By Michelle Lee, Houzz
Many of our gardens have withered and turned barren for the season. The days are darker and we’ll be cuddling up indoors for the next couple months, but it’s essential to bring life and light indoors to help combat the winter blues. Research has shown that exercising your green thumb this month can help boost your mood and health. Here are seven easy ways to get started.
Add houseplants. Houseplants are incredibly versatile and welcome in every room of the house. Even for the most novice gardener, succulents and cacti are very low-maintenance options to start with. Think about proportion, form and texture when choosing plants to complement your existing style and bring it to life.
Start With These Top 10 Houseplants
Buy freshly cut flowers. If you’re looking for a shorter commitment and a burst of color this winter, look no further than your local farmer’s market or grocery store. Roses, lilies and tulips are beautiful in-season options and add a lovely fragrance indoors. Shop for decorative vases for an even brighter display and don’t forget to water them daily. The entryway, dining table and nightstand are great places to showcase their beauty.
Bring in reclaimed or live-edge wood. Add tree bark indoors for a naturalistic look and rustic vibe. Live-edge wood maintains the natural shape of the tree, which results in one-of-a-kind shelves, tables and even countertops. This New York home takes on a stylish and unique approach by implementing a live-edge sliding barn door. You can also incorporate reclaimed wood in your design with furniture or wall and floor treatments.
How to Bring Reclaimed Wood to the Kitchen
Stock up on firewood. ‘Tis the season of long nights spent cozying up around the fire. Capitalize on your fire feature by keeping wooden logs nearby, stacked up in the corner of a room or stored in baskets. If you have a non-functional fireplace, you can still fill it with firewood to create visual interest.
Paint the walls green. If your walls are in need of a revitalizing refresh, choose Mother Nature’s neutral. We’re not talking about bright lime or neon green here, but rather a soothing shade of pale green or deeper olive hues. These shades exhibit calming properties, making them excellent color candidates for any room in the house. Not sure where to start? A Houzz study shows that green is a popular choice for kitchen walls and backsplashes.
Hang a photograph of nature. You can also welcome the outdoors in with a large-scale photograph of your favorite landscape. Blow up a personal picture from your travels or shop for awe-inspiring professional photos. Customize the mood by choosing a sunny field, a dark and mysterious forest or crashing waves on an ocean shore.
Stylish Ceiling Lights to Illuminate Artwork
Carve out a skylight. Natural light has a plethora of positive effects from improving health to boosting productivity. This tip is especially helpful for those suffering from seasonal affective disorder. Installing a skylight or solar tube may be an ambitious task but will soon pay off in a wide variety of ways. If your roof doesn’t allow this configuration, expansive wall-to-wall or floor-to-ceiling windows are great alternatives.
