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Shelf Help

Your home may look welcoming and attractive to visitors, but what do you experience when you whip open the closets? Avalanching sweaters and piles of orphaned shoes can create anxiety, not to mention a Monday-morning meltdown. Use the onset of spring as an opportunity to regroup, suggests Lisa Burtt of Organized Abode. Burtt started the business because she realized how much impact an organized home had on her own mental health and sense of worklife balance. One closet at a time, assess what you regularly wear. “For each item, decide: keep, purge, donate, or discard,” she suggests. “Get some matching hangers from the store to organize and categorize, and spend a few minutes a week maintaining the order.”

Sheer Energy

Let nature do some of the decorating work for you. “Open up those windows!” suggests the DiStefano team. Switch out heavy drapes or shades for light and airy fabrics, or take them down all together. Wash windows – inside and out – and let sunshine and views of spring foliage and flowers into your space. Specifically, Maureen Lawton, owner of Cottage Chic Décor in Wakefield, likes replacing light-blocking fabrics on windows with “beautiful white sheers, and then tie them back with a pastel ribbon.” Changing one small space, says Lawton, “can bring a sense of renewal and happiness. It’s important. Do it!”

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When views are too pretty to hide and privacy is not an issue, consider leaving windows bare.