Now’s the time to brighten up your kitchen and bathroom!

Spring is nature’s way of reminding us that every day is worth celebrating; it breathes new life into the world around us and most of us feel happier, more positive and hopeful for the future. So have a ‘Spring Fling’ and bring it into your home.

The great outdoors has natural appeal to most of us- the sky, earth, water and the effect of these elements makes us feel calm and refreshed and this is the most common time of the year that we start to plan changes. So why not combine the two and make changes that bring the outdoors indoors? Here are some great ideas to brighten up your kitchen and bathrooms this springtime.

Introducing plants and cut flowers is the most obvious ‘quick fix’ choice for bringing the outside in.

Cut flowers will bring instant colour and cheerfulness to any room but will just be a short term fix while potted plants will add refreshing, sculptural shades of green and give a room an instant face lift. Moreover in the humid warm conditions of a bath/shower room some plants will thrive regardless of whether you have green fingers or not;

• Bamboo needs very little light so is perfect for smaller dark rooms and can be grown in a pot with pebbles and water.
• Aloe Vera [the immortality plant] is almost indestructible and just keeps on giving.
• Cast iron plant loves to be ignored and will manage with low light levels and limited watering.
• Begonias thrive under fluorescent light so perfect for internal bathrooms.
• Dragon plants will help to purify the air and prefer low lighting levels and love the humidity of a bathroom.
• Orchids will add a real touch of class and thrive on the tropical conditions that a bathroom can provide.
• Spider plants must be one of the easiest plants to keep alive in almost any room.
• Peace lily plants offer an excellent filtration system, don’t need much care and are easy to maintain.

Pots of growing herbs or micro salads really help to brighten up your kitchen. Not only save you money but add aromatic scents to the room too and gives you the opportunity to utilise and recycle your old tin cans, jars, teapots and mugs. When you have harvested the herbs from your garden you can hang these to dry them out for a year round supply.

Don’t forget that plants don’t just have to sit on the window sill in your kitchen or bathroom- consider hanging baskets, ceiling/wall mounted pot hangers, wall mounted pots and floor standing pots or placing the plant on top of tall/wall cupboards.

Natural materials and fibres, textures and patterns will help to bring the outside inside

Wood, rattan, hemp, jute and wicker can be introduced into your kitchen or bathroom scheme in numerous ways.

Accessories are available using natural products as well as being good storage solutions. A combination of these will enhance the look; from furniture to lampshades, rugs, baskets, canisters, plant pots, trays, handles and containers. Use them in creative ways for a rustic country look-a wicker picnic basket makes a great bread basket and wooden crates make perfect storage units whether floor standing or wall hung.

Natural Elements can be injected into your scheme to enhance the outside/inside theme

Pebbles, rocks, sea shells, drift wood, bark, branches and wood can all be used to accessorise your rooms. They can be used in creative ways or just heaped into glass jars or baskets and displayed on shelves. If a lack of shelf space is an issue because of the normal paraphernalia that we have then considered pictures or photographs of these elements to bring nature into your home.

Colours can have dramatic effects on our mood and introducing colour into a scheme is probably the easiest and cheapest way to transform the way a room looks and feels. Accessories are easy to change, so consider treating yourself to some new bathroom towels, window dressings, storage canisters, pots and pans, cups and mugs, trays, tea cloths, kettle and toasters or even a lick of paint….

• Green- the colour of grass, trees and plants to create a calming influence.
• Blue-water and sky for a refreshing look.
• Yellow- sunshine and flowers for freshness and an uplifting feel.
• Neutral tones- whites, beige, tan for a natural and clean look.

Spring aromas help to brighten up your kitchen and bathroom

Appeal to your sense of smell by introducing the scent of spring into your home. Pot -pourri seems a little old hat these days but gone are the bowls filled with withered crispy bits of stuff but bowls filled with dried oranges, clementines, lemons and limes will add zesty aromatics to your kitchen or bathroom. Fill glass bowls with rose petals, pine cones, cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaves and herbs for added natural fragrances. Candles have been used for centuries to introduce scents into a room so treat yourself to some new ones and relax to springtime perfumes.

Fresh fruit always looks colourful in glass bowls and vases and shallow dishes, they are guaranteed to brighten up any room and with the zingy colours of red apples, limes, oranges and lemons you are introducing nature in its most vivid livery.

• With extended daylight hours our days are longer and we tend to feel happier, more vitalised and energetic. So anything we can do to bring that natural light into our homes will help to bring the outdoors inside. Clear windows of heavy drapes and blinds and dress them-if they need to be dressed- with voiles and lighter fabrics to allow the maximum amount of light into your home. You could consider DIY window films for bathrooms if you do not have frosted glass. The clever use of mirrors to reflect the natural daylight will help to make the room look even brighter.

Go on – brighten up your kitchen and bathroom this springtime and add a bit of spring zing to your home!