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After a long winter, it always feels like my home is a bit stale. What
are some easy and inexpensive ways to refresh and revive my decor for
Spring?
By Vicky Blaine of Inner Space Home Styling
With winters dragging on as they do, it’s likely you’ll feel the energy
in your home has become stagnant. We slow down in the cold weather, and our
homes can reflect this sluggishness. Now that the days are getting longer,
and the weather is warming, it is the time to bring that new Spring energy
indoors.
The best way to shed winter from your decor is to pare things down. Our
pack-rat tendencies are strong in the winter; Spring is the time to start
purging unnecessary items. People often do not realize how stressful clutter
is, and how it impacts them on a daily basis. If your living room or your
kitchen is laden with piles of papers, or mountains of toys, or stacks of
dishes, this is not only visually distracting, but mentally draining. By
reducing clutter and refreshing your space with clean, clear surfaces, you
will help lighten up that heavy winter feeling.
Once you have shed some pounds, decor-wise, the next thing you can do to
liven things up is to “shop” your house for items in other rooms or in
storage that you could use in a new a way. An old wooden dining chair could
be used as a plant stand; a large copper pot could hold magazines or
fireplace logs; interesting knobs can be made into a unique wall rack to
hang coats. If you don’t think you have anything neat around the house, you
can reuse something someone else has finished with by picking up something
fun from a garage sale.
Finally, bring Spring into the house by including live energy in the form of
plants, flowers and herbs. Live plants not only make spaces more colourful
and earthy, but they also naturally freshen the air and help remove toxins.
Herbs smell wonderful and grow well in small containers. Anything from glass
candle holders to tea cups to martini glasses could be used to plant some
fresh herbs for a table centerpiece or window display. Try flowering plants
for fresh Spring colours that last longer than cut flowers.
Spring is about renewal. Our homes need rejuvenation just as much as we do,
as we are greatly influenced by the environment around us. By taking time to
reduce, reuse and bring a bit of nature indoors, we can harness the
incredible energy of Spring to make our homes truly “living” spaces.
For more advice on home staging, please contact Vicky at 403.686.7517 or via e-mail
at inner-space@shaw.ca Visit
her website at
www.innerspacecalgary.com
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