Interior design: Three must-reads to inspire spring home revamps

We help you open a new chapter to get projects underway by checking out the best of the new and classic publications on the shelves

Author Rachel Ashwell’s 'playroom' at Meadow Manor where she lays out her interior styling ideas.

Evenings are getting longer, giving us hope of spring ahead, even though the weather is lumbering between periods of biting cold and rain for days on end. But it does signal that the long-awaited season of hibernation is coming to an end, and the primordial instinct to nest kicks in, prompting spring cleaning and decluttering.

It’s also instinctively the time of year when we start thinking about home improvements, some as simple as swapping out a few cushions to breathe new life into tired furniture. Other times it’s a project on a wet weekend, slathering emulsion on walls tainted by open fires and stoves, and the wear and tear of everyone being indoors more.