
Image: khurt