spring

spring

DIY Tips and Advice

Rejuvenate the Home

The warm weather is here! So the Summer, oops, I mean the Spring season is upon us. It’s time for spring cleaning! Freshen up with these cool ways to give your home that facelift after winter weather.

  • Vacuum those dusty nooks and crannies. Baseboards, crown molding, under furniture, fans, and vents. Deep clean all rugs, carpeting, and window treatments. These basic bones need to be wiped down to renew them every once in awhile.
  • Take time to really scrub those light fixtures and windows. Polishing them to look brand new can do wonders for the lighting in your home. Lighting sets the atmosphere and improves your mood.
  • Don’t forget about those appliances. Sanitize you refrigerator. Scrape up those oven and microwave spills. Run the washing machine and dishwasher through self cleaning cycles. Keeping these essentials clean matters. Don’t let the dirt and grime accumulate. These chores eliminate germs, lengthen the lifespan of appliances, and ease the workload of upkeep.
  • Declutter! Use baskets, boxes, and drawers to organize life’s little things. Pack away cold weather clothing and unpack the warm. Be sure to go through all toiletries, make up, and medicine; toss anything that’s expired. Replace hairbrushes, toothbrushes and loofahs if they haven’t been replaced in the last 6 months. When decluttering, ask the essential questions: “Do I like it? Do I need it? Do I use it?”

Use this list more like guidelines rather than rules. Adapt it to fit. Don’t let it seem like you must do this all at once, dedicate a few days to a week for each chore. Accomplishing any or all of these tasks are sure to create a gleaming home and you!

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General Inspiration Interior Designers Tips and Advice

Spring is Here!

Spring is here, and hopefully where you live that means the gray snowy weather is in the rear-view mirror. If you happen to live in New England, you may need a little more patience this year! But, like any year, spring is the time for new beginnings, which in the world of home décor, means fresh starts, freshening up, and brightening up.

In terms of colors, bright and bold. Think along the lines of pastels, but with a little more punch to them. A bright lilac, a strong coral, even a bold peach. These colors should be used as the basis of your decorating – from any walls that need to be repainted, to accent pieces that need to be added into your space. They are great because they have warmth to them but are bright enough to make your space look bigger and more spacious. Geometric patterns are also popular in 2018 which are great to add in with any soft treatments. Gold accents are also continuing to carry over from winter 2018 as a mix with the new spring colors.

It’s time to put away all the heavy blankets and take off the heavy window treatments. Trade out the heavy blankets with some bright colorful throws, this year introducing bold colors, and floral patterns. Replace the heavy drapes with airy light curtains. This year stick with bright neutrals – sands, beiges, and whites, in light fabrics like linens.

While doing your spring cleaning, keep in mind, the less clutter the more relaxing the space. Maybe that means taking the extra step to add some organization. Some magazine holders in your living room. A filing cabinet in your office. More clothing storage/organization in your bedroom. Some additional shelving in your bathroom. Taking these steps will help to lighten up the feel of your room but adding the additional organization will make it something you can maintain moving forward as well. (Added bonus: you can use these as the pieces that bring in the new colors of the season).

And of course, the style that never gets old in the Spring, bring in some greens! Adding foliage to any room, whether it be green plants that you can keep for a long time or bringing colorful flowers in from your gardens will instantly warm the room, and make it feel like spring. Happy decorating!!

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General Tips and Advice

Spring Check List

Spring Check List

With spring here it’s finally time to get outside!!! But that’s not all; its time to get to all those projects you have had in your mind all winter long. When I start to think about these task I start to get overwhelmed, because I had so many fun and impactful projects on my mind all winter, so what I do every spring is sit down and start jotting them all down. When starting I always just list everything on one big list then I start to prioritize as well as break them out into different categories. Below is an example of how I tend to keep myself organized and busy now that I can get outside and really enjoy the weather.

  1. You want to make sure when you are planning your projects they aren’t just all things that you need to be outside to do. As much as we would for every day to be beautiful and sunny, what I like to save for these days are things that I can either do in the garage like re painting or staining a piece of furniture or re thinking storage space in a closet. (Specially one with all the big winter coats, gloves and hats).
  2. I like to break out yard projects, things like mulching the beds, weeding which unfortunately needs to be done more than once a year… and planting new annuals and other plants/trees. One thing I do each year is I pick a specific flower bed in my yard or spot I want to make into an herb garden and really focus and setting it up so that when next year comes I will still need to mulch and weed but it should already be good to go and start blooming as soon as spring comes back!
  3. Lastly are over all events and projects can do with the kids. I like to set up a scavenger hunts, or find other little DIY/Gardening projects that they can do with me.

