Inside: Simple Ways to Welcome Spring into Your Home.
After the joy and excitement of the festive season is behind us, the new year can often get off to a dismal start. Long dark days stretch out into what seems like a never ending January with little to lift our spirits. So, as soon as the faintest hint of spring starts to appear, many of us hold onto the promise of brighter days with both hands!
Spring is an exciting time of the year because it reminds us that light comes after darkness with a promise of new beginnings. I am not one for celebrating the new year on January 1st – for me the new year starts when nature wakes from her winter sleep.
With the new season comes a desire to make your home feel airy and bright, to do away with the dark colors of winter and embrace the bright colours and joyful feel of springtime. This post will share some budget-friendly ways to welcome spring into your home.
When is spring?
In the Northern Hemisphere the official start of spring is around 20th March each year, marking the Spring Equinox. But another point to mark on your calendar is Imbolc, the midway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox – falling on 1st February each year.
It is around the time of Imbolc that you will see the first glimmers of spring, giving you the hopeful feeling that it will soon be on its way. I personally start to shift my thinking towards spring at this point, welcoming the early flowers and warmth from the occasional sunny day.
But of course, it is only once spring truly arrives that you can welcome it fully, throwing open the windows to let all of the joy that spring has to offer into your home once again.
Simple ways to welcome spring into your home
Fresh flowers
Early spring is possibly a little early to have flowers in your garden, but you may be lucky enough to have some daffodils that you can cut and bring indoors. Otherwise, you can pick up small bunches at the grocery store for very little cost.
Tulips are another wonderful spring flower that brings vibrant colour to any space and last a long time – making them an economical buy.
It is a great idea to plan ahead of time if you can – planting bulbs in the autumn so that they are ready to burst into full bloom come spring. And if you don’t have a garden, you can always create wonderful indoor planters with beauties such as hyacinths, daffodils and anything else that catches your eye. And the joy of bulbs is that they come back year on year!
Fresh air
It is crazy how something as simple as opening a window or door can bring so much joy. But it can, can’t it? Warmer weather comes with those early sunny days and is just enough to allow you to open up the house to allow the fresh air in.
It costs nothing but makes such a difference to the feel of a home after months of being closed up.
Start spring cleaning
The ritual of spring cleaning is hundreds of years old. People open up their homes, shake out the dust that has gathered over winter, ridding the house of the old to make way for the new. A chance to start a fresh, just as in nature.
A spring clean gives you the opportunity to do those jobs that only need tackling once in a while. So throw open the windows and doors and work through the following when you can:
Wash windows
Wipe down door frames and base boards
Deep clean carpets & rugs
Clean behind & under large appliances
Wash blankets & cushions
Vacuum blinds & curtains
Sweep & power wash outdoor spaces
Refresh your bed
Obviously you will have changed your bedding throughout winter, but now is the time to put away the heavy fabrics (we are obsessed with teddy fleece bedding) and embrace floral patterns, lighter colours and perhaps a lighter tog rating for your duvets.
If your bedding is looking tired, now is the time to invest in any new bedding needed for the household. Invest in classic sets that will last for years to come rather than following trends or cheap sets that will barely last the season.
Make a spring wreath
Wreaths aren’t just for Christmas so why not freshen up your front door with a spring wreath filled with bright colours. It will greet you as you come home and welcome guests that come to the door too.
You can use faux flowers, real flowers, easter eggs, spring foliage and whatever else you fancy to add a burst of spring happiness to your home.
Use candles & diffusers
Adding fresh scents to your home can really lift a space and bring a new feel to the place. Floral or sweet fruit scented candles or diffusers are a great way to mimic the scents of spring found outdoors if you can’t get your hands on flowers to do the same.
Add them to your entryway, to bathrooms and living room to give a springtime scent for everyone to enjoy as they enter the house.
Let the light in
Are your curtains heavy? Are the blinds pulled down? In the winter months we want to feel cosy and need to ensure we don’t lose precious heat from our homes, but the spring season marks the turning point in the year. It is when the days start to get longer and the temperatures start to increase – meaning those heavy drapes aren’t necessary anymore.
Roll up the blinds, switch out the heavier window coverings for lighter fabrics such as voiles, and let as much natural light in as possible for an easy spring transformation.
I hope you can see that by making a few simple changes you can make a space feel fresh and new. There are so many people who go out and buy brand new home decor for every season, but it really isn’t necessary and just adds to the clutter in their home.
All you need is some fresh air and some flowers to get you started, while slowly spring cleaning your home to celebrate the arrival of spring. And if you do buy anything new, choose items that can be reused year on year to build a sustainable collection of seasonal items that you love.