Spring!

I was about to say that Spring is here, finally! ... But actually, thanks to El Nino we've had a pretty good winter here in Buffalo, NY. I still always feel happy to see the sunshine, smell the flowers, and see the neighbors emerge from their parkas and mittens after the winter.

One of my most favorite things about spring though, is Spring cleaning! It is so enjoyable to see everyone sprucing up the exteriors of their homes again. Ah, the smell of topsoil!

I decided that since I'm feeling spring like I'd share a few thoughts I had on exterior decor:

WINDOW BOXES:

Window boxes are something I wish most people took advantage of because they add SO much character to the exterior of a home. I know what you're thinking, and no, even if you do not have a green thumb (I definitely seem to kill all plants that I touch) you can still add some appeal with green plants or even, ehem, fake ones. Actually, these days you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on fake plants to get a real effect. Check your local hobby lobby - they seem to have a nice selection. Just be picky. There definitely are some faux plants out their that look like plastic.

If you happen to have been blessed with a green thumb - go crazy! A good rule of thumb, no pun intended, is to stick by the design principle of threes. Looking at the whole exterior of your home, chose 3 colors in total. If you house has two main colors add flowers with a complimenting color. If you have more than two colors on your home, I'd think about using one of them in your window box to keep things looking cohesive.

PLANTERS:

You can do planters in addition to window boxes. The concept is the same but you have a lot of play with shape and height with planters. These create a great connection between the grassy earth and your home, again making things look cohesive.

PATHWAYS & DRIVEWAYS:

This is one place where I hope to see change. Let me explain; where I live the most common driveway and path material is concrete. Yes, its easy, yes I know, your contractor said this is the only way but people it's not! Obviously we need to pay attention to our climate and temperature changes but there are so many other drive/path materials then concrete. I lived in Cape Cod, MA for a few years of my life and a common material for their pathways were sea shells and pebbles. Being by the ocean this makes some sense. Depending on where you live you can select materials found in your climate. Here in the great north east we definitely have to think about snow and mud etc but that is just part of our year - we DO have a pretty fantastic spring, summer fall season after all! Here are some materials I thought were a great way to change it up!

No matter how you spruce up your home, the bottom line is - think in layers. Your house and grass are the shell so take things a step further with your pathways and then "accessorize" with planters and window boxes.

Enjoy this spring time and I look forward to seeing your beautified exteriors!

Love&Peace

Caroline

#decor #exteriordecorating #planters