Home Comforts Spring colours
Ask The Expert
HOW DO I CARE FOR A NEWLYNEWLY-LAID LAWN? “Watering is the most important step for a healthy lawn. Begin as soon as the turf has been laid,” says Chris Moorhouse, Wickes Category Director for Building, Garden and Decor. “Check it’s not too dry by lifting the corners to check the soil below. Then water regularly until the lawn is well established.
“Mowing encourages a lawn to establish, but this can’t be done until the turf has begun to root. However, allowing a lawn to grow too long before mowing can cause damage by ‘scalping’ it. In warm weather your new lawn may need to be mowed 2-3 days after it has been laid. In colder weather it can take a few weeks.
“A lawn needs a good balance of nutrients, water, light and air, so develop a treatment programme to keep your lawn at its best all year round.”
From wildflowers to garden blooms, nature bursts into blossom throughout spring and there is no better inspiration for revitalising our homes with fresh, luscious colour.
Green, a key colour for 2021, is at once vibrant, soothing and serene. From fern to olive, moss to mint, there’s a shade for every effect you want to achieve, whether darkly luxurious or quietly pale, making it an adaptable choice to suitsit any room. Clotilde Passalacqua, Interior Design Manager for Ike ea UK & Ireland, says, “Gr reen communicates positive e psychological propertie es. It can refresh and rehabilitate, make us fee el connected with nature anda bring a sense of security.”
There are many affordable ways of incorporating this colour into your home, helping to create a sense of peace, balance and harmony. Budget-friendly textiles are a good place to start: think cushions, curtains, throws, tablecloths and napkins in gentle greens and leafy patterns. Reinforce the green-theme with pinescented candles and potted plants. Clotilde adds, “A quick and easy way to bring vibrant green
colours into your home is through incorporating foliage. Plants have both mental and physical benefits, purifying your air and instilling a sense of wellbeing.”
While tonal schemes are calming, colour contrasts add energy to decorating schemes, according to paint specialists Frenchic. Complementary colours – those opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as daffodil yellow and bluebell violet – create a very strong contrast, while gentler shades give an equally pleasing but softer effect. Think pale sage green enlivened with a splash of bubblegum pink, for instance. In the same way, sunny yellow adds brightness to neutrals but really comes to life as an accent against duck-egg blue, adding light and warmth to offset its coolness.
Peach and peacock make another successful hot/cold pairing, the soft orangey-pink complimenting turquoise blue. Similarly, pastel blue and punchy tangerine make a luminous combination. Frenchic suggest incorporating the two colours in painted furniture against a white background for a balanced finish. For a very on-trend pairing, try pale pink and baby blue with a pop of yellow or delicate green accents to add interest to thee schscheme.