You want to prioritize the projects in the categories each to fit what’s most important to get done before the summer as well as what you think will be the most fun! One of my favorite times of the years is spring and because you finally get to get back out side and just attack all those projects that you haven’t gotten to do this winter. If you have any questions let us know!

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DIY Interior Designers Tips and Advice

Spring on a Budget

SPRING ON A BUDGET

What better reason to change the interior decor of your home than the ever changing season that we have in our country, instead of despising it, we all just have to spring forward and shake off those winter blues. There are surefire ways to refurbish our homes in a very minimal way so that we can keep up and be in the mood to welcome spring. Here are a few items you can definitely change or add without having the need to break the bank.
ADD SOMETHING OF “NATURE” IN YOUR INTERIOR
Putting houseplants are not just adding greenery in your living space but also increase oxygen level, purifies the air, and improve your health and focus. Adding the plants can give you a fresh spring feel.
FRESH WINDOW TREATMENT
Floral-patterns, colorful, and bright window treatments are also an update that can definitely change the way you look into your home. There are plenty of pretty Roman and Roller soft shades that can give you the vibrant spring-look. Try the paisley and chevron patterns, for a very minute but colorful details.
FLORAL ART DISPLAYS
If you are not as bold yet as holding the brush and painting an entire wall or even just an accent wall, why not decorate by hanging some floral paintings? You can experiment on size and colors, and you can definitely change up these items for every season.
The right accessories are equally important as all the elements in any home. Small things matter.
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Blinds Interior Designers Shades

Quick Easy Decor Tips

Making the switch from harsh Winter to Spring is easy, it’s about shaking off the winter blues and bringing the outdoors to the interior space of the home.

Spring is a time of renewal for both outdoors and indoors. Refresh your living space with these quick decorating ideas that are budget friendly, and don’t require repainting any walls!

Bedding

Spring is a busy time when mother nature is bringing itself back to life. Mimic the patterns of it indoors with oversized floral, and textured fabrics. Color throw pillows, blankets, and table runners can take on these seasonal patterns.

Table dressing

Switch out the focus of your table from winter candles to a blooming glass centerpiece of fresh apples, pears, or fresh flowers, daisies are a popular choice. Using live flowers is the true touch of spring, using crystals stones emphasizes the airy outdoors, they can be found in a lot of small boutiques.

Furniture

Rearranging furniture can also reawaken a room. Try a different perspective and discover wall space to inspire your design creativity. You might decide to add a new piece of furniture too to give the room more color. Additional ways to welcome in Spring is with wallpapers, printed rugs and light colored furniture.

Window dressing

Remove the heavy drapes that kept out chilly drafts and expand your view with light, sheer window treatments. A great choice would be a sun weave shade, which are for protecting the furniture from the longer daylight hours.

 

Pierre Victor Store 152

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Inspiration Interior Designers Tips and Advice

Spring Updating

Spring Updating

As soon as the days begin to get warmer, you realize it is time to spruce up the house for spring! One of the most popular trends for 2016 is – nautical.  The great thing about this style is you can take it as simple or as over the top as your decorating style may be, and it can be used in pretty much any room in the house.

The basic premise of a nautical style is simple.  Clean colors – white, beiges, and navy are the three predominant colors that are often used. Luckily, most people have a room in their home that has either white, or beige walls – so an easy template to start working with.

In pretty much any room you can add the pop of color with curtains or other soft treatments in the room (blankets, pillows, rugs). Generally you want to add a pattern or a pop of navy blue.  There are a ton of different materials in the store this year with prints ranging from anchors, to starfish, to simple sailing stripes.

If you are dealing with a bedroom, change out the comforter set to bring in the patterns and designs.  If a bathroom, switch out the shower curtain.  It’s even a simple update in a bathroom – changing out the counter accessories (there are a ton of shell themed bathroom accessories).

But remember, the basis of the style is to keep it simple and clean.  Add one piece, or multiple pieces, but just make sure to make it fun!

 

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Care Tips DIY Tips and Advice

Limescale Cleaning

Limescale cleaning

Pierre
BTG Store 151

Limescale is a mineral deposit that builds up on faucet, toilets, sinks and even blinds, it is a nuisance but easy to get rid off. You will need heavy duty cleaning gloves, brush, vinegar, and bucket, and borax, and last a spray bottle. All can be found at a local hardware stores or the super market  at a low cost.

The first step is to wear the rubber gloves to protect your hands. To get rid of the lime deposits soak the sponge in white undiluted  vinegar and apply a generous amount on all flat surface with the lime deposit.

