As the birds begin to chirp and the bulbs push through the soil, you can already feel the arrival of spring. The season’s mood is so hypnotic. It even tricks our brains into going along with this sense of renewal.
And with this sense of renewal comes an energetic craving to tidy up our homes and welcome this new season–almost in a nesting-like manner. After a long winter season, where does one start to refresh the home and make it feel as renewed as spring?
From letting each room breathe to making home renovations, here are Twenty & Oak’s 11 ways to freshen up your home for spring.
1. Open the Windows
First and foremost, the best way to freshen up your home is by opening the windows. Invite in some fresh air by opening windows in each room of your home. Keeping the windows open allows circulation to kick out the stagnant, germ-ridden, recycled air. According to the EPA, indoor air quality is a top environmental concern, and during the winter, this indoor air also traps in pollutants while we try to preserve energy and warmth.
Even if it’s still a bit chilly outdoors, leave the windows open for an hour. We promise your house will smell extraordinarily fresh!
2. Declutter
A close second, and before you do any decorating or cleaning, be sure to declutter and transition winter items to their respective areas.
Banish winter clothes to closets and any gear, such as shovels, ice scrapers and fireplace grates, to the basem*nt, garage or mudroom. Also, organize items in the kitchen cabinets and pantry and sort through toiletries and cosmetics in the bathroom drawers. Rearrange them, too, if it pleases you and you have the time.
As you declutter and organize, ask yourself if it’s an item worth keeping, If not, take photos and sell through online sites like Facebook Marketplace or Letgo to make some extra cash.
3. Spring Clean the Home
If it’s warm enough, leave the windows open as you put in some elbow grease for a deep spring cleaning. After you have removed clutter and winter gear, now you can clean.
Vacuum carpets and wipe floorboards and molding down with a damp cloth. Clean the windows, inside and out, so the sun can shine through them even brighter. Vacuum and dust all the nooks and crannies, especially those that are hard to reach–like ceiling fans and high cabinets. Sanitize the bathroom sinks, showers and toilets, and degrease kitchen appliances like the oven, range and range hood. Empty and sort through the refrigerator, tossing expired condiments and food, and wiping down the shelves.
While windows are open, give your flooring some extra attention and maintenance. If you have wall-to-wall carpet in the bedrooms, rent a steam cleaner for a deep clean. You can also do this to area rugs. If you have hardwood or resilient floors throughout your home, use a gentle hardwood floor cleaner such as Bona and a microfiber mop. The gentle breeze from the open windows will allow them to air dry thoroughly.
4. Make Renovations
Spring is an excellent time to make any renovations to a home. This can be anything from updating the kitchen with the latest appliances or a new countertop, as well as remodeling a bathroom with low-flow, energy-efficient faucets. Adding new flooring will increase your home resale value, should you decide to place it on the market this spring.
Also, take a look at the exterior living spaces, like the outdoor patio or porch. If you have concrete or wood materials that have some mold, give them a pressure wash to make them look good as new.
Be sure to address the front yard and main entrance to your home as well, giving it some curb appeal. Apply a fresh coat of paint on the front door and flank it with some potted bulbs or shrubs. Tend to the front yard and plant some budding bushes to help welcome the coming of spring.
5. Install New Flooring
As we mentioned, renovations are one way to freshen up your home for spring. One improvement you can make is to install new flooring. Whether you’re remodeling a basem*nt or finishing an attic, the spring and fall seasons are both fantastic times to update your home’s flooring. If you install hardwoods, this also allows the planks time to settle and adapt to their new environment.
With various flooring types to choose from, homeowners like yourself have countless options in styles, finish and durability to best fit your lifestyle. You can install waterproof floors to battle humid bathrooms or laminate flooring for busier households.
With the latest flooring options, you can lay down attractive colors like a blonde, honey, gray or high-variation hardwoods. Add a pop of color also, with flooring options such as Palmetto Road’s Riviera Monaco. For brighter, more playful tones, you can even install bright green, orange, indigo blue and red tone LVT from the Déjà New collection.
6. Add a Fresh Coat of Paint or Two
Even if you don’t intend to install new flooring or make major renovations, you can still apply a fresh coat of paint to a room or even a furniture piece. You could even add some subtle color to an accent wall or bookcase. You can also paint kitchen or bathroom cabinets for a fresh, updated look.
Alternatively, you could get creative with a DIY project. Refinish and paint an outdated piece of existing furniture to give it a new lease on life. Smallsize pieces such as a desk or chair are perfect for first-time DIYers and are easy to re-sand, prime and paint in the latest trendy color. That way, when the color has gone out of style, or you grow tired of the look, you can re-donate it, chalking it up to a learning experience in furniture restoration.
