There is no doubt that we are all spending a lot more time looking at the same rooms every day as we shelter in place. Ready to make your home a little brighter and lighter as springtime approaches? There is a lot you can do to love the home you are in without spending a lot, or any, money. We are here to give you some decor and organizational tips on how to do that. Here are 7 inexpensive and free ways to reinvigorate your home for the upcoming season:
Tip #1: Declutter your space
As professional organizers, we always love to start with this step! You truly can’t do anything decoratively until you declutter your space, creating a relatively blank slate to work with. Start by going room to room and scrutinize everything. Purge each one of the belongings you no longer use, need or want. The beach toys your kids have outgrown. The DVDs you haven’t watched in years. The expired cake mixes. Say goodbye and separate the wheat from the chaff. Have garbage bags or boxes ready so you can pack up things that need to get recycled, donated, stored, sold or trashed. And to stay organized, check out our blog post here for our favorite tips.
Tip #2: Rearrange & reinvent your layout
We are so used to seeing our room layout every day that we don’t often realize there may be a better alternative. Take a few photos of your space on your phone and look at the room critically. Do you have a dedicated focal point? Is there balance and scale in the room? Do you have adequate flow around your furniture? Then give your space new life by rearranging the furniture or switching out some of the pieces from other areas of your home. A few edits to the layout may make you change the way you think about that room.
Tip #3: Restyle your bookshelf
Spend a moment taking everything out of your bookcase and give the shelves a good dusting. This is a great way to see the space clearly. Sort through the books you anticipate rereading. You get extra points for arranging them by topic or color. Box up the books you are ready to donate. Try swapping in some family heirlooms that have been living in closets. Shop the rest of your house for small bowls, trays, and objects that inspire you or hold a special significance. Change out winter accessories for lighter ones. Finish by building and stacking balanced compositions that include a variety of textures and materials, horizontal with vertical lines, geometric with softer items.
Tip #4: Bring the outside in
There’s nothing more synonymous with spring than a heavy dose of greenery, whether it is faux or the real thing. Decorating with plants, leaves, buds, and blossoms is one of the easiest springtime accessories. A few well-placed plants, like a fiddle leaf or ficus, help liven up an empty corner. Flowering branches from outside add freshness to a dining room table. Mini clusters of small plants can become coffee table centerpieces. One of my favorites is to buy an orchid (a good fake would work too) from Trader Joes and replant it in a chinoiserie bowl with plenty of preserved moss from Michaels.
Tip #5: Reinvigorate your walls
Nothing gives a space a more dramatic update than a fresh coat of paint. Fresh paint truly breathes new life into a room. And it’s spring, so lighten up! For a universally loved white try Benjamin Moore’s White Dove or check out one of our spring favorites, like Sherwin Williams’ Sea Salt. You don't have to break out the paintbrushes to give your space a whole new feel. We love all the new options for peel-and-stick wallpaper, which make it so easy to completely change the look of a room. We use peel and stick wallpaper on everything, including the insides of cabinets, stair risers and utility closets.
Tip #6: Change up your pillows
An easy and affordable way to breathe new life into your space (and add a pop of color) is to change up your throw pillows. Swap out your darker, heavier textured pillows for lighter fabrics like cotton and linen. Homegoods is our favorite place for trendy, well-priced pillows.
Tip #7 Refresh your bed
What better place to freshen up than the place where you start and end your day? Swap out that heavy winter bedding (bye bye flannel) for something lighter. Wash winter bedding before storing it. Rotate your mattress. Wash your mattress cover and pillow covers. If inspired, treat yourself to a new duvet or even a new throw or sham to give your bed an instant springtime lift.
Whether you set out a new welcome mat, paint your front door or turn your windowsill into a living landscape, a few small updates can make a big impact and help you see things from a fresh perspective. Springtime is all about renewal. Now is the time to give your home, where you are spending a lot of time right now, a new life.