To unclog a shower head first remove it from the hook on the wall and place the head in a bucket, then fill the bucket with enough vinegar to cover the shower head for five to ten hours. Next rinse with hot water and reattach.

To get rid of limescale in the toilet, first drain the toilet bowl and then pour in full cup of vinegar and full cup of borax. Leave the mix for four hours before scrubbing with a toilet brush.Vinegar can also act as a preventative by adding some in the toilet tank.

Next step is to fill a spray bottle with half a cup of water and half a cup of vinegar, great for aluminum blinds that are hung inside of a shower. Apply a generous amount on each slats and repeat for the other side of the blind, rinse and wipe dry with a clean towel.

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Care Tips DIY Inspiration Tips and Advice

Cleaning Tips-Spring

Cleaning Tips

Delilah
BTG Store 151
1. Shoe organizers for cleaning supplies

Does your cleaning supplies cupboard look a lot like mine– bottles and bags all jumbled up together? I can never find what I’m looking for. Using a hanging shoe organizer to store cleaning supplies is brilliant!!

2. Alphabetical Spices

The spice cupboard is another troubled area in my house. The solution? Cut off bottoms of empty cereal boxes, then label them using washi tape and organize your spices in alphabetical order. They’ll be a breeze to find and you’re going green as well.

3. Give the old sock dust

This one has been a game changer for me. I rarely dust, and I just don’t have time to. But I do have time to swipe a dirty sock (not too dirty) along my dresser and night stand before I toss it in the clothes hamper. Sock dusting is amazing–try it!

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Blinds Inspiration Products Shades Tips and Advice

Spring Decor on a Budget

Spring Decor on a Budget

by Karen E.

The best part of social media is all of the DIY (do it yourself) projects that you can find – and how to do them cheap!  Between what friends share on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (of course!) there are too many projects to keep up.  Of course, depending on your level of expertise, you don’t want to chose anything to complicated.  So, I’ve picked out a few no fail DIY’s to dress up your home for Spring 2015.

Updating your potted plants.  Most of us have the traditional orange colored pots (to be honest, most of my plants came in them).  They add a pop of color as is, but really don’t add anything to the overall decor of the room, so a simple solution is to update them.  Stop by a fabric store, and grab some 2′ squares of fabric – often times fabric stores have a clearance section of fabric that was already cut and someone changed their mind, fabric glue, and a brush.  When you get home, coat the pot in a layer of paint, and simply wrap the pot (take the plant out first), and instantly you’ve added a pop of color/design!

Colored glass jars.  A lot of us already have the colored glass jars – open the cabinet and take a look.  A lot of oils, canned veggies, and juices come in funky colored bottles these days (solely for the sake of re-purposing). If you don’t have any, stop by a local thrift store where you can grab some for really low prices.  Fill the jars with some fresh flowers from the garden, and line them along window sills, and you instantly bring some color and style into the space.

Mason jar candle holders.  Of course mason jars projects are everywhere this spring, but the good thing is that means you can get them at a lot of stores (especially craft stores) for pretty inexpensive.  You can spray the jars themselves with a glitter spray, and get some simple votive candles to put inside.  It saves you money from the expensive larger candles, and the light shining through the glitter looks awesome.

Those are some good starter projects.  If you feel more ambitious, just check out Pinterest and you’ll be occupied for weeks!

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Blinds Inspiration Products Shades Tips and Advice

Spring!

Spring!

By Karen E.

After the long, cold, snowy winter we had in Boston, the time is finally here to get outside, open the windows, and enjoy some fresh air.  Finally seems warm enough to store away the heavy sweaters and pack away the warm blankets.  It’s also the time to retire all of the dark colors we used to decorate all fall and winter and brighten up your homes.

Chances are you had hung curtains over the winter to help with the heating costs, so step one is to take those down! Either leave the window with just your blinds (do away with the curtains), or replace them with lighter weight and lighter colored fabrics.  Spring is a great time to bring some fun patterns into the house, and stores are really featuring bold colors this year.  Adding an accent with a bold teal, bright orange, or perky yellow with instantly brighten up the room. There are also a lot of bold geometrical patterns being featured this year that can make a huge difference in a room.

Another area to tackle is your furniture.  After giving everything a good spring cleaning and polishing, you can dress up a bland piece of furniture with some colors as well.  The easiest thing to change out is a throw pillow or blanket with a new color and pattern. Go out get some new brightly colored vases and some fresh flowers and not only with you brighten the rooms up but you will bring in some pretty scents from the outside (or if you don’t have any fresh flowers a brightly colored candle can do the trick too!)!!

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