SPRING IN BETWEEN

Nannette Brown
Mar 20
5 min read

A Season Sandwich

Most people have a favorite season.

For some, it’s the sun-kissed days of summer with all the great produce from farm stands. For others, it’s the crisp air and vibrant colors of autumn. Winter has its loyalists too—people who love the quiet, the cold, the beauty of snowfall. Even some may say spring.

Sadly, I’m not in that camp. Apologies to those who love it, but I’m not a fan of spring! It’s my least favorite season. I call it the tweener—or in-between—season, because it’s not much of a season at all. Honestly, its only defining quality is its unpredictability.

One day warm. The next cold. It rains. A lot. You never quite know what to wear. You’re just starting to come out of hibernation and counting the days to Memorial Weekend, because you finally believe summer is near.

But here’s the interesting part: the very reason spring is my (and, it turns out, many people’s) least favorite season may actually be the best reason to love it.

SPRING PSYCH

For the record, it’s not just me.

Out of the four seasons, spring ranks near the bottom when it comes to favored status. Winter is the least favored (not my vote), followed by spring, then summer, with autumn taking the top spot.

Spring sits squarely between what was and what’s coming. And yet—if I set my bias aside—that’s exactly its beauty: it’s a season of transition.

I’ve always thought of spring as a period of limbo, on the cusp of something, but not moving toward that cusp fast enough. Now I know why. It is.

Spring is considered a “threshold season.” It’s that window when we’re stepping out of winter while simultaneously moving toward the warmer months ahead.

As unpredictable, cold, and uncomfortable as these few months can be, here’s the irony: these are often the times when we generate the most engagement, cultural activity, and aesthetic fascination—sometimes more than the seasons themselves.

Late winter to early spring, in particular, carries the emotional promise of renewal. It’s all wrapped up in nature budding again.

Anthropologists refer to this state as liminal—a threshold between what was and what’s next which sort of defines spring perfectly. It sits squarely in that space.

Winter hasn’t fully let go, but we’re already leaning into what’s ahead. Which is also why, far too often, we see the sun, underestimate the temperature, step outside in a light jacket—and freeeeeze.

These weeks also carry a subtle tension—the push and pull between seasons—that creates a kind of heightened awareness, making both the season, and us, feel more alive.

There’s psychology behind it, too. Researchers studying anticipatory pleasure—the measurable happiness we feel when looking forward to something—have found that the anticipation itself can be just as powerful, if not more so, than the experience.

Spring lives in that anticipation. And so do we. It’s that feeling that we’re not quite there yet—but we can feel it coming.

BRIGHT BULB

Spring Epiphany

So I started thinking, I need to rethink how I’ve been framing spring—despite the weather. Truth be told, I’m not even bothered by the rain so why blame spring for what it can’t change?

After all, we’re transitioning to longer days, which means more sunlight. We’re layering down from heavier wear to lighter pieces.

Fresh produce—especially sprouted vegetables and lettuces—is returning to farmers’ markets. Art shows and antique fairs are popping up. The apartment is clean. And after last week, I’m beginning to feel truly organized.

So I’m embracing this unpredictable season. And embracing the anticipation and bridge it brings too.

Whether it’s the extra gym time needed because I know bathing suit season is coming, transitioning into lighter fare (same reason), or simply the shift in season nudging me that the year is quietly advancing. I’m jumping on the spring wave instead of riding with my breaks on.

It’s also the moment I’m ready to step back out—into new exhibits, art, and culture—everything that’s beginning to come alive again.

MARCH

The Hunt

So here’s what’s inspiring me this month.

For those of us who love design, spring quietly marks the return of the sourcing season.

First up, the Round Top Antiques Fair—held twice a year, in spring and fall. It’s widely considered one of the largest antiques and vintage markets in the United States, and surely the most colorful for its Texas scale and eclecticism.

For a few weeks, fields, barns, and tents outside Austin, in the small town of Round Top, fill with designers like me and dealers from around the world.

We all fly in to source everything from European antiques—pottery and plates—to lighting, textiles, and one-of-a-kind objects. It’s less a fair and more a temporary town built around the pursuit of beautiful things.

From there, the season builds.

In New York, the Affordable Art Fair and the Outsider Art Fair mark the start of the spring art calendar. While the larger, more expensive fairs tend to garner most of the attention, I’ve always loved these smaller ones for the opportunity to discover lesser-known artists. And I’ll tell you—they’re not inexpensive.

It’s all relative, but the Affordable Art Fair could easily be renamed the Not-So-Affordable Fair. Prices have increased considerably over the years. Still, these shows offer early opportunities to discover emerging artists before the larger, banner fairs arrive.

Museums begin unveiling their spring exhibitions as well.

In New York at MoMA, exhibitions often rotate mid-season, making March one of the best times to see what’s newly installed. In fact, they have a few major exhibits that are just debuting.

Peggy Weil: Core Memory (Mar 7–Oct 4, 2026): Explores memory and technology.
Frida and Diego: The Last Dream (Mar 21–Sept 12, 2026): Focuses on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa: Lugar de Consuelo (Mar 28–July 5, 2026): Site-specific installation.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art too is gearing up for a really robust spring with major exhibits opening soon to the public. And then follows the famous Met Gala the first week of May celebrating “Costume Art” this year.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry (March 29 – June 28, 2026): A major retrospective of over 200 works by the Renaissance artist.
Costume Art (Opening May 10, 2026): This spring 2026 Costume Institute show pairs nearly 400 objects, juxtaposing fashion with artworks from The Met’s collection.
The Met Gala 2026 (May 4, 2026): The gala celebrating the “Costume Art.” The theme this year highlights fashion as an art form rather than ornamentation.

In Brooklyn, fantastic venues like The Kitchen and MoMA PS1 are also introducing new contemporary works and exhibits.

In most cities, and certainly here in New York, the weekly rituals begin to shift as people start to move outdoors.

Flea markets from Brooklyn to Manhattan start to fill back up, and greenmarkets like Union Square get noticeably more crowded on warmer days. Stalls feel fuller, aisles a little tighter, and tables more picked over. And there’s some great produce like baby lettuces and ramps, along with a good assortment of winter root vegetables still around.