#TuesdayTips - lighten up your home for spring
Hillarys have put together some top tips on treating your windows to a spring fling...
“Blinds, shutters and light curtain fabrics tend to take pole position when the weather perks up and the days get lighter and brighter,” says Sarah Quilliam, head of product design at Hillarys.
“Heavier fabrics are great during chilly dark winter months when we want to cosy up but it's generally curtains for heavy fabrics come spring when we want to let the sun shine in and make the most of the light. Changing your window dressing is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to breathe fresh life into a room to update its look and help banish those post-winter blues.
“Here are some ideas and trends for making the most of the light to brighten up darker spaces in your home.”
Fresh interiors
Hot on the heels of the catwalk, trend spotters predict a move towards fresh green in interiors, a colour that brings the outdoors inside and a fresh uplifting feel to any room. It's also extremely versatile as colour schemes can be muted and subtle or strong and bold. So why not infuse your home with a dose of feel-good factor by adding a touch of green at the windows?
Shutters
Shutters are also a great spring window dressing as they're the definitive way to control light as well as being a style statement that gives a lovely focal point to the room. And depending on the type of shutter you go for, you can actually have the top half operating differently from the bottom half to give even better light control - as well as the look you want.
With spring in the air, you want to maximise the natural light that flows through your home. Café style shutters give privacy where you need it but allow plenty of light and fresh air to flood in - and if you want something a little different why not have your shutters custom painted to match your décor?
Pleated blinds
Pleated blinds complement the strong architectectural shapes of bay windows perfectly and are ideal if you want a crisp, contemporary look. They also work well in darker spaces where curtains can sometimes restrict the light flow.
Don't block out precious daylight with a conventional blind or heavy curtains, instead fit a bottom-up (blind which allows light in and keeps prying eyes out.
Splash of colour
Spring is the time to incorporate a fun upbeat pop of colour into your home. Use a splash of colour to wake yourself up in the morning when you put a bright blind in the bathroom, the bedroom or the kitchen.
Replace heavy curtains with floaty voiles - they're wonderfully flexible – combine with blinds or even shutters to soften the overall appearance at the window and to provide a romantic, feminine feel. Or use alone for a more minimal look. This style of curtain isn’t lined so it doesn’t take up much room when pulled back from the window and is ideal where space is at a premium.
Need less light?
Putting the clocks forward to herald the start of the great British Summertime, with the promise of longer, lighter evenings, sunny mornings and relaxed alfresco entertaining is a welcome thought. But for parents of small children, this can be tempered by the trials of getting them to sleep while it's still light outside or having them bouncing about and ready for action at the crack of dawn. The perfect solution to make your child's room a restful haven for sleep is to cut down the light by using a roman or roller blind with a special dim or black out function.