Well it looks like spring has sprung! With temperatures nearing the 70’s by this weekend here in Chicago, I thought it would only be fitting to feature House Beautiful’s tips on how to give your home an easy but purposeful spring makeover.  Knowing Chicago’s fickle climate I can only be tentatively excited for this warmer weather, because as any Chicagoan can tell you it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to have a freak snowstorm following such a glorious and well-deserved day.  While our weather here may be anything but predictable, you can count on these helpful insights to give your home a fresh new look!

1. Add a bit of wallpaper to the inside of your closet

2. Camp stool in a bright, colorful print

3. Host a garden party where each guest is asked to bring a plant of a specific color (i.e. purple)

4. Use a real rug in the bathroom, not just a bath mat

5. Create a colorful entryway…eliminate clutter and use colorful pieces that catch your visitor’s eye immediately

6. Paint the ceiling…especially in a pale blue or grey shade, it will give the illusion that there is no ceiling at all

7. Reorganize bookshelves…sort by size and subject, remove damaged books, line books both vertically and horizontally to avoid a monotonous pattern

8. Give something old a new look…find a bargain buy at an antique store or a flea market and give it a new life by painting it white or even a bold color

9. Add a modern piece…mixes things up especially well in a traditional home!

10. Add a pretty potted plant

11. Hang mirrors on opposite walls for an instant room transformation

12. Paint your front door

13. Split up a pair of lamps

14.  Styled storage….store out of season in another place and organize/color coordinate your closet…it will feel like a store!

15. Arrange flowers the easy way…buy one color and cut the stems short.  Buy twice as many as you think you should and just use the extra stems in a small glass.