Spruce up for Spring

My guest today is Nikki Klugh, ASID, CIEC.  I love her wonderful tips for Sprucing up your home for Spring.

The arrival of Spring brings with it an abundance of joy and hope. We find pleasure in the newness of life that is produced in nature around us. Spring becomes a source of inspiration as we look around our homes for ways we can bring this excitement into our everyday surroundings. Thankfully, the longer days and warmer weather also gives us a boost of energy and we’re excited to take on new projects. Are you feeling the urge to bring a fresh look into your home? Areyou wondering where to begin? Here are some ways that you can successfully spruce up for Spring.  

 

Spring for a new color palette using accessories.  Changing the accessories in your home is the easiest way to add new life to your decor. You can change the entire color palette of a room simply by switching out the accessories. Using thehues in the large furniture pieces that you already own as a starting point, playaround with a new color scheme. It will be a synch if most of the large furniture pieces are in neutral tones.  

 

A short cut to selecting a new color palette is to find an inspiration piece that is composed of various colors--one of them should be the color of your existing furniture. The artist or designer of the item has already put together hues that are pleasing to one another. Once a new palette is selected, switch out many of the soft layers like, area rugs, window panels, accent pillows, vases, candles and other accessories. An easy design principle to master is repetition. At least one item, shape or color should be used three or more times in order to create rhythm, establish a pattern and make the design cohesive.

 

Spruce up a room with new paint.  Nothing changes the mood of a room more dramatically than a new wall color.Look around and select the one accent color that you simply love. Using thiscolor, choose three paint variations that are very low in saturation--ones that areon the top of the paint strip. Purchase the three samples and paint 2’ x 2’ test squares on the walls to observe the play of light on them.  Once you decide which color looks best on sunny mornings, at dusk and during lamp-lit evenings, you're ready to go! Most rooms can be painted in a single day; move all of the furniture to the center of the room and cover with a drop cloth. Solidify this new look by adding more of the original saturatedaccent color in the form of additional art or accessories.

 

“Freestyle” by rearranging furniture.  Create a new look and flow by trying a new furniture arrangement. This is the most cost effective way to make a significant change in a room. Be sure to save your back and sketch out the plan first on graph paper. Taking into account your family's traffic flow, create a new focal point. A collection of like items can be displayed on shallow shelves as an art installation. Similar color art pieces can be arranged to make one large collage. Gather items from other rooms in the house to support your new design direction. Add a punch to top off your new room with something totally unexpected. It could be one bold art statement that you thought would never "match", one large object that is opposite on the color wheel of your primary color palette or splurge a bit and really top your room off with a new sparkling light fixture.

 

by Nikki Klugh, ASID, CIEC

Happy Sprucing!

 

Nikki Klugh has more than 14 years ofexperience in interior design. She is the owner and principal designer of NIKKI KLUGH DESIGN GROUP. Find more information at www.nikkiklughdesign.com.