A WHITER SHADE OF PALE

Ah, Spring. Another chance at renewal. Time to put away your wool Hudson Bay blankets, your red mittens, your black pea coat and your salt stained leather brown boots. There will be a time when they will look good again after a summer of 100 degree heat and humidity but for now, it's time to lighten up. And the first place I start is in my home.

I am mad about white and all the thousands of variations of that color. Whites can come in muted, chalky, neutrals, creamy, cool and gray and it's the textures that allow the light to play off the color and add that lovely dimension.

Do you love sitting on the floor in a bookstore leafing through the Home Decor magazines and books? The one disadvantage is trying to stand up after you have been sitting there for a while but no pain, no gain. Thank goodness for the internet and all the decor sites and blogs that have just taken over cyberspace. Do you curl up in bed with your laptop like I do and just drool over all the lovely homes and gardens? That's what I did this morning and look what I found. Just go visit style files. What a great site to enjoy rooms decorated in white.

Wouldn't you love to have a swing in your house? Talk about an instant de-stressor? Cooking and swinging .... swinging and cooking. Oh, life is grand!
Have you always wanted an old table in the yard with all your garden flowers atop and old chairs surrounding this lovely white tabled cloth gathering place for your friends? Of course as soon as someone sits in one of those chairs, they will sink 4 inches into the ground but hey ... this too is a dream.
Do you love this little getaway? Can you imagine yourself lying in here with all those pillows supporting your weary head when you take your summer catnap with the breeze caressing your dewy body? I do love the floors and I am definitely painting all my floors white this summer. Where do you suppose they get those pumpkins? Are they painted as well?
Look at all the wonderful textures in these rooms. I love how they hang their clothes on the wall. They look like pieces of art. Do you have a problem with storage? Not anymore.
This is one of the reasons I love white. You can put an object like a lovely old prom dress made of tulle as an objet d'art in your bedroom. This I do. I have a wonderful vintage pistachio prom dress hanging in a bedroom and it's lovely against the cream wall and who knows when I may have to go to a prom again?
Don't you love a wall when it is covered with pictures in frames? Have you done that in your house? I know the designers suggest that you place all your pictures on the floor first to see how the placement will look before they are hung on your wall but that's not something I would do. Oh no .... that's too much trouble. I say just do it. You have a good eye and if you have gaps, fill it in with vintage jewelry. Easy peasy Cover Girl.

Think you might try decorating one of your rooms in white this spring? I know it may be a big step for some of you but do not fear. That's why we have bleach and Mr. Clean.....