How to refresh your home this spring

New year, new you! But what about your home? Giving your space a refresh can help to clear your mind, start a new leaf and introduce healthy habits for the rest of the year. Below we've divulged our best tips for refreshing your home this spring.

Spring cleaning

Spring is an excellent time for a refresh! We've all had time to adjust to the new year and now with a little spring cleaning, your home will be rejuvenated.

You know what they say, a clean space is a clean mind! By organising your physical space, you can organise your mental space which will boost your mood, productivity and creativity.

It might feel like a big job to do a full refresh, but break it up into steps, set a timer each day and see how much you can get done. Over the course of a week, it won't feel like you've spent much time cleaning, but you'll have ticked off a lot of the jobs on your list before you know it.

When you're finished, consider switching a few things around for a spring refresh. Try switching your upholstery to a new pattern, swap thick blankets for something lighter, and update your curtains for a brighter colour to reflect the new season. Even something as simple as moving the furniture around can help your space feel new and refreshed.

Why is spring linked to cleaning?

Spring is often associated with cleaning across many cultures and religions.

In Northern Europe and North America, before vacuum cleaners were introduced, spring was finally warm enough to open the windows and let the wind clear out any dust. In China, spring symbolises a new start and a way to cleanse your space for the year ahead.

It's also got something to do with biology. During the darkness of winter, our bodies produce more melatonin, which makes us sleepy. As spring emerges and the days are longer and lighter, we produce less melatonin which gives us a boost of energy and encourages us to be more active and likely means that we're more in the mood to do a bit of cleaning.

Reviving your space with artificial greenery

Alongside a spot of cleaning, greenery is proven to boost your mental well-being. And while spring is here and we're feeling energised, you don't have to spend the extra daylight struggling to keep up with plant care.

Faux plants can bring the same refreshing benefits without the need for a watering schedule, which is especially useful as your calendar is likely to start filling up for the year, leaving you with less spare time than during winter.

Consider your space

A fresh bunch of flowers can work wonders to make your kitchen or entryway feel fresh and inviting. To keep in the spring theme, try using tulips which work beautifully to add some lively colour after a dull winter. You could even go the extra mile and help your faux flowers smell great with your favourite scent.

After de-cluttering, you might find that you've got some empty spaces around your home, which could do with something to spruce them up.

If it's an empty corner, you could add some summery tropical vibes with a trendy faux monstera plant. And if it's shelves that need filling, trailing plants are the way to go! You can't go wrong with a trailing plumosus fern or some sweet string of pearls. Pair them with some cute mini terracotta plants and soon enough it'll feel like a whole new space.

You could even add some warm spring colour by using an artificial wisteria garland to sit on your shelf or wrap around beams and stair bannisters.

Easy gardening

Busy calendars, travelling, health and allergies can all get in the way of gardening, but regardless of your situation, faux plants make it possible to have a stunning outdoor space with practically zero maintenance.

Outside, your front garden may look slightly bare after battling the winter weather, so now's a great time to add some curb appeal and become the envy of your neighbours!

By choosing faux outdoor plants and flowers, you won't have to deal with the endless watering of thirsty hanging baskets or the constant dead-heading, so you can spend those extra hours of daylight doing the things you love.

A pair of hanging baskets is one of the best ways to instantly enhance your entrance. Our top choices have to be our best-selling wild flower hanging basket and the gorgeous wild berry & geranium hanging basket whose flowers are available in a choice of colours.

A spot of topiary will bring a dash of elegance to your front door, especially when it's our grand bay laurel tree! While a colourful window box or two looks beautiful when mounted underneath windows.

In your back garden, wash away the winter blue by going tropical! An artificial areca palm or two works beautifully around an outdoor seating area while the addition of bamboo trees can help to block the view of any nosy neighbours.

If you want to go for a total transformation and don't mind a little DIY, transforming tired fencing with green wall is one of the best ways to refresh your home for spring and you can even use them inside!

No outdoor space, no problem

We aren't all lucky enough to have large open gardens but even without a garden altogether, you can introduce spring colour to the face of your home.

Windowsills can be transformed into flourishing features by mounting a faux window box underneath. Not only will the flowers look fabulous from the outside looking in, but you'll also get to enjoy a little extra colour as you look out of your windows.

Artificial patio tubs are brilliant for balconies. You can use as many or as little as you like to add a gentle hint of colour or go all out and create a bright, beautiful oasis with several pots dotted around your space.

Owning a smaller outdoor space, means it's vital to get creative to make the most of it. Vertical gardening makes use of the walls and fences that are available, so you can enjoy lots of flowers, without taking up valuable floor space. Again, this is where window boxes shine, alongside faux living wall panels and hanging baskets.

Cleaning & re-purposing artificial florals & greenery

When it comes to using faux plants, there's no need for any watering or pruning. But just like real plants, cleaning your artificial plants will keep any dust at bay and make your plants look more realistic.

The method of cleaning depends on your plant's materials. In any case, we don't recommend giving your plants a bath or running them underwater as this can make the colours run and ruin them all together!

For soft-touch flowers and glossy leaves, like our monstera, use a damp cloth, just as you would with real plants. For silk plants and flowers, try a paintbrush, to get into all the small gaps, or use a hairdryer on a cool setting. For a full tutorial, watch our step-by-step guide to cleaning artificial flowers.

With spring comes the arrival of Easter and if you're feeling in the crafty mood, here are a couple of ways to re-purpose your faux plants and flowers to create some Easter-themed greenery.

Let's hop to it!

Easter-themed painting

Your houseplants can be completely made over to become Easter decorations by giving them a lick of paint. This fun little project works best on plants with glossy leaves like artificial monstera plants, which won't absorb as much of the paint as other fauxs.

You can simply paint them all over in one colour, but our favourite look is achieved by getting those creative juices flowing and painting polka dots, swirls and other patterns upon the leaves.

To create an Easter-themed artificial plant, stick to pastel shades including baby blues, light yellows and pinks, and read our full guide to painting artificial plants.

Make your own outdoor floral displays

This Easter, upgrade your outdoor flower arrangements with spring-themed decorations or choose your favourite spring flowers and design your own.

For an Easter-themed floral display, choose spring flowers like geraniums or hydrangeas and pair them with a couple of grass bushes. Then, add some Easter-decorations like small bunny ornaments and mini Styrofoam eggs in different colours.

Creating your own floral display isn't as tricky as it might sound - even the Easter Bunny could do it, especially with the help of our how-to tutorials including how to make your own artificial window box and how to craft a DIY artificial patio planter.

Need some help?

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