Interior designer Mary Anne Smiley is the kind of neighbor who responds to emails with an emoji. A smiley face emoji, of course.

“Spring always ushers in light and bright colors,” says Smiley. “And since I am known for bold use of color, nothing thrills me more.”

Here’s what makes Smiley smile on the home front this month:

  • New kitchen towels in Easter egg colored checks.
  • Lime-green checked plates like the ones she had when she first got married in the 1960s. “So fun on the patio!”
  • Gerbera daisies from spring until fall. “They are inexpensive and I love the colors. We use buckets of them.”
  • Hydrangeas fresh from her backyard from late April, when they start blooming, until the end of June.“I fertilize them with soil acidifier so that they turn a fabulous periwinkle purplish blue. They are stunning in my white porcelain vases.”

Smiley’s favorite neighborhood shopping hack:

Sur la Table. “We entertain a lot, so I am so excited we now can dash over to Sur la Table when we need a special pan for macarons or a last-minute bridal shower gift. Then we dash next door to the Paper Source to get an accompanying card and fabulous wrapping paper for the gift. So convenient!”

Smiley’s personal spring home improvement project:

Adding a movie screen and projector to her backyard for the many upcoming entertainment events around the pool.