The sun is shining, you can hear birds chirping happily outside your window, and Virginia’s cold months are fading into an elusive dream. Summer is just around the corner. What is the best time to start giving your home a little freshening gradually for the warmer months?
From swapping pillows and bedding to incorporating fresh foliage, it’s the little things that can make a big difference. Here are some cost-effective tips for moving your home decor easily from Georgia Hoyler of NoVA-based, owner of Passerine – an online boutique store that provides handcrafted heirloom quality antique rugs from authorized dealers around the world.
Play with different textures
Switching up textiles is a fun way to easily change the feel of a room this season. Consider switching up the texture of the fabrics in the interchangeable parts of the room.
“Recent trends have been all about embracing the appearance of wear and age,” Hoehler says. “Think pillows made of vintage fabric or that have a handmade feel.”
For example, pack tweed or velvet that might be fun for the cooler months and swap it out for a batik, which instantly gives the room a more co-ordinated global edge for summer, suggests Hoyler.
Another easy way to achieve this is a simple throw blanket.
“Everyone loves the idea of putting a throw on the arm of the sofa,” Hoehler says. “It brings a sense of comfort to the room.” You might consider replacing the heavier fleece blanket with something a bit lighter like a Turkish towel shaped blanket, Hoyler recommends. “The functionality remains the same, but it’s a little less formal.”
Aesthetic reaches through lighting
“I think there’s a real opportunity, particularly in NoVA, to embrace the warmer seasons by using the outdoor spaces you have as an extension of your home,” Hoehler says. “We’re currently in a perfect, perfect warm-weather location without bugs and humidity.” Consider adding twinkle string lights or landscape spotlights to create an aesthetic that draws you outside your home and inspires you to read or enjoy a glass of wine on the patio before doing so becomes less fun.
“Lights are one way to do that,” Hoehler adds. “Make it look as inviting as the interior.”
replace your rug
In any room, the biggest change you can make without replacing a single piece of furniture is to update your simplicity. On cold winter nights, the thick-pile hair of a Moroccan rug may be appealing, but spring was made for an antique Persian area rug. The lower pile height makes this an ideal choice in the warmer months.
Or, if you have a rug that you can’t leave out—even for just one season—you can try pulling other colors from that rug’s palette to use as jumping points for pillow or blanket tapestry, says Hoyler. Adding some smaller jumping mats is also an option.
“You can always move these things to different parts of the room to help freshen up the space,” says Hoehler.
Bring the season indoors with foliage
Northern Virginia is full of trees in flower this time of year, so why not embrace the best of the season and use it to your advantage?
“Make a more dramatic statement by bringing some of those flowering branches indoors,” says Hoehler. And when it comes to branches as decoration, bigger is always better.
“Oversized branches add a sculptural element to a space that evokes a natural drama,” Hoeller continues. “Choose an asymmetrical arrangement to create a more graceful line.”
By refreshing the water daily, a cut branch can last up to two weeks in your home.
Megan Hare is an editor and writer based in the Shenandoah Valley. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Penn State University.
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