Whisper it… can I see Spring on the horizon?

We can all feel it, the longer days, the brighter mornings, the sense of optimism as the earth turns and spring arrives. It is often a time for an emergence from hibernation and a feeling of a fresh start. I love it.

It’s also a time when you feel like throwing open the windows of your home and starting afresh. New projects and seed sewing and a good old clear out of the debris that just keeps on gathering in a family home. This past week I’ve had a burst of energy that has given me such a sense of motivation to tackle home projects that have been on my list for months. But sometimes the challenge to refresh your home feels overwhelming- and even if we do feel a little more energetic as the winter fades away, perhaps with children and work and household to manage, the last thing you can cope with is a total overhaul of your home.

So I’ve put together some tips for you to start small, to bring the outside in and to prepare your home for the coming season.

Step One: Clear the Decks.

We are not quite ready around here to pack the winter coats away, but I think it’s about time the storage by the door held fewer woolly gloves and more baseball caps. Take ten minutes to switch out your winter accessories (which amounts to a huge pile in our family of five) and hang a couple of spring and summer hats on the pegs instead.

Next take a laundry basket, set a 30 minute timer, put on your favourite podcast and challenge yourself to fill that basket with things your family no longer needs. We have a pretty steady turnover in our house of toys the girls have been gifted, or books that they have all grown out of, and it can be a quick fix to just sweep them into a basket then onto a bag and then straight into the boot of the car for the next time you swing past the high street. My favourite charity shops are now the ones with a parking space out back because the drop off is instantly easier. If you can do this every day for a week I am sure you can take a whole boot load with minimal effort.

Then, clean off the kitchen counters. We are so used to clutter that sometimes we don’t even notice it building up, but start by clearing everything off the counters and onto the kitchen table, give it all a good clean and as you return your belongings to the kitchen surfaces, ask yourself - can this live in a draw/cupboard/the bin? If it can, then put it away – and keep out only the most essential or beautiful items.

Step Two: Bring the outside in.

Now is the time for flowers to be blooming and buds to be budding. Pick up those £1 daffs from the supermarket (perhaps the only till-side purchase I approve of…!) and pop a jug of stems in each of your key rooms in your house. Out for a walk? Keep an eye out for catkins in trees which are the ultimate spring time foliage in my opinion. Bring them home and display in a large vase in time to hang little Easter ornaments on as April arrives. It takes minimal effort to bring something of nature into your home at this time of year and it really can lift our spirits and bring a sense of optimism.

Step Three: Ready for a project?

Whilst I know we are prone to making major plans for the year in January, and no doubt we have planners full of goals and ambitions for 2026, I think so often we are not in the right frame of mind for projects when we are still in the depths of winter. So why not take half an hour this week to sit and think over what improvements or changes you’d like to make around your home. Keep it simple. We are not all at a point in life where major overhauls are possible or necessary, but I suspect we all have things around our homes that niggle at us. For example – I have a sink skirt I have been meaning to make for about eight months, and a curtain that keeps falling off the curtain hooks – it drives me bananas but I haven’t had the bandwidth to actually deal with it. It’s now on my Spring List. I’ll let you know if I manage to cross it off before the winter comes again..! Adding an actual date to achieve your goals and complete you project always helps to set aside the time it takes to tackle them.

But if you are in the position to plan a big change around your house, now is the time to identify it, and most importantly, what improvement to your day-to-day life are you hoping it will bring?

Too stuck to proceed? I wonder if you have ever considered seeking advice. One of my favourite parts about my job is arriving with a family and hearing the issues that they’re struggling to resolve around their home and helping them to break it down into manageable steps. So for whatever project you are planning, big or small, get in touch for a free consultation to discuss your plans and see how I might be able to help.

Working with an Independent Interior Designer

Calling on someone to help you with your home design can feel such a leap into the unknown, and it’s important to choose the right interior designer so that you can build a positive relationship and a home that you love. There are plenty of big studios out there as well as independent designers like me, and I thought I would share some of the benefits of working with a small studio:

1.      A strong relationship. I run a maximum of three active projects at any one time. I understand the hours needed to do a good job and I understand my capacity. I have found that limiting my project list to three active projects means I can dedicate enough time to each client and give each project the thought, vision and creative energy needed to produce an excellent result. I pride myself on building strong relationships with my clients which means communication remains strong, visions remain aligned and the end goal remains achievable.

 2.      Links to suppliers. I work hard to build relationships with local suppliers so that I understand the products available and suitable for any given project. It is important to me to consider sustainability, durability and reliability of the products and suppliers I recommend. I work on the premise of creativity over consumerism, which means I think carefully about how budgets are spent and the true value of any investments my clients make.

 3.      Understanding the area. I grew up in the Cotswolds and have spent 15 years living in Bristol. I choose to focus my work around these areas because I see an intrinsic link between our homes and the areas we live in. I bring this understanding of our wonderful local area to my work so that I create designs that are imbued with a sense of place.

 4.      Responsibility. I run my own business and care deeply about the reputation I am building as a thoughtful, creative and considerate designer. I take my work extremely seriously and work tirelessly to deliver an excellent end result to my clients. When you work with me you can be sure I will give your project the attention and focus it deserves.

 5.      Freedom. Working as an independent interior designer means that I can have the freedom to adapt how I work to suit the clients I work with. Each design package I put together is truly bespoke and I am proud to have the understanding and experience to be able to put together a scope of works that suits my clients on an individual basis.

If you are considering seeking help with your home renovation, whether a single room or a whole house, do get in touch for your free 30 minute call to see how I can help.