Ask the Expert

I plan to give my home a thorough spring cleaning and afterward reward myself for all the hard work by redecorating and freshening up my living area for spring and summer. I'd like it to have a lighter, brighter and fresher feel. What should I focus on?

"The best way to lighten up for spring is to actually use light," says Tobi Fairley of Little Rock, an interior designer.

"Open up a room to as much natural light as possible," she suggests.

"Bring in lighter colors for pillows and textiles," Fairley says. Bright hues and citrus colors offer a spring and summer feel.

Bursts of bright colors, lively patterns, and energetic spring motifs can all awaken a home's interior from a warm, cozy winter feel to one that's springing forth with a feel of revitalization.

Fairley says she is currently incorporating a lot of pale blush and blue in her design work as well as birds, nests and watercolorlike florals.

"Also use gorgeous spring flowers," she recommends, incorporating them into fabrics and decor items as well as fresh flower arrangements. Something as simple as an arrangement of fern leaves can give a home's interior a springtime feel.

Botanical prints framed and hung on walls or placed on tabletops as well as used in easy-to-incorporate decor items such as vases and pillows will also usher in spring and early summer for those weary of winter.

Replacing old lampshades with new ones, adding new wall decor, or repainting furniture in a different color are creative and inexpensive ways to freshen up a space. Accent touches like white egg cups to hold small items on a desk or something as simple as adding a new comforter and matching curtains with a spring motif to a bedroom can help awaken spaces which have fallen dormant during the winter months.

For a more dramatic but still easy-to-incorporate makeover, add two new accents to a room such as new window treatments (curtains or shades) and a new rug with bright, bold colors or soft pastel hues and choose paint -- for either one accent wall or the whole room -- to match.

"Use light and color to chase the gray winter away," she says.

-- Linda S. Haymes

Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We'll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or email:

lhaymes@arkansasonline.com

HomeStyle on 03/21/2015

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