FROM THE EDITOR

CAN FLOWERS BE A DECORATING STYLE? Coastal, farmhouse, flowers… I think so. Especially when you consider that the key ingredients to any subset of cottage style are classic floral patterns, from cabbages and roses to damask to today’s ubiquitous succulents and cacti.

The best thing about the flower decorating style is that you don’t even have to be a gardener to make your rooms bloom with spring’s abundant floral bounty. Why stress about whether your thumb is green when there are wallpapers that will blanket your rooms with pretty petals, and fabrics that can make your décor sprout with cheerful chintzes and gorgeous blossoms? You can even take inspiration from nature and get no-fail color combos or texture mixes.

Flowers are the stars of spring, but they don’t get all the attention in this issue. Spring is a great time to take a peek at the decorating trends ahead (pages 10, 17 and 21). It’s a wonderful time to take stock of your décor and clean house and tidy up. It’s also a fabulous time to launch forward and take that decorating risk you’ve been contemplating. Christine Bridger takes us on a tour of her remodeling process for this second installment of the Cottages & Bungalows project house: Renovation Rescue. As a veteran of the process, she shares how to plan, execute and stay on budget—and avoid the pitfalls of planning a home improvement project.

Let’s all take advantage of these beautiful re-energized days of spring and tackle something fun on the decorating to-do list.