Bring spring ‘bling’ to home, garden
SAN JOSE, Calif. – OK, class, show of hands: Is there anyone out there who doesn’t have a rampant case of spring fever? After slogging through the weirdest winter in recent memory, we’ve more than earned it. Already it’s as if a giant switch has been thrown. Wisteria, wildflowers and fruit trees look like they are ready to bloom, and vibrant color beckons at the mall, home-furnishing stores and nurseries. What, you still need a nudge? Here are 10 ways to bring the “bling” of spring to your home and garden.
Reinvent your entryway
Give the gateway to your home an instant and inexpensive face-lift by putting a fresh color of paint on the front door. If you’re a trend follower, think about a cool aquamarine or the bold impact of citrus brights such as a punchy yellow or spring green. More traditional? Navy is the new red.
But don’t stop there. Coordinate your new look by adding containers brimming with plants that accent the color, along with a fresh door mat, new house numbers and a wreath or other artwork.
Replace your lawn
Sick and tired of mowing, pulling oxalis and drenching the spot where your neighbor’s Dalmatian regularly does her business?
Many gardeners are increasingly turning away from broad expanses of lawn and installing native-plant landscapes that reduce maintenance time and chemical use, save water and attract a multitude of good guys – including butterflies, birds and beneficial insects.
San Jose landscape designer Alrie Middlebrook is such a convert to the lawnless lifestyle that she has established a division of her Middlebrook Gardens called Lose the Lawn, a marketing and public outreach campaign. Visit www.losethelawn.com for ideas and inspiration.
Punch up your sofa
The home-decor magazines are screaming with color this spring. But what if you’re not quite ready for chartreuse walls or a chocolate-and-pink scheme?
Get comfy with color by adding it in small doses.
Throw pillows in hot colors can give a room an instant lift. This season, you can find a rainbow of shades in prices to fit any budget. At Cost Plus, check out the bright yellow and acid green silk prints (under $18). At Crate & Barrel, the cotton-rayon blend basic Lamont pillow ($19.95) comes in a luscious array, including candy apple red, pink flambe, orange and mustard.
Plant a cutting garden
You know how a simple vase of fresh-cut flowers lifts a room – and your spirits. Make this the year you dedicate a small area of your yard, or a grouping of containers, to growing blooms to enjoy indoors.
Luckily, some of the longest-lasting cut flowers also are the easiest to grow at home. Alstroemeria, for example, produces masses of blooms from late spring through early fall and can be found in cheery pinks, reds and apricots, among other colors. Coreopsis will reward you from summer to fall with yellow, orange, maroon or reddish flowers that resemble little sunflowers.
Other good choices: statice, in blues, purples and white; and echinacea (coneflower), which can be found in purples, pinks and white.
Install new cabinet hardware
Used to be, you had to spend an arm and a leg to get really cool cabinet knobs and drawer pulls. But today, good design can be found at all price points, making it easy to give your kitchen and bathroom a quick makeover.
Look for stainless steel and polished nickel to coordinate with appliances in the kitchen, bold ceramics to transform a powder room and whimsical motifs to put your stamp on a room.
If you really want to see the full range of possibilities, visit www.bauerware.com to gaze upon interior designer Lou Ann Bauer’s collection of thousands of cabinet knobs and pulls. You could spend a fortune here, but you don’t need to; some are priced as low as $3, although that pewter lizard at $22.25 is fetching.
Rearrange the furniture
Has your living room been set up the same way since, oh, the day you moved in? Could you wake up to a view of your garden if your bed faced a different window?
Changing the way a room is laid out can bring an instant freshness even to pieces you’ve owned forever. Sometimes it’s as simple as pulling the sofa out into the room a little bit, or cozying up a couple of chairs to make a more intimate conversational area. If your bedroom is large enough, try placing the bed on an angle.
The best thing about rearranging the furniture is that you can always move it back if you hate the new look. No harm, no foul (well, maybe a few sore muscles). But if you want a no-sweat preview, there are oodles of software programs that let you create virtual rooms based on the measurements of your rooms and furniture. The low-tech approach, of course, simply involves graph paper.
Make a clean sweep
Get busy undoing a winter’s worth of cobwebs that are hanging from every rain gutter and window frame. It’s great exercise (all that bending and stretching), and your home will sparkle when you’re finished.
Safety first, though. If you must get on a ladder to reach some spots, make sure you’re on solid footing. Even better, wait to tackle those areas when there’s someone around who can spot you.
An old broom works pretty well, but try tying an old towel or a T-shirt from the rag bag over the broom’s bristles. The fabric tends to snag those webs nicely.
Organize and pitch
Wouldn’t it be nice to put your hands on the tool you need, when you need it? Wouldn’t it be great if there were a little more space in your closets, medicine chest or pantry? Take it one little project at a time, and you’ll be amazed how much progress you can make.
Cutlery organizers easily corral frequently used tools such as screwdrivers, small hammers, tape measures and scissors. Use the space under your bed to store out-of-season clothing in zippered or snap-lid containers. Weed out first-aid items that are past their prime and replace with new supplies.
Check out the Container Store, Hold Everything and office mega-stores for more storage inspiration. But before you invest in any sort of storage “system,” ask yourself: Is this something I need to save? Maybe that stack of twin-size sheets – unused since the kids moved out of the house – is something you can finally part ways with.
Contain yourself
Whether you have a small patio or something a little larger, container gardens are a great way to pack a punch of color. Nurseries and garden centers are bursting with spring offerings in a riot of hues.
Some garden centers sell pre-potted “color bowls.” Planting your own, however, is a great way to unleash your inner garden designer. Try mixing primary colors for big pizazz, or soothing pastels to reflect your romantic side. Choose plants with not only great-looking flowers, but interesting foliage.
Check out www.plantbynumber.com for some inspiration before you head out shopping.
Before planting, scrub out used pots with a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. Use fresh, lightweight potting mix formulated for containers and incorporate a little slow-release organic fertilizer (follow package instructions).
Revel in the season
The biggest bling of spring is simply spring.
So get out there and see the show. Look for wildflowers. Take your camera, a sketch pad and your watercolor set. Take a picnic lunch. Take your kids and your grandkids. Make this a spring to remember.