Whether you decide to paint a room, bookshelf or a thrift-store find, keep the windows open, primarily to protect yourself from harmful VOC fumes. Alternatively, you can purchase cans of low-VOC eco-friendly paint.
7. Rearrange Furniture
Another way to freshen up the home is to rearrange the furniture. If you get tired of the same layout in the bedroom, place the bed against a different wall. If there is not a fireplace, columns or windows to contend with, rotate the living room’s seating area around, shifting the sofa, armchairs and end tables into a new position.
If you find your floor plan limited and it’s a challenge to rearrange pieces, you still have options to freshen up your home. Rearrange smaller furniture pieces, such as accent tables or console tables. Does the entryway foyer need a catch-all area for keys and mail? Move a sofa table into it and see how it improves the functionality.
This way, you can also treat yourself to new furniture to take its previously designated space. Shop around online for a striking new coffee table or accent table–or even try the DIY method on a thrift-store find.
8. Rotate to Lighter Fabrics
During the cold winter season and holidays, we tend to drape chunky knit throws over our sofas and faux fur coverlets across the foot of our beds. We bring out the plaid and buffalo check, merino wool accent pillows. But just like rotating your wardrobe from sweaters to blouses, so should you rotate your home linens.
Spring is the time to put these heavier items away officially and reintroduce some lighter fabrics. For example, instead of flannel sheets under a down duvet or thick comforter, think cool and crisp cotton sheets and a matelasse coverlet. For sheets, you could even make the bed with a floral or botanical print while you’re at it, adding a subtle touch of spring to the bedroom.
For the table settings, drape a brightly colored linen tablecloth over the dining table, adding crisply pressed napkins and runners. Switch out any dining chair cushions, too.
9. Bring in Cheerful Colors
As you update your home for the spring season, colors play an important role. Think bright, cheerful hues for everything–from bathroom towels to area rugs to decor and accessories. A vibrant pop of green or orange can catch the eye and make a fireplace mantel or bookshelf come to life.
A super simple way to bring in cheerful colors is through accent pillows. Browse online stores to find the latest and trendiest spring hues, adding them to sofas, armchairs or an entryway bench. You can even brighten up a bedroom with new pillow shams. Also, don’t be afraid of prints and patterns to truly liven up a space.
Yellow is a wonderful springtime color that can be incorporated in various ways, such as a vase of forsythia branches or daffodils. You could also keep a bowl of fresh lemons on the dining table or kitchen counter, ready at hand for cooking or cleaning.
10. Update with Spring Decor
One easy way to freshen up your home for spring is by incorporating spring decor, whether it’s Easter-themed ornamentations, a beautiful wreath on the front door or a bowl of fruit. Spring decor is also an easy way to add a touch of those cheerful colors. Put away the neutral table settings and napkins and bring out the lighter linens.
Address any countertops, like those of the bathroom and kitchen, and spruce them up with printed hand towels, soap dispensers filled with a spring-scented soap and even add a small vase with a few rose bulbs.
If you have a home library, wake up the books in a KonMari method ritual, and categorize them in a fun, fresh way. Sort them by genre, author, series or even size or color, creating a rainbow in your bookshelf. Move and display large photography books on the coffee table, especially those that have a nature-inspired theme, such as a book on gardening tips.
After you sweep out the ashes, replace the fireplace grate you put away with some floral-scented candles for ambiance, not heat. During the evenings, you’ll still be able to enjoy a warm, flickering glow of a flame without making the room stuffy during spring and summer months.
11. Arrange Fresh Blooms
As you freshen up your home for spring, bring the outdoors in! After all, budding bulbs and floral scents are some of the most beautiful parts of the season.
How you choose to introduce some fresh blooms is up to you. However, in spring, you have numerous colorful options such as daffodils, tulips and even tall, blooming branches of cherry and forsythia to add height to that new entryway table. At the very least, bring in some greenery like croton, fiddle leaf ferns or some mini succulents.
If you suffer from severe allergies and real bouquets are not an option, you can always incorporate a few faux flower arrangements. For pet-friendly homes, always be mindful of toxic plants that could potentially harm your furry family members. For instance, the quintessential spring flowers–lilies, begonias and azaleas–are quite toxic to pets.
Is Your Home Ready for Spring?
Enjoy the gentle breezes and the scent of blooming buds as you let the fresh air in. Be sure to rotate your home decor with each passing season, allowing your internal clock to feel the changes right along with nature.
With these tips, we guarantee that you’ll freshen up your home for spring. So whether you implement a few or all of them, turn your home into a springtime oasis.
