April 29, 2013

5 Tips to Welcome Spring in your Home

The weather is warming, the snow has disappeared and apart from the evidence that I have dogs, the lawn is starting to green up.  Spring has arrived!

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Source: fanpop.com

Outside your home is showing all the signs of spring, but what about the inside of your home  After a long, cold winter, here are 5 easy ways to bring spring into your home:

1) Declutter

Over the course of the winter our nature is to nest and when we nest we tend to surround ourselves with items that give us happiness and comfort.  Spring is all about new beginnings, so here’s a little exercise to help you declutter. 

  1. Start by removing all the tchotchkes in the room – everything! 
  2. Now put a quarter of them back.  
  3. Give yourself a week to live like this and I guarantee you will feel lighter and brighter. 
  4. Either donate, store or give away the items you removed.  If you can’t bring yourself to do that, rotate them in and out of the room.  But remember - less is more, so if you put one thing in the room, you must take one thing out!

deniseinbloom.com via Michelle on Pinterest

2) Floors and Windows

Spring cleaning routines typically involve a good window cleaning.  Not just the glass, but the mullions, sills and trim.  While you are doing this take the opportunity to change up your window treatments.  Replace heavy draperies with sheers to give the room a breezy look. If you have horizontal blinds, consider removing all other treatments to give the window a cleaner look.

Give the floor a good cleaning, including the baseboards.  If you have an area carpet, replace it with a sisal type rug.  The room will have a much lighter feel.   Area carpets are pivotal to defining your furniture arrangement so make sure the carpet is the right size for your room.  A carpet that is too small, unless it is there for it’s artistic value, will make the room look cluttered.  A good rule of thumb for the right size is to have a minimum of six inches and no more than two feet from the edge of the carpet to the wall. 

Hint:  Area carpets look great on top of wall to wall carpeting too!

3) Rearrange

I’ve said it before and will continue to say it.  Move things around!  The art on your wall, the carpets, the furniture – if it fits with the colour scheme, move it between rooms.  If it doesn’t fit with the colour scheme, rearrange it in the same room.  You will be surprised at how fresh and new a room feels when you do this!

Hint: Your sofa or bed doesn’t have be up against a wall, pull it out a bit or angle it in a corner.  You can even angle the area carpet if you have the room. 

4) Colour

Adding colour can be done in various ways.  If you are ready for a change, a coat of paint does wonders to up the newness of a room.  If you don’t want to commit to new colours, then try a couple of new accessories or pillows in a bright spring colour. 

Source: colourlovers.com via Pamela on Pinterest

Hint:  You don’t have to buy new pillows – just pick up a few pillow covers and recover existing pillows.  Ikea, Homesense or Bouclair are great places to pick up spring accessories and pillow covers without breaking the bank.

5) Flowers/Plants

Bringing the outdoors in is as easy as adding plants or fresh flowers to your home.  Fresh flowers are a wonderful way to add a pop of colour to any room.  Houseplants are a more permanent way to bring the outdoors in, but keep them to a minimum (see #1), you don’t want your room to look like a greenhouse.   Plants are also a commitment – watering and pruning is required on a regular basis.  If you don’t have a green thumb, there are plenty of beautiful life-like silk arrangements available that would have the most avid gardener fooled.

 
I hope these tips help you to welcome spring into your home.  If you have other ideas, please share them with me!

 

Happy Decorating!

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11 comments:

  1. Great tips and thank goodness spring has finally arrived!

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  2. Awesome simple tips! Thanks for sharing. I get so overwhelmed with Spring cleaning but these tips took a little stress away:) I'm working on de-cluttering at the moment, then on to the rest. Happy Spring!

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  3. Definitely a great time to refresh and recharge; updates around the house are a great way to bring this into a home. Thanks for sharing :)

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  4. Great tips! It's amazing what a little decluttering and rearranging can do. I think I need to get on some of these tips asap!

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  5. I only wish I could rearrange the furniture!! Too small room and too many doors *sigh* 1930s construction...

    Great compilation!

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  6. Wonderful tips to welcome Spring into our homes, thanks!

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  7. Great tips and so true! You really got me with the word tchotchkes though, I had no idea that was even a word! I had to look that one up! ;)
    ~Laurie @ Vin'yet Etc.

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    1. Laurie you crack me up! I always have to google the spelling for it!

      Great tips! I love bringing plants in for the summer.

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  8. I know the calendar says it's spring, but it's feeling more like winter today!

    Decluttering is something I definitely need to do no matter what season it is - I just have way too much stuff. But at least I've been managing to resist the urge to buy more stuff, so that's a start :-)

    Great idea to wash the windows, sills, and trim. And fresh flowers in the house are a great way to welcome spring :-)

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  9. Wonderful ideas! Eliminating all the unnecessary clutter in your space will also help you clear your mind and start anew. I have also rearranged my furniture which allowed the space to look more open. I am currently on the hunt for some Staircase Parts that I will add to connect my basement to the living room. I can't wait to get started on this project!

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