Spring is here. As trees show their buds and plants begin to rise out of their beds, you may be looking around your house and wondering how to get rid of that cold-weather feel.
“After a winter indoors, it’s relieving to freshen your house,” explains Merri Cvetan, interior designer, owner of the Milwaukee-based MEC Design Studio and DIY design blogger for the Home Depot and Goodwill. “It also makes the home feel bigger.”
KariAnne Wood of the home decor blog Thistlewood Farms considers the changing of seasons a perfect time for renewal. “It gives you an opportunity to take a new look at your home, just as a guest would,” she says.
Ready to give your home a spring facelift? Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Declutter: Everyone knows about the traditional spring cleaning routine, but Cvetan says it’s about more than just scrubbing. “We tend to surround ourselves with lots of stuff in the wintertime, so I suggest going through each room and packing up half of the items and storing them for the fall or winter,” she says. That includes items like heavy throw blankets and decorations that may be more appropriate for the colder months.
It also means lightening up by taking down the heavy drapes and throw rugs. “It looks more summery and clean if you can go with bare rugs and floors, or at least replace heavy items with sheer or lightweight woven fabrics to let the fresh air and light in,” Cvetan adds.
2. Rearrange: Wood’s main design motto is “work with what you have,” and she often switches furniture and decor from one room to another to achieve a new look. “I approach each room with fresh eyes and see what’s working and what isn’t for how we live as a family,” she explains, noting that she just repurposed an antique toolbox that she used as storage into a coffee table.
Moving an item also gives her the opportunity to clean the area where it originally lived, giving her a head start on her spring scrubdown.
3. Go green: “Nothing freshens up a home like flowers,” says Cvetan. Large, ornate arrangements can be pricey, especially when they don’t have much of a shelf life. Cvetan recommends hardy plants like mums and alstroemeria, which are both budget-friendly and long-lasting.
If you’re feeling a little crafty, you can try making your own topiary out of ivy and coat hangers with Wood’s simple tutorial. (Full tutorial is here: www.this tlewoodfarms.com/how-to-make-a-topiary.)