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Spring may not quite have sprung, but there are chic, simple ways to banish the gloom and give your home a clean sweep, says Talib Choudhry
The heartening hint of spring in the air means it’s time to start freshening things up indoors. From buying a bunch of flowers to painting your front door or even revamping a room, a space can be transformed in a weekend. Here are some suggestions to banish the last vestiges of winter.
Make a fresh start
The thought of deep cleaning once would have been enough to give us all the collywobbles, but the rise of beautiful products with which to do so is making housework less of a chore. Who knew that the latest lust-haves would be designed to scrub the loo? From ostrich feather dusters at the A G Hendy & Co Home Store in Hastings to American aluminium dustpans at London’s Labour and Wait, covetable cleaning kit is available to convert the most slovenly of housekeepers.
On the high street, John Lewis sells a range of products from the French hardware company Perigot that aims to “breathe new life into the mundane, transforming utilitarian items into objects of desire.” Its bamboo duster mop is certainly that.
Minimalists and those short on space might prefer Muji’s cleverly designed cleaning system, which has an extending pole with nine different attachments, including wet and dry mop heads and a glass cleaner.
The ultimate utility room accessories are the smartly packaged cleaning products from Tincture. The all-natural range (including allpurpose, bathroom, glass and floor cleaners) is made from a blend of botanical ingredients and essential oils.
The products smell delicious and work well, but with prices starting at £7.50, you may feel it’s pouring money down the drain. labourandwait.co.uk; aghendy.com; tincturelondon.com
Join the petal pushers
Hankering after something more sophisticated than supermarket flowers but just as easy to get hold of? One of the burgeoning number of flower subscription services could be the answer.
Dutch company Bloomon offers beautiful, fuss-free arrangements – just plonk them in one of the large vases it sells and they look brilliant.
“The varying stem lengths and spacing between the blooms help to build an artistic style and each flower gets the attention it deserves,” says Michiel Bakker, managing director of Bloomon UK, who claims their flowers are fresher than those typically found in high street florists and supermarkets because they are sourced directly from growers. “The flowers arrive on the customer’s doorstep within 36 hours of being picked, so they last longer.”
Prices start at £20.95 for weekly, fortnightly or monthly deliveries and customers can pause or cancel the service at any time. Bloomon delivers in the south-east of England and plans to expand to other areas.
Bloom & Wild offers a cheerful nationwide service (£20 per bouquet with delivery); flowers arrive through the letterbox in slim cardboard packaging and come with a pamphlet explaining how best to style and care for them.
Discerning Londoners may prefer the FlowerBx delivery service launched in 2015 by Whitney Bromberg Hawkings, formerly head of press at Tom Ford.
There are no blousey arrangements; chic, single variety and colour bouquets (as favoured by Mr Ford) are FlowerBx’s specialty. “All of the fashionable men and women that we know love singlevarietal flowers in a bunch rather than the mixed bouquets stuffed with filler that are on offer elsewhere,” says Bromberg Hawkings. “Our flowers come straight from Holland and are often half of the price of most high-end London florists.” bloomon.co.uk; flowerbx.com; bloomandwild.com
Go green
Pantone’s colour of the year, Greenery, is a zesty yellow-green that evokes flourishing foliage. It’s a difficult shade to embrace in interiors, but muted, mossy tones are being championed by the style set.
“Green is the colour everyone is talking about at the moment,” says Rebecca Malyan, head of product at Neptune. “We’ve blended a new shade of green paint – Sage – that sits beautifully with soft whites and our deeper green, Cactus. It works wonders on walls or painted wooden furniture.” Neptune also has scatter cushions in soft green stripes, florals and plains, as well as matching fabrics sold by the metre (below). neptune.com
Change your view
Designers are bringing the outside in with painterly wallcoverings, textiles and accessories inspired by the great British countryside. Imogen Heath’s new fabric collection for Sofa.com is based on a visit to her local National Trust garden, which was “full of blooms in lilac, lime and emerald”. The designs are a mix of botanicals and abstract geometrics.
The Speckford collection at John Lewis offers a new take on country florals inspired by the gardens at the Leckford Estate, once home to the company’s founder, Spedan Lewis, and now the Waitrose Farm. The Longstock duvet set (from £55) is especially pretty.
Sainsbury’s The Garden Room collection is also bursting with bright, breezy florals.
Let the light in
Curtains are being cast aside and blinds ditched in favour of sleek shutters. “Louvred shutters are a stylish and affordable option and ideal for sitting rooms, letting light into your home while ensuring privacy,” says Murray Clark, director of The Shutter Store, as “unlike curtains, they don’t obscure the architectural details of a window frame. Coloured shutters are an interesting alternative to a feature wall and solid shutters in a calming colour like soft pink are perfect for bedrooms as they shut out the light.”
Prices for MDF shutters start at £168 per square metre. shutters.co.uk