5 Ways To Refresh Your Home For Spring
Photo by Bannon Morrissy on Unsplash
There’s something undeniably magical about spring. As we see the long nights of winter grow shorter and we spot the first sprouts of green grass, it’s no wonder that many of us walk around feeling renewed at this time of year.
Even if you aren’t one to take on intense spring cleaning, I think the desire to slough off the coziness of winter to make way for the more airy and bright season of spring is fairly universal. It also doesn’t need to be incredibly complicated.
While the weather remains outside of our control, how we feel about our living space remains up to us. Below are five inexpensive ways to engage your senses and welcome spring into your space without extensive chore charts, or long shopping lists.
01 | Change up your playlists.
If you’re anything like me, you have some sort of music playing in the background as you go about your day. Whether you’re sending emails or cooking dinner, it’s amazing what a difference the music you listen to makes in setting the tone of your space.
I lean toward the more indie and melancholy during the winter, but this time of year, I have a tendency to turn to whimsical and breezy instrumentals. Some of my favorite albums to listen to this time of year are the soundtracks from Emma (2020), Downton Abbey, and Amelie (the film, not the musical). I also cannot recommend The World of Studio Ghibli album by Vitamin String Quartet enough. I defy you to put on any of these soundtracks and not feel even a little better than before.
02 | Rotate your recipes.
It might not be time to retire our winter soup recipes just yet, but I often find myself marking the change of seasons by introducing different foods on our family’s weekly meal plan.
When spring rolls around, I like to rely less on things like baked bread or roasting pans, and more on meals that reintroduce me to my grill and involve the abundance of in-season vegetables or herbs. This shift doesn’t have to be dramatic (it certainly isn’t in our household), but sometimes it feels nice to reach less for my dutch oven and more for my grill tongs.
03 | Change your soap.
This one might seem ridiculously simple, but I think that’s the magic of it. Splurging on a new fresh or floral scented hand soap for no reason other than to welcome is such a simple pleasure that feels surprisingly indulgent throughout the day.
My favorite for this time of year is Mrs. Meyer’s Lavender scented hand soap, but really anything that brings you some joy will do. Retire the richer scents of winter and remind yourself of the coming blooms of spring. If hand soap isn’t your thing or you aren’t home enough to use it, this idea could easily be done with body wash or lotion.
04 | Buy yourself a new candle or make a simmer pot.
You’re probably looking for any excuse to buy a new candle – if that’s the case, feel free to use this idea as your sign to go do so. I could go into heavy detail about my favorite candle scents for spring, but in my opinion, the reigning champion this season is the Volcano candle from Capri Blue.
If you’re not in the market for a new candle, or simply not a candle person, you can still introduce the fresh scents of spring. On days when I know that I’ll be home for an extended period of time, one of my favorite things to do is to make a citrus simmer pot (it sounds weirder than it is, I promise).
While there are any number of amazing recipes for simmer pots online, my personal favorite is simply whatever citrus I have on hand (usually grapefruit), mixed with a teaspoon of ground ginger, a dash of vanilla, and fresh thyme. I throw all of that in a pot filled with water and simply let it simmer on the stove throughout the day, replenishing the water as needed. A simmer pot brings a freshness to a space even the Volcano candle can’t seem to achieve sometimes.
05 | Bring the outdoors inside.
It’s not groundbreaking for me to tell you to bring fresh flowers into your space for spring. I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times. While picking up bunches of flowers from the grocery is nice on occasion, it’s honestly just not something I think to do often.
The truth is there are a myriad of simple ways you can bring the feel of nature into your indoor living space without having to brave the floral department of your local grocer. Do things like throw open the blinds and open your windows. Cut some herbs from your patio and hang them up in your kitchen to dry and use at a later date. Clip a leafy tree branch of two and stick them in a little vase for a nice centerpiece at dinner. Get a basil plant to keep in the sun by your kitchen window.
It really doesn’t matter what way you incorporate green and growing things in your house at this time – simply try to find a way to remind yourself of the beauty of the changing seasons.
