Refresh and remodel

Need help with your home improvement to-do list? At the Home Improvement & Design Expo, more than 150 painters, remodelers, interior designers, contractors, financial and landscape pros will offer expertise and services. Bring your ideas and blueprints for free interior design consultations. Programs on "Solar 101," color, flooring and bathroom trends and "Radon: The Silent Killer" are scheduled throughout the day. The expo is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 11 at Ames Arena, 19900 Ipava Av., Lakeville. Admission is $6, or free with a nonperishable food item. For details, go to mediamaxevents.com.

Spring centerpiece DIY

Learn how to dress up your table for the season. A Bachman's pro will demonstrate how to design a botanical arrangement of spring blooms mixed with sweet huck and lichen branches. The hands-on Floral Design Workshop is from 2 to 4 p.m. March 11 at Bachman's, 6010 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. Cost is $50 and includes materials for an arrangement to bring home. Register at bachmans.com.

Garden and landscape tips

Get a jump on your yard and garden goals with six free workshops and a Gertens Greenhouse Tour. Workshops on seed-starting, succulents, easy landscapes, native plant gardens to attract pollinators and gardening with kids are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 11 at Gertens, 5500 Blaine Av., Inver Grove Heights. Register at gertens.com or call 651-450-1501.

LYNN UNDERWOOD

Dinner with flowers

Looking for a unique dining experience? Len Busch Roses is hosting an artisan dinner, the first of seven American Grown Field to Vase Dinners, inside its fragrant flower-filled greenhouse. The dinner, created by Common Roots Catering, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. March 11. Tickets are $150 per person for the dinner; $175 for dinner plus a farm tour at 3 p.m., followed by a VIP reception. The Len Busch greenhouse is located at 4045 County Road 101 N., Plymouth. Register at eventbrite.com/e/american-grown-field-to-vase-dinner-plymouth-mn-tickets-30905275511.

Use pillow pairings to perk up spaces

This spring, you can give your sofa, chairs and bed a quick pick-me-up simply by tossing in some new pillows. (Tribune News Service)

This spring, give your sofa, chairs and bed a quick pick-me-up simply by tossing in some new pillows.

Mix pillow sizes. Start by pulling together a variety of pillow shapes and sizes to add to the visual interest of your furnishings.

Mix colors. Follow your inner compass. Any color you love is in right now. Blues and greens are still a favorite for many, and people are mixing together all different shades of these two nature-inspired classics.

Mix patterns. If you have a traditional home, and want to give it some new energy, consider adding pillows in remade timeless patterns. Houndstooth check, an age-old favorite, gets a makeover with an oversized pattern and fresh color. It's new traditional: brighter, happier, more fun.

Mix trims. The secret to a custom look in pillows is to use a unique trim. There are so many ways you can finish a pillow with a tape: Run the tape across the top and one side, on the top and bottom, or boxed in on all four sides. When finishing the edges of a pillow, you can do a straight cord, or a flat flange with mitered or pleated corners, a knife pleat, a ruffle or a fringe, like pompoms.

MARY CAROL GARRITY, Tribune News Service