In this “Suit your Style” issue of Currents, we encourage you to consider your own unique, individual, and personal sense of style in your home and garden spaces as we all look toward and forward to spring, the season of renewal and rebirth.

Sections B and C spotlight many of the trends in home and garden design for spring 2018, but as you read through this issue, you’ll discover that many of the design experts advise embracing and trying the new trends if they appeal to you, but more importantly, to stick to surrounding yourself with things you love, appreciate and most enjoy as you approach transitioning your living spaces this season.

If you are uncertain of how to identify, determine and describe your unique sense of style, experts suggest you browse through magazines, Pinterest and Houzz to save photographs of what most appeals to you, or simply go out and shop to browse what’s new on the home and garden design front this spring. Once you’ve done that, it’s often helpful to enlist the help of a designer, trusted friend or expert in the field to assist in pulling together the look you imagine, in order to save time and avoid frustration and costly mistakes.

Like many of you, I subscribe to several magazines, but nothing inspires me more to think anew and creatively around my home than a new or stashed-away issue of “Country Living.” While my home may not reflect it in every way, I find myself most drawn to anything vintage, antique, heirloom and shabby chic. My parents, antiques lovers and collectors, would drag me and my younger sister, Wendi, along with them on weekends as they set out to experience the thrill of the hunt for that something special that just had to come home with us. Honestly, we hated it when we were young, but as adults, we can’t wait for the next flea market or Estate Sale, and we’ll often set out together on a Saturday or Sunday in search of something special from any number of nearby consignment and antique shops. We’re “Fixer Upper” and “Flea Market Flip” fans and while the treasures we find when shopping together aren’t always “needed,” most every one of them has been carefully placed in just the right spot in our homes and evokes a special memory of some fun time spent together. Antiques, heirlooms gifted or passed down to me, estate sale, flea market and vintage finds are what makes my home feel warm, welcoming, inviting and extra-special to me.

I hope this issue of Currents is helpful to you as you consider and dream about what makes your home feel warm, welcoming and unique to you, your interests, your sense of style or your sense of adventure in trying something new.

If, however, you’re not contemplating changes in and around your home this season, there’s plenty more to read! Don’t miss Susan Condon Love’s “Spring Cleaning” story on page B3, for after a long winter, we all need to clear, declutter and clean, and she offers some helpful tips for that. It’s March already, and if your New Year’s resolutions have failed to date, Jolie Higazi’s article on page C6 will be helpful in resetting, using the concept of micro-goals as a better way to attain and achieve your goals. Matters of interest to sensational seniors can be found in Section C, and in Section A, you’ll read about Pat Conway of Great Lakes Brewing Co., Adrienne Boissy of the Cleveland Clinic as well as what’s planned for two of Cleveland’s biggest special events this April – Rock Week and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and the 42nd annual Cleveland International Film Festival.

Have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and may the thought of spring on the horizon put an extra step in your Irish jig this season! Enjoy! ~ Kelli Cotesworth McLellan