By Leslie Linsley

Author of “Nantucket Island Living”

January 2025

It always amazes me that the daffodils know exactly when to arrive in time for Daffodil weekend. Attend to repairs in and around your house now to insure a carefree summer. Every year at this time I have all the “questionable” boards on my deck replaced so I can check that project off my list. Consider expanding an existing deck to make it more usable for your lifestyle now.  A section of my fence needs attention, and my bathroom could use a fresh coat of paint. Do your baseboards and stair treads need a touch up? Refresh your kitchen or bathroom with new fixtures. 

This is the best time to buy a new gas grill from the Garden Department is when it is filled with new arrivals. Imagine the gatherings you’ll have so you can pick the perfect one. Don’t forget the grilling utensils. Free delivery and assembly is an appreciated perk. 

Refresh your front door with one of Benjamin Moore’s historic paint colors. Then, for a surprisingly affordable price, add a handmade Cape Cod onion lantern and a new architectural doorknocker for a finishing touch.

Start the season with new garden tools like trowels and clippers and especially a new pair of garden gloves! Don’t forget bird feeders and seeds.   

Yellow is a happy color and Farrow & Ball’s Dayroom Yellow is a refreshingly vibrant color for inside a closet or kitchen cabinets.  More subdued colors for a bedroom or bathroom are Sudbury and Hay. Citron No. 74, Dorset Cream No. 68 and Yellowcake (very lemony!) are fresh and of the moment.

Spray painting is the easiest way to turn ordinary, slightly worn pieces into new and spectacular. Last spring, I spray painted my wicker chairs yellow and added new yellow and blue cushions. The entire area came to life. Transform ordinary items for holding daffodils, such as paper buckets used for mixing paint, an old toolbox to hold potted plants, terra cotta pots, a reed basket, even an old coffee or tea pot. The Magnolia milk paint with a matte finish in a spray can is positively elegant. Island florist extraordaire, Michael Molinar offers this idea for a Daffodil Weekend picnic. Spread a bright yellow slicker on your table or tailgate. Make short-stemmed bouquets of daffodils to fit in the pockets and place the picnic fare or a basket of daffodils in the center of the slicker. Be creative with yellow containers for the food.

Take stock of drinking and wine glasses, as well as dishware and anticipate your needs so you get enough of all sizes. The line of cookware from Staub offers top notch performance. Replace or add to what you have, along with new knives and a cutting board. Make summer meal prep easy with this year’s versions of small appliances, located in the front room of Housewares. 

One step up and you’ll be engulfed in all the things you need for a well-appointed bedroom. The Signoria Firenze bedding from Tuscany and their sumptuous towels are beyond luxurious for making guests (and yourself) feel totally pampered. The down pillows from Peacock Alley and a cloud soft Sferra blanket or a cotton and linen weave John Robshaw duvet are transformational.  Add a cotton robe in white or hydrangea blue, a bar of scented soap and a delicate bouquet of daffodils in a good-looking toothbrush cup (see the marble line of bath accessories in Housewares). Wastebaskets often live past their prime. Add a new one to your list. 

Create an Easter centerpiece with yellow dyed eggs or plump lemons in a lightship basket. When coloring eggs, leave them in the dye bath for different lengths of time for a variety of shades. Fill a container with a bed of scrunched up newspaper, then a pretty dishtowel or linen napkin (Housewares) and set the eggs or lemons on top. Cut one lemon in half or puncture with holes to release the fragrance.

Happy Daffodil, Easter and the arrival of Spring, all wrapped into the long-architectural awaited month of April.