My Four favourite Home Updates between Winter and Spring
If you live in Switzerland, you may feel that as the days get longer and we see more of the sun, there’s an internal desire to update things and get organised, to change that something that we’re not quite sure what it is…
This inspiration comes from seeing our home in a different light. After having lived through the winter months, our eyes have become accustomed to certain tones and our spirit, to an inward mood. The sunlight motivates us to make our interiors match the exterior, we wish to make them feel lighter and brighter through furnishings and accessories and we immediately plan a mental room re-style.
But we’re not out the woods just yet! As you’re feeling all ready for that room makeover, the clouds come back and stay for a while and you’re left half way through your update process because you lose the motivation to buy those cute bamboo baskets with pink pompons when it’s raining so hard outside. Instead, you just want to light a candle, make yourself a cup of tea and work. Like you did in winter.
My advice is to not plan any radical changes or look updates to implement on your own right now, while we’re still transitioning into spring. Wait it out a couple of weeks and let me share with you four of my favourite things to do around my home while I get ready for the spring/summer look.
- Give the place a good clean.
This is the time of year when I check to see if there are new cleaning products or fragrances out in the market or whether I can find more environmentally friendly options. I check under the sink and get all my supplies organised and get rid of anything I don’t need anymore. I edit my kitchen drawers.
I like to replace older cleaning cloths with brand new ones in a different colour.
Old plastic ice cream tubs convert into containers to help me keep organised.
No trend, style or design ever looked good when our homes still carry the dust accumulated during the heating season! Let in some fresh air!
- Decorate with white tulips.
What I love most about tulips is their versatility and the green tone of their stems.
I like to buy a generous amount and display them in vases with wide necks for a very full and dynamic look. To me, tulips indicate that we’re through the worst of winter but not quite there yet, they are the perfectly unique transitional flower.
Tulips are very inviting flowers, they tempt you to look at them, so I find myself placing them all over my home: in the living room, bedroom, kitchen, even in the bathroom!
In order to keep my tulips in fantastic shape for over a week, I never use ice-cold water and change it regularly. Every time I replace the water, I cut a few millimeters of the stems diagonally.
- Go through my reserve stock of cushion covers.
I truly believe that replacing cushions is the easiest and most inexpensive way of giving any room in our home a brand-new look. Here’s the proof:
Think outside the box and place them in unexpected places, this is a nice surprise for your senses. Cushions usually tempt us with comfort. Make sure to fluff them up every now and then, it’s worthwhile. Check out this relaxing view from the bed in a guest bedroom.
Featuring the Zipollite Throw Pillow, available from 32 Estados, E-Concept Store.
If you live in Switzerland, your storage space is most likely limited, so the best thing to do is to rotate the covers, not the full cushions themselves; and you can fold your unused options neatly in a drawer or a basket. This is how I keep mine:
Keeping a reserve of this kind of accessories is also a good way to indulge in retail therapy without feeling so guilty: if you’re feeling down, buying a good throw pillow covers never broke the bank! Well, depending on how many you go for, I guess!
- I visit my favourite street and online stores to gather ideas.
By all means enjoy checking out new trends and accessories but I urge you to resist the temptation to buy. This will make it all the more worth it when the clocks go forward. My advice is to plan your interior update but not execute on it just yet.
Take photos and/or save your links. You might find that when you revisit your ideas, you don’t like all those products you initially chose…
Holding on for a couple of weeks means that you will have seen more options and can be sure to save towards your favourites. There’s so much satisfaction in that! Once you have the items you wished for ready, save a specific day or a weekend to work on your design update.
Then, the transformation into the spring/summer look will have real impact.
In conclusion, the few weeks before spring really kicks in are a great time to get your home ready for a transformation. The four activities I described above are the ones that help me prepare for it.
Fall in love with your home!
xxx
Analía
About our Author:
Analía Lazzari, Founder of Spaces for Life Interiors
Former Australian lawyer and qualified interior designer delivering affordable interiors in the Zurich area and beyond. An avid traveler, Analía is passionate about history, culture and meaningful homes. She lives in Richterswil with her husband and two teenage sons.
Follow Analías diary on Instagram: @spacesforlife_interiors
Photo credits
1) Spaces for Life Interiors
2) telegraph.co.uk
3, 4, 5, 6) Spaces for Life Interiors
8) lesleymckenna.com
11) 1222caldwellcourt.info
12, 13) Spaces for Life Interiors
14) benuta, fashion for floors
15) 32 Estados E-Concept Store
16, 17) Spaces for Life Interiors
18) Westwing
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