Open windows and sunshine-filled mornings can create a sense of delirium only a Midwesterner can fully understand. We’ve been tied up inside for a long, long while and it’s as though the captain of our ship just announced we are free to move about the cabin. No matter what the high temperature may be, the grills are fired up, the grass is turning green and we’ll wear flip-flops with our sweaters if we must; just get us outside.
If you’re looking to connect and revitalize your indoor space to flow with your outdoor space, consider the following for a shot of spring inside:
- Pick up the rugs. Give them a good shake outside or a professional cleaning and then… maybe don’t put them back on the floor. What does your space feel like without a rug? Sometimes lifting that rug for the spring/summer season and swapping it out for a natural jute or flat woven Kilim is just the transition your space needs.
- Change up the bedding. This is the time of year when all mass market retailers will promote sales on textiles, primarily bedding and sheer curtains. There’s a reason… this is the perfect time of year to enjoy a lighter weight comforter and brighter, seasonal changes in your bedroom.
- Clean the windows. Do-it-yourself or hire a professional. It seems silly to type, but this has been described as a life-changer. The sun is more sunny when it is shining through clean windows. Truly.
- Move the furniture. This one instills fear in some and excitement in others. If you’re likely to be moving in and out of the French doors to access your patio or balcony, move the furniture out of the way. Maybe that means your kitchen table and the adjacent seating area swap places… seems crazy, but you won’t know until you try.
- Buy flowers. We won’t have cuttings from the garden for a little while longer, so take advantage of some of the seasonal options that will be available to you for a very short time, including forsythia, ranunculus and tulips; obviously! Put them in a cobalt blue vase and feel a smile spread across your face.
Spring is here!
-Holly Bayer, ASID