Winter is threatening to drag on a little while longer this year, but that doesn't mean you have to wait any longer to inject some warmth into your new home. From the structure itself to the décor inside, there are plenty of ways to get a head start on spring.

If your house has been decidedly chilly all winter long, you may need to check out the insulation in your attic. Too thin a layer can keep you cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Many older homes don't have adequate attic insulation, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. For best energy efficiency, the U.S. Department of the Interior says you're better off with R-22 to R-49 insulation. Click onto this online Zip Code Insulation program to see how much insulation you need. (If your insulation is vermiculite, a pebble-like material, let a professional handle insulation removal and installation. The Environmental Protection Agency is now warning homeowners that some vermiculite contains asbestos.)

To take further control of the temperature in your home, head to the home improvement store for a programmable thermostat. You'll be able to set it for just the right temperature day by day and even throughout each 24-hour period.

For a more exciting way of welcoming spring, take a look outside to see what warm-weather changes you can make once the temperature starts to climb. New, colorful trim on the fascia (the strip of your house right under the roof line), shutters and front door can create an instant, inexpensive facelift. A trip to the paint store now will really get you in the mood for spring.

Planning a new landscape is another way to enjoy spring before it arrives. Sketch a quick picture of your yard and home's exterior, noting where existing plants are and what they are, and jotting down approximate measurements. Head to a gardening shop, where you're likely to get free or inexpensive advice on how to spruce up your yard.

Inside, you don't have to ditch a leather sofa for chintz to brighten up a room -- though ready-made slipcovers are quite affordable and offer plenty of fresh, decorating choices, from floral to stripes to elegant toile. Accent pieces are really all it takes to transform a room into a warm-weather oasis. Exchange your velvet and chenille throws and pillows for some made of softer-toned silks, cottons or linens. Trade the basket that holds your fireplace wood for an oversize, decorative birdcage. Swap the display of chatchkes on your coffee table for an aquamarine plate adorned with seashells. Consider taking down heavy drapes and installing something more sheer instead. (If both sets of drapes have similar hardware -- whether tab tops, rings or traditional-style -- you can switch them again in the fall.)

In my bedroom, I'll pull off the dark blue comforter underneath my patchwork quilt, and I'll trade denim pillow shams for new ones in bright red with yellow sunflowers -- a pattern that nearly matches some of the patches in my quilt.

Paint is a great way to breathe new life to a room. If your walls are dingy or drab, choose a bright color that will make a great backdrop for your furnishings. If you're happy with the color, consider adding a beautiful wallpaper border or do-it-yourself stenciling around the top of your walls at crown molding height. If you have one wall that seems to stand on its own, consider painting just that one wall a bold color. When I lived in Florida, one wall of my tiny breakfast nook was swathed in bright yellow, which really made the room "pop" and drew attention to an otherwise ignored area of the house.

Do you have artwork? If so, rearrange it. Move your paintings around to give you a whole new perspective on each room. If not, head to a local discount department store or crafts store and check out the inexpensive framed and unframed prints. Monet's "Waterlilies" or another painter's "view" of the ocean outside French doors is sure to soothe the senses and chase the chill away.

One of the best ways to cut the chill? Put plants everywhere. Greenery not only brightens a room and provides more of a lived-in feeling, live plants also help keep the air clean and less dry. Go with a few long-term tenants -- hanging spider plants and philodendrons are nearly impossible to kill -- as well as some short-term live-ins, such as potted tulips, amaryllis and paperwhites. You also can change the landscape of any room with something as simple a vase you constantly replenish with fresh flowers. Until you can pluck them from your own garden, bouquets from the grocery store will do.

If it's easier to go with faux plants, just choose the most realistic looking ones you can. Those placed up high or in out-of-the-way corners rather than right under your nose are less likely scream, "I'm fake!"

Either way, don't concentrate all the greenery in your living room. I have a small ivy (real) in my mostly white bathroom, a hanging philodendron (also real) in the guest room, and a ficus (fake) in the reading nook of my master bedroom. A tiny delft blue pitcher filled with blue, pink and white flowers (fake) on my bedside table helps me think it's spring all year long.

Published: February 19, 2004

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