Can spring be far behind?
DECOR
Let’s start with a thorough spring cleaning, first. It is time to take up cleaning of your home before you start decorating it for spring. There’s a lot to be packed and tucked away in storerooms –duvets, throws, comforters, winter clothes, etc.
However, take a careful look and you will find that cushion covers and sheets too need a change from dark warm colours to inviting colourful tones. So, wash, dry clean, sun dry and pack them all safely before you think of bringing in new elements. Take time to clean your ceiling fans.
Dust them properly, including lights and fixtures, and change the direction in which your fans are blowing.
Let there be light
It’s time to bring down heavy curtains and let the sunshine fill up the room. Create natural effects with sheers, blinds and curtains in tissue, tussar or light cotton. Stores like Fab India, Pure and Ebony Gautier have a range of products that can enliven and refresh the room instantly. Consider changing shower curtains too for a splash of colours in the bathroom. Visit each and every room and open the windows and vents for fresh air to come in. Also, periodically open the windows and curtains for better ventilation.
Flowers in vases
It’s not necessary to have a sprawling garden in front of your house to feel the magic of spring. You can bring in spring with your choicest blossoms in beautiful vases and pots.
Pick up a stick from the garden or opt for a colourful bunch and tuck it in a corner. You can also use your treasured antique bowl or silver pitcher and tuck in flowers.
You could ask the florist to make a custom-designed arrangement that goes best with your room. Float two or three blooms like gardenias or gerbera daisies in a crystal bowl. A floating candle or two will make for a glowing evening effect.
Artificial flowers like cherry blossoms or magnolias are a perfect fit for the season. Pure offers a variety of flowers to choose from.
Splash of colours
If it’s about spring, it’s got to be about shades of yellow and green. So play it up from the walls to the linen to the vases and pots on the bathroom sill and usher spring into the house.
If you’ve used shades of browns and reds in the winters, think turquoise or purple this season. However, remember, it’s not about forcing a specific colour as the theme for the house; there needs to be a shift in the overall energy and thought process of the inhabitants as well.
Don’t just follow a fad, but create your own. Bring out the old vibrant saris and stoles you have dumped long ago and reuse them as table runners and cushion covers.
Bring out the wrapped-up gift items that could now turn into sheer decor elements liberally thrown in here and there.
Accessories
Stocking up on springtime accessories doesn’t have to take a toll on your budget. All you need to do is keep surveying the local markets for the right products that resonate with the essence of spring. Choose from pots, rugs and carpets, bathroom accessories, curtains, photo frames, glazed and plain mirrors, motifs that can be placed on tiles or doors, etc. This is the best time to learn tile painting and implement it right in your very home.
Spring scents
Remember that a clean-smelling home is all the more inviting. Instead of wasting money on sprays and other products designed to make your home smell better, create your own spring scents. Try a simmering pot of cloves and cinnamon or dried flower leaves to give your entire home a great scent. I use a lot of camphor on repellant plugs to diffuse the vapours. Other options are rose and lemon grass incense, a spray of gulab jal around the house, sandalwood scents and sticks placed at the right corners.
