| Issue #1 - March 30, 2007 |
Brighten Your Home For Spring
It’s finally starting to warm up outside. The ground
is thawing and the flowers are blooming. The patio furniture is uncovered
and it’s ready and waiting to be used. The windows are cracked
open, blowing a brisk, spring breeze through the house. Of course, this
only means it is time for spring cleaning! It’s time to go through
everything in your junk drawers, garage, shed, or basement and purge
your house of things you don’t need or use anymore. It’s
time to freshen up your house and get it ready for spring.
There are many different ways you can make your house look and feel
more like spring. This includes small things like a fresh coat of paint,
new pillows on the couches or a bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table.
Bringing a little color into the house can make a huge difference –
using pastel colors instead of drab grays or neutral colors can bring
an entire room to life and luckily, it’s not difficult or expensive
to do.
When getting your house ready for the warm weather, the first thing
you can do is to get rid of clutter. Clutter is unnecessary and makes
a house look messy, so it is best to avoid collecting things you don’t
really need. If you’re one of those people who only keeps things
they need, but your house is still a mess, then maybe it’s time
for a little reorganization.
Filing cabinets are great for organizing bills and other important,
keep-safe documents. Large Rubbermaid bins are perfect for packing childhood
keepsakes or other items that don’t need to be strung around the
house away in a safe place. These bins seal tightly and hold up to all
kinds of weather, making them durable enough to keep in the shed or
garage.
Once the clutter is gone, it is probably a good idea to clean –
dust those shelves that haven’t been touched since the start of
last spring and vacuum behind the couches! Spring cleaning can be a
real chore, but the house always looks so much better when it’s
done, plus it greatly reduces any allergens in the air.
Now that all of the cleaning is out of the way, you can start bringing
spring into your home. A fresh coat of paint always brightens up a room,
even if it’s the same color. Of course, if you’re looking
for a change from dreary to welcoming, pastel colors are the way to
go. Sage green, sky blue, lavender, or even a pale yellow can really
create a warm atmosphere. If you are devising a new color scheme in
a room, adjusting the color of small things can make a big difference.
For instance, if changing the living room, switch dark blue pillows
for a paler or brighter blue and hang off-white or lace curtains. A
small change of color will enliven a room immediately, and by adding
more transparent curtains you will allow more sunlight to enter the
room.
One of the most beautiful accessories in a room is a fresh bouquet of
flowers. A mixed bouquet of wildflowers in the foyer or a simple vase
of tulips or roses on the dining room table will bring an entire room
to life. The beauty of fresh foliage speaks for itself and can bring
a touch of spring into your home any time of the year.
There are so many possibilities and so many little things that can be
changed in order to make your home look and feel more like spring. Most
of the time it doesn’t take much effort and is fairly inexpensive.
Now that the snow is gone and the winter season is officially over,
it’s time to make your house appear that way!
– Justina Fargiano
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