Spring Decorating Ideas

Blooming for just a few brief weeks in spring, cherry blossoms are famously ephemeral. Unless, that is, you craft artful renditions of them from glassine or vellum, in which case they'll deliver year-round pleasure.

Put a little spring into your solid-toned tablecloths by embellishing them with a bunch of magnet-fitted flowers.

A plain pair of wooden seats gets a bright new look from simple coils of rope.

Table runners are often decorative, but they can also be practical. Arrange them horizontally across a table to turn them into place mats shared by diners seated across from each other.

The tailored look of men's handkerchiefs can add punch to more than just pockets. Turn a set of new hankies or pristine vintage ones into a valance.

With a nod to chinoiserie furniture, passionflower vines, pressed and sprayed gold, top a Shaker tray table painted a high-gloss royal blue.

In the garden, latticework is assembled into trellises to form an attractive armature for climbers such as roses, clematis, and morning glories. Indoors, these crisscrossed strips of lath look just as fitting when they are used to make jaunty frames for pressed flowers.

It's hard to decide which is the bigger eyesore: an exposed box spring or some of the froufrou dust ruffles currently on the market. One easy, low-cost solution is to cover the box spring with a drape of rectangular fabric.

A tower of folded boxes -- the largest is 1 1/2 inches tall -- are perfect for storing jewelry, organizing paper clips, or presenting gifts. Enclose a card in a coordinating envelope. We made our own paper on a color copier.

Welcome guests -- and reassure them that they're ringing the right bell -- with a mat displaying your house number.

Old-fashioned enamel milk pails, available at flea markets and farm-supply stores, have a rustic charm. Place sword ferns (Nephrolepis obliterata 'Kimberly Queen') or similar plants in 10-inch pots inside large buckets (above); consider ferns in 4- to 8-inch pots for smaller pails. If the bucket is too deep, put an upturned plastic pot inside, and stand the plant on top. Remove plant to water.

Flowing jasmine vines, with chartreuse gradations and crisp silhouettes, recall richly painted textiles in this folding screen.

An oversize eggshell filled with flowers unites two symbols of spring in a single arrangement.

Store-bought cushions spring to life when adorned with pretty, handmade Ultrasuede florets.

Nests are among the season's most powerful and poetic signs of rebirth. Bring their gentle presence into your home.

Four-petaled paper dogwood flowers offer a way to enjoy spring year-round. Making them calls for basic folds and cuts -- no pruning required. Stamp on the details, affix to a branch, and display in a vase or on a table as an everlasting centerpiece.

Give table linens the look of patterned Indonesian textiles by using fabric markers and stencils in spring's favorite colors.

Celebrate spring by bringing some greenery indoors. Embellishing pillar candles with blades of grass highlights a plant that's rarely appreciated up close -- and unifies an assortment of candles.

Wake up with spring's prettiest birds every morning with this handstitched cover for your bed. 

Brighten you porch or patio with these cheerful pillows -- made from cotton napkins. 

Liven up an ordinary lampshade with colorful stripes.

Try this sunny shade on a piece of antique furniture (like the tag-sale chest at left), you'll be surprised at the pure joy it will bring you this spring and beyond.