Welcome Spring! Along with welcoming the sunny days, the beautiful spring flowers and our lighter wardrobes...our minds always turn to our homes at this time of year. Spring cleaning…yes, I said it...cleaning… time to throw open those windows, dust off the sills, and let the sunshine in! It’s also that time of year for those DIY (do-it-yourself) projects to start. When everything is fresh and new outdoors, we want our interiors to reflect that same fresh, new feeling. As an interior designer, my own home is always changing...literally “with the seasons”. We have our crisp summer slipcovers with their cool, casual style; we transition into our warm and cozy holiday decorating; next to our fresh, clean winter look; and now that spring has arrived we are all ready for those bright and sunny colors to awaken us from our winter doldrums. Whether your Spring Fever leads you to full scale remodeling, or just to some redecorating, an interior designer can give great advice, such as a fresh and thoughtful furniture arrangement or ways to edit your collections to make them seem bright and new. Consider small fixes, such as fresh paint in your entryway or introducing a fun, new fabric to your design scheme. And definitely bring the outdoors in with some fresh hydrangea, daffodils, forsythia, or even some newly budding branches from your own backyard. There are so many ways to welcome spring into our homes, just remember to take time to enjoy the warm days to liven up your spirit as well as your interiors! Enjoy!


I promised each month to introduce a term or subject, define it and tell about its use in design. This month we'll explore "fleur de lis", pronounced "flur da lee". The fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily (in French, fleur means flower, and lis means lily) or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol.While the fleur-de-lis has appeared on countless European coats of arms and flags over the centuries, it is particularly associated with the French monarchy in a historical context, and continues to appear in the arms of the King of Spain and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, members of the House of Bourbon. It remains an enduring symbol of France that appears on French postage stamps, although it has never been adopted officially by any of the French republics. In North America, the fleur-de-lis is often associated with areas formerly settled by France, such as Quebec, St. Louis, Louisville, and Louisiana. The photos below show a
Fleur-de-lis on a 14th century Syrian albarello (a ceramic pharmacy or drug jar, generally majolica ware) and a drawing of an Iris compared with a fleur-de-lis ornament from a French Dictionary of Architecture, reflecting a clear picture of the origin of the symbol. And now you know...