“Spring is the time of plans and projects.”
– Leo Tolstoy
As we turn the calendar to April, it feels like a switch has flipped. The air is filled with birdsong and sweet fragrances, the Skagit Valley tulip fields are bursting into color, and our gardens are coming to life. It’s a time of putting plans into action, cleaning and clearing, digging and planting.
This is also a great month to rejuvenate our homes. Aside from throwing open your windows and doing the Happy Dance, here are a few simple ideas for refreshing your living spaces this month (p.s. everything in bold is something we carry in Primrose or at the Nursery):
1.) Add little touches of artwork, found objects, or vintage items with a springtime vibe; perhaps new throw pillows, a bird’s nest, a little wall art, or a sentimental greeting card in a pretty frame? Smaller keepsakes look extra special under a glass cloche. Pick out a few favorite colors or themes from your new object(s) and build on those in your spring decorating.
2.) The tried-and-true method for refreshing the vibe of a room without lifting a paintbrush or spending a fortune is to change out your decorative pillows, lap throws, and smaller area rugs.
3.) If you do happen to have a little time and energy, paint! You don’t need to paint entire rooms. Simply updating the color of one accent wall or one object can transform a room.
4.) Bring the outdoors in! Simple flower bouquets, lush green plants, budding branches, or even a bowl of fruit will bring energy and freshness to the air, and to your living spaces.
5.) Add a mirror or two! Adding mirrors will open your spaces and can give the effect of an additional window or room. Find strategic places to hang mirrors throughout your home so that you’ll see reflections of pretty views, bouquets, plants, and vignettes.
6.) For your dining areas, a few new table linens can completely uplift the look. For a finishing touch, add fresh new candles, a flower bouquet or a natural centerpiece (perhaps a nest with eggs and pussywillows). Even a row or grouping of a few favorite bedding plants or living herbs makes a lovely table accent.
7.) In your bathroom, switch out your shower curtain and towels, add a humidity-loving plant or small flower bouquet, put some natural bristle scrub brushes and pretty soaps in a sparkly, vintage or rustic container, and ta da! It may not be springtime in Paris but it’ll bring you a bit of cheer on a daily basis.
8.) Refresh your home with natural cleaning products and essential oils. You can put a few drops on a couple cotton balls and put them in your vacuum bag to freshen the air or put a few drops on a damp cloth and throw in your clothes dryer with your wet clothes. Here’s a link with many more ideas: https://www.
9.) Change out your mantel decorations, sweep out the ashes in the fireplace, and fill the space with something new and bright, such as a fresh stack of white birch logs or a mirror (in back) with a lush green plant or spring flower basket (in front).
10.) Find a spring-themed picture book that you love and display it prominently, someplace where you sit most often. Use the color palette of the book’s cover to inspire your spring decorating, repeating those colors in your throw pillows, lap blankets, area rugs, dining linens, and so on.
Most importantly, have fun, experiment, and enjoy the Happy Dance of spring!
As author and interior designer Bunny Williams once said…“If you love something, it will work. That’s the only real rule.”
