We asked local Interior Designer Caryn Paradis for advice on refreshing our homes this season…

Warmer days are here! I’m always ready for Spring, but this year I’m especially eager to throw off the cover of winter and freshen things for brighter days. As we see flowers poking up from the ground, and new buds on the trees, it’s a perfect time to start anew in our homes too. Here are 5 quick changes you can make that will leave you feeling refreshed.

1. Shift your point of view. Making a simple change like switching the location of your sofa so that you look at a scene outside or great artwork can make you look at an entire space with a new set of eyes. Walk through your house and note important views and then orient furniture groups around them. We love this piece by local artist elviraeormaechea.com.

2. Make a small change. Changing a wall color or bringing in new pillows are quick and inexpensive changes that pack a punch. I love adding a wallcovering pattern to one wall to transform a whole space without doing a complete overhaul. Patterns from hyggeandwest.com and jillmalek.com are some of my favorites.

3. Bring the outside, in. After a winter of seeing bare trees and brown grass, nothing is better than bringing in a cutting from a flowering shrub to start it blooming inside. Make a bold statement with a several long cuttings in a statement vase that you keep on the kitchen island or a simple container with a small single branch in the guest bath. Check out the stoneware vases at bloomist.com.

4. Light it up. Don’t underestimate the impact of switching out a light fixture in a key location. Put new ceiling fixtures in your kitchen and you’ll walk into a new experience. We always find something at circalighting.com.

(See photo above) By Ed Bermudez

5. Use it differently. When we’re getting to know a new client, we ask questions like: Where do you have your morning coffee? Do you like to be part of the action or to be curled up with a good book in a quiet corner? Look at your house with fresh eyes and ask yourself if certain spaces would be better used a different way. We added a sofa with a Sunbrella fabric in the breakfast nook of this kitchen for a better hang-out spot for guests.

Caryn Paradis Interior Design is based in Chester, CT. View her site here: https://www.carynparadis.com/