Spruce Up Your Home For Spring — On A Budget
By Katie Smith
The warmer weather is here, and while many of us are spending more time outdoors, we still long to have our homes reflect the seasons. A lot of focus goes into making our homes cozy and homey during the cooler months. However, during the warmer months, it can boost our moods to have our habitat match what’s happening outside or mimic a favorite vacation spot.
Here are easy and inexpensive tweaks we can do as the days get longer and warmer to transform our home, making it feel lighter and brighter to reflect this refreshing time of year.
Clear the clutter
One thing that can make a huge difference in our living space, allow more light to come in, and reduce anxiety, is to get rid of clutter. Maybe you’ve realized you don’t need as much furniture in your living room or you’ve gotten into the habit of building little piles on your countertops. Getting some great organization containers, big totes, or selling things you no longer use, can make your living quarters feel larger, cleaner, and more open.
Start by organizing your closet and donating the clothing you don’t wear. You will notice immediately you feel lighter and are able to find what you are looking for faster. The same thing happens when we eliminate things from frequently used areas in our homes.
Getting rid of some stuff also allows you to envision other things in the space and give you a fresh outlook each time you walk in. Spring and summer is the perfect time to do that, not to mention it hardly costs a thing to get rid of stuff you aren’t attached to.
Bring nature inside
Maybe you love beachcombing and always find beautiful pieces of sea glass, shells, or rocks. Displaying them in a large glass vase or bowl is the perfect way to show them off and give your home a warm-weather vibe.
Buy some fresh flowers or take a walk in your yard and see if you have anything that makes you feel happy. Cutting fresh ferns or wildflowers is a wonderful way to brighten up your home.
Planting fresh herbs and placing them on the window sill will make your surroundings feel healthy and lush. Not only will you have some new planting for this time of year, but you can also use all the fresh herbs in your summer recipes.
Change out pillows and throws
Swapping out your accessories is a quick and easy task, and it can give your home an entirely new look. Consider cotton or linen throws instead of the heavier, chunkier ones we love in the winter. Changing your sheets to a lighter color or fabric can also give your space a quick makeover. You can also purchase pillow covers in different fabrics and colors to cover your existing pillows if you don’t want to invest in new ones. If you love to sew, take a trip to the fabric store and pick out some fresh, bright fabric.
Accent pieces such as wicker or rattan baskets and lamps are another simple way to bring in some springy accessories.
Repaint trim
Many of us want to get outside as much as possible after hibernating all winter. That means we don’t want to spend hours on a big home project, so repainting a room is usually reserved for colder months. However, if you feel your home needs a quick perk-up, consider painting the trim. It’s a lot faster and cheaper than painting your entire home and will make it look cleaner.
Repaint your front door
If you are craving more color outside of your home, this is the perfect time to give your house some spice by painting your outside doors. It’s a quick project that can be done in an hour or two and can transform the outside of your home.
Clean windows
Right before the long days of summer, give your home a cleanse by washing all the windows. You will notice how much brighter and cleaner your house will look simply by giving your windows a good cleaning. If this is a dreaded chore, recruit family members to help or commit to washing two windows a day until they are done.
Giving your home a little facelift doesn’t have to break the bank. With a little time and elbow grease, you can give your home a completely new look.