Think Spring and Revitalize Your Home

By Joy R. Calderwood 

Wouldn’t it be fun to say farewell to the winter blahs now even before spring officially arrives? You can do this by transforming your home with colourful spring fabrics and by changing your décor. Even if the weather hasn’t quite been warm enough for your garden plants to sprout, you can help the season along by building an indoor garden to enjoy in the meantime.

Change Your Indoor Flower Arrangements

If you haven’t already removed the last remnants of your holiday décor, do it now.  If your storage room has a pulled-apart look like many do after the holiday season, spend a few minutes organizing it now so when the warm weather arrives you’ll be free to spend your spare time outdoors instead of indoors shuffling boxes around.

If you’re not quite ready to part with your special holiday bouquets, simply remove the most wintry flowers and greenery and replace them with lighter-toned silk or dried flowers in early spring shades.  Whites and sage greens work well for early spring, while daffodil yellows, lilacs and tulip pinks annunciate the best parts of spring.

Freshen Up Your Fabric

Once the holiday décor is tucked away, your rooms might look empty or dull.  Refreshen your rooms by washing any soiled toss cushions, slipcovers, afghans or throws.  If they aren’t washable, dry clean or damp wipe them.  Then place them outdoors for a few hours in the fresh air or run them through the fluff cycle of your dryer.  Vacuum and dust the rooms they came from so when you return them, the rooms feel ready for spring.

For more dramatic impact, exchange your toss cushions, floor mats and throws with new ones. Dark burgundies, reds, greens and browns are great colour choices for winter, but springtime begs crisp and airy whites, pastels and floral prints.

Today’s economical tab-top drapery panels are easy and affordable to change seasonally. Try replacing heavy or dark coloured draperies with lighter weight colourful ones, or floral prints that mimic a spring outdoor garden.  If your budget allows, start spring off on a happy note with a new set of colourful bedding too.

Build an Indoor Spring Garden

It’s easy to become antsy while waiting for snow to melt, grass to green up and flowers to bud.  While you can’t force Mother Nature, you can start working on your outdoor garden indoors, or transform a corner of your home by building an indoor garden. 

Visit the garden centre of your local hardware or department store if your favourite garden centre hasn’t opened yet.  Purchase seed starter kits and packets of your favourite flower seeds to start indoors.    Watching seeds sprout and grow before your eyes a little each day reminds you spring is on its way. 

If you want to see blooms sooner, create an amazing indoor mini garden area with pre-potted tulips and daffodils that are just about to bloom.  African violets bloom at various times of the year and lining a windowsill or garden room with clay pots filled with showy clusters of jewel-toned violets will give you a delightful indoor garden to enjoy.

Of course, if you aren’t a green thumb, a simpler way to get an instant punch of colour is to add arrangements of silk or dried flowers throughout your home.

Spring is What You Make It!

Give your winter cabin fever the boot and boost your spirits by welcoming spring into your home now! Think spring and see what images come to mind.  Then, make those images a reality in your home today.