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5 tips for welcoming spring at home

by HousingInterior DesignNatural decorationSpringSpring decorTips

Mother Nature has been asleep and rested the whole winter but spring is coming soon.

 The season change can bring you joy, peace and relaxation at home.

In a way, the body is also asleep during winter, we spend less time outside, and we eat more comfort food during Sinterklass and Christmas events. The body is slowing down.

Spring is the opportunity to awake our 5 senses, to add more consciousness in our daily lives in order to feel lighter and to feel better.

Etagère en bois LOVE

1. Sight

  • My first advice is to surround yourself with plants and flowers. Adding plants and flowers in all the rooms of your house will bring life into it.

Watching the plants growing, living, changing along the seasons is very resourceful.

Small, big, growing fast, growing slowly, even if you don’t have green fingers, there are plants for everyone and every rooms don’t worry!

 

  • My second tip is to apply the biophilic design by using natural patterns in your decor.

For example, posters of flowers or plants can decorate a kitchen or an office.

Dry flowers can bring colours in a living room.

If you are in the mood for bigger renovation, you can apply a landscape design wallpaper in a corridor or in a bedroom.

 

  • My third tip is to clear and clean your home. Clearing your home or your office will also clear your mind at the same time.

Then you are ready for spring and summer.

You may already know Marie Kondo, the expert in home organizing.

With her method, you know where to start to have a fresh and steady home.

ensemble de coussins, palmier

2. Touch

 Change the textiles and the fabrics in your home, just like you do with your clothes.

You store your wool jumpers in your wardrobe and you rather wear cooler clothes, right?

In winter, we like comfortable and warm fabrics in the house such as a wool plaid, velvet cushions or bouclette curtains for example.

In spring, you can let these warm fabrics in the closet until next winter and replace them with natural fabrics such as a linen plaid, some cotton curtains and bamboo cotton pillows.

Bougie avec des fleurs

3. Smell

In winter, we rather go for sweet and warm scents like cinnamon, vanilla, wood perfumes.

Spring is the blooming season.

You can replace your winter candles and sticks by some flower, lemon and fresh grass home perfume.

It will give a fresh smell and it contributes to a positive mood.

Of course, the plants and the flowers you add in your home will clean the air and bring a nice smell as well.

Oranger sur un balcon

4. Taste

We saw earlier the benefits of importing more plants inside your home.  What about the outside?

If you have a garden, you are the lucky one!

But you don’t need a garden or a large terrace to plant some tomatoes, some strawberries or some herbs.

The minimum you need is a French balcony, not because I am French..

Growing your own vegetables and herbs doesn’t take much time.

You will be so proud of eating your own fresh harvest. From the balcony to the plate in just 2 minutes.

Gardening is well-known for relaxing so it’s time to plant!

Relaxation, vue sur les montagnes

5. Ear

Just open the window and listen to the birds, there are very active in this season.

If you live in the city-center and the only thing you can hear when you open the window is the traffic jam and the motorcycle klaxons.

Then, you can find plenty of nature sound playlists.

For more information about spring decoration, contact me!

the netherlands / pays-bas

Moving to The Netherlands: Houses specifications

by ExpatriationHousingInterior DesignMovingNetherlands

Do you like traditional Dutch architecture ?  Are you considering moving to the Netherlands into one of these brick houses, majestic in height ? Their deformed appearance in some places reflects the experience of its houses which have survived the ages. As pretty as they are, you may encounter difficulties in furnishing them. Indeed, the Dutch architecture is unique and differs from the one of your home country.

Stairs and windows

On your first visit, you will notice it immediately. Staircases are very often narrow and steep. Be careful not to slip, you will have pain for 3 weeks (real experience …)

If you are importing your own furniture from your current house, make sure it can be transported through this stairwell. Your sofa or your family wardrobe could get stuck or you risk lumbago (real story …).

Exterior facades very often have a pulley for lifting loads. Initially, these pulleys were used to lift and store the goods.

Most moving companies use exterior elevators, however, this requires your windows to be able to open sufficiently. Indeed, the windows on the facades do not all open, some are fixed panes.

The living room

As the traditional Dutch accommodation is all in height, the living room of a 100 m2 accommodation will be the same area as a 200 m2 accommodation. This is explained by the number of floors. Indeed, a housing of 100 m2 will be composed of 2 floors, where a housing of 200 m2 will be composed of 4 floors. The number of rooms will therefore be greater, but the living room will be of the same size. This can be a bit confusing when you want to have a large living room for the whole family.

The interior designer advises you on how to optimize this type of home to match your needs and desires.

In recent detached houses, the living rooms have been redesigned and the living room is often larger.

The basement floor

The basement floor dwellings are on several levels, one of which is in the basement. This type of house exist in many countries, however, often these basement rooms are dedicated to bedrooms, the laundry room or are additional storage space.

In the Netherlands, some apartments are entirely on the basement floor and their price is not significantly lower.

Ground

When buying an apartment or a house, you might be surprised that the apartment is completely empty, even the flooring will have been removed. The previous owner leaves the premises with the flooring, however, you can come to an agreement and buy back the parquet or carpet already installed. The good thing about this practice is that you can renovate your new apartment more easily since the floor will already be empty.

This practice also exists for rental apartments under the condominium rules, but it is becoming less and less frequent.

Kitchen equipment

Very common in American kitchens, sink crushers are rare in Dutch kitchens. New habits should be adopted to avoid calling the plumber too often.

Boiling water taps are booming in Dutch kitchens, very useful for making tea in 20 seconds.

Also, you might be surprised that the kitchen is not equipped with an oven nor microwave. While the oven is an obvious, systematic and indispensable piece of equipment in many countries, this is not the case in the Netherlands.

So be careful during your visits if this matters to you.

The laundry room

The laundry room Newer Dutch houses are usually designed to take advantage of maximum space, with builders usually having the washer and dryer on the top floor under the eaves. This more or less cramped room can also be fitted out and optimized by an interior designer. A laundry room on a high floor might seem surprising if you come from a country in southern Europe.

The rooms

In some countries, real estate regulations are strict, for example, in France, a space can only be qualified as a bedroom if the surface is 9m2 and the height is 1.80m.

In the Netherlands, this rule does not exist. For example, you will therefore see advertisements for apartments with 3 bedrooms of 5 m2, 8 m2 and 12 m2 respectively. Concretely, in a room of 5 m2, you can only install a double bed.

It is up to you to be vigilant and to ensure the use of these parts beforehand.

Sidewalks

In the city centers or the oldest districts lined with traditional Dutch houses, you will see the sidewalks and the doorsteps decorated and laid out. Indeed, the Dutch take advantage of every ray of sunshine. They transform their outdoor stairs into a mini terrace with a chair or a bench or even their doorstep into a small flower garden without fear of seeing them disappear overnight.

Moving to the Netherlands ?

Let me help you with the home staging and the interior design. Contact me !