In my mother’s day, spring was for cleaning; in my day, spring is for redecorating. There is nothing like a new coat of paint or a reupholstered chair to lift the spirits. ■ It seems that the national spirits will be lifted over the next five years, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies survey on the remodeling industry. This is a business that tends to run counter cyclical to spending on new construction. The remodeling industry is expected to grow 3.5 percent annually over the next five years. While it is worth $300 billion nationwide, the Greater New York Metro Area (which includes Connecticut) is by far the biggest remodeling market in the country and counts for 12.5 percent of those expenditures! ■ All that frenzied decorating and re-doing. From large architectural extensions to a cool wallpaper project—we can all get into the spirit and get lots of ideas from this issue. ■ The dominant design role played by New York is one of the key factors that influenced our decision to launch New York Cottages & Gardens this spring. In two short weeks, the first edition will be available in Westchester, New York City, the Gold Coast of Long Island and the Hudson Valley. ■ Last week, I spent some time on the Gold Coast of Long Island talking with retailers about NYC&G and working on exciting local events. Phew! After a whirlwind visit to Roche Bobois and London Jewelers in Manhasset, Dodds and Eder in Oyster Bay, HB Home in Greenvale, Marsh’s, Rexer-Parkes and Just 4 the Home in Huntington, we stopped off at Stark’s showroom to see the Sherrill Canet collections. Sherrill, who hosted us at dinner the night before, is being honored on May 19 at the Old Westbury Gardens Gardeners Fair gala, which will be sponsored by NYC&G. ■ It seems that our new title is going to be as significant a presence in its new market as Connecticut Cottages & Gardens is here. We call that our “Sense of Place.”