Smart solution-night table

Have you ever been in a bedroom with a king sized bed and wondered, "What is this giant bed doing in this tiny room?" For whatever reason, people insist on putting a king sized bed in room that would be much better served with a queen or even a full sized bed. I know, it's more comfortable, there's more room--I get it. And fortunately, furniture companies are starting to get it, too. I found a fantastic night table that manages to incorporate surface area, a shelf and even a drawer for bedside storage--at less than 12 inches wide. I still advocate furnishing bedrooms with appropriate sized beds, but I am definitely a fan of this narrow table.

http://www.ligne-roset-usa.com/

Get on it-red coral

Don't wait for summer to get into the beach mindset. I've already seen red coral as an accent in both fashion and home design. Here's a small sampling.

Kick the bucket

I had to post this one because I just thought it was such a cool idea. Admit it, you've never looked at a pile of beach buckets and thought "Fabulous light fixture". Me neither. But voila--fun, playful and most likely on sale now at your local dollar store.

More harbingers of spring

In addition to cherry blossoms and dogwood blooms, butterflies make an appearance in design and fashion. Van Cleef and Arpels featured an ad in Architectural Digest with the most fantastic butterfly bracelet and necklace. After that, I kept finding butterflies everywhere! In the window display at Ann Taylor Loft, Coach handbags, even on my own weekend tote bag.

There are some people who have had a long time love affair with butterflies (Mariah Carey, you know you have) and then there are some who jump on the seasonal bandwagon.

A fun idea for a little girl's room would be to use mosquito netting over the bed like a corona and attach small butterflies from the craft store. Cheerful sheets, maybe in a stripe, would pop against the colorful butterflies. A great way to add some spring flavor without a big investment.

Floral arranging for dummies

One of the best parts about spring is seeing barren trees and shrubs begin to flower. It's the subtle reminder that yes, it's almost time to put those coats away. Another benefit is the access to easy florals for arranging. So many of the exhibits at the Architectural Digest show featured beautiful arrangements with cherry blossoms, pussy willow, curly willow, forsythia and dogwood. Tall, sculptural arrangments that require very little actual foliage. Just choose a container with tall enough sides to support the weight of the branches and you're set. If it flops to the side, that's fine.

Every morning on my commute to work, I drive past Corona Park in Queens and I have taken to slowing down as I pass the cherry blossom trees. Elegant branches with cheerful pink flowers. One of these mornings I may be forced to pull over and sneak a few to enjoy.