Thank goodness it’s almost over. Despite what the calendar says, winter seems reluctant to release its icy grip. Having gone through these long, cold dreary days of winter for many months, most of us are anxiously looking forward to brighter, sunnier days. Spring is almost here and soon it will be time to open up those windows and let in the fresh air, enjoy the scent of flower blossoms and listen to the birds chirping their songs. Spring is the time of rebirth and rejuvenation, and what better time is there to extend this theme to your home? To help you celebrate spring’s arrival, here are some tips to lighten and brighten your home.

De-cluttering

Spring is the perfect time to de-clutter your home to give it a clean, light, airy look. Pack up the things you no longer need and give them away to a charity organization such as the Diabetics Association or Goodwill.

Spring Cleaning

Perform a thorough cleaning of your home. Wash down your windows and window sills. Vacuum the rugs or carpets, especially behind furniture and places that have not been cleaned in a while. If walls are dirty, wipe them clean or give them a fresh coat of light neutral paint and paint the trim white. Dust and clean away those cobwebs. Take down those heavy draperies and hang light sheer curtains to let the sun in and brighten up the room. For privacy, put up blinds behind the sheer curtains.

Bed and Bathroom

Do a spring makeover in the bed and bathroom, the spaces where you spend much of your time. Begin with hanging sheer curtains and putting sheer bed skirts on your bed and adding light throw billows. In the master bath, extend the airy feeling with light colourful shower curtains, adding plants, fresh flowers and accessories. Just this simple change can make a big difference in lightening up your bedroom and bathroom.

Living Areas

Clean out your fireplace and place a tray with an arrangement of white candles set amongst some polished stones inside the firebox, or put some silk plants to give you that spring feeling. You can dress up the mantle with some scented candles on one side and some art or a mirror in the middle and some orchids on the other side to balance it out. Remove the firewood from the hearth and replace with some pottery.

Put away that heavy warm rug and replace it with a light coloured or sisal rug. To give your living or family room a new look, re-arrange the furniture. Put white or light solid colour or floral slipcovers on your sofas and chairs and add some colourful throw pillows. If you have some floral china, bring it out to add to the spring makeover.

Accessorizing

Put away the winter accessories and the dark silk flower arrangements and bring the outdoors in with fresh flowers and healthy plants. Put fresh flowers in every room, and exchange your winter accessories with light, colourful ones – but be careful not to use too many accessories, as they can easily create clutter. Accessorize the kitchen with plants, flowers and fresh fruit.

Entry

Wipe clean your front door in and out. Add a pretty floral wreath on the outside and place flower pots flanking the entry. If you have a porch, set up a small table and chairs, and accessorize them with bright outdoor cushions. Add freshly cut spring flowers from the garden or a flowering plant on the table, and add welcoming doormat by the door.

Backyard

Provide a space in your backyard to create a relaxing outdoor living room. With this space, you want to bring the indoors out. This is where you can be creative and have a living space that is functional and tailored to your lifestyle and have fun while creating it. Arrange your patio furniture just as you would in your indoor living room, by placing the chairs around the table for easy conversation. Put a bowl of fruit on the table, a tall pitcher with your favourite beverage and some glasses. Protect yourself from the sun’s ultraviolet rays with a large umbrella that blocks out at least 99% of the sun’s harmful UV rays. Add some simple spring flowers in pots for your accessories. Add water features to your space. It is very soothing to hear the sound of running water.

Now that you’ve finished all the spring makeovers for your home, you can now sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

This article was provided by Shirmac Interiors. SHIRMAC Interior Design Solutions is in business to find out what works for you! Whether you are updating, upgrading, or even down-sizing your home, SHIRMAC Interior Solutions can help.