Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

9 Ways to Refresh Your Home for Spring

9 Ways to Refresh Your Home for Spring

Beata Heuman’s tips for renewing the spaces we know so well, alongside imagery from her new book, Every Room Should Sing.


In Hammersmith, London, sitting at a felt-topped desk a short walk from her Victorian home, Swedish designer Beata Heuman has been preoccupied with how to be useful. Heuman’s first book, Every Room Should Sing, publishes today. She wrote it over the past year, largely in lockdown, while also running her interior design business, and as she typed, she tried to put herself at the kitchen tables of her readers. “I wanted to cover elements that often seem to be overlooked in design,” Heuman says over a video call, “things people struggle with, like expressing your personality, which can make people quite anxious.”

The projects Heuman chose to publish have a through-line of high-low materials (think hand painted walls behind a smart IKEA chair), and an undone, animating playfulness that suggests the owners are watching movies and eating omelettes just out of the frame. The decorative details-a rise-and-fall pendant light here, a mug of colored pencils there-are miles deep, but lightly placed. Little is left plain when it could be scalloped, or embroidered, or illustrated, made more tactile with texture or lined with marbled paper. The effect is captivatingly personal. “You want your home to be the best version of yourself,” says Heuman, “and with the book, I wanted to help people think through how to do that, and not become too caught up with what the ‘right’ thing to do is.”

Like the rest of us, Heuman has also been at home for a long time, trying her hand at cinnamon buns and rearranging the furniture. “No matter how much you love your home,” says Heuman, “everyone benefits from a refresh. It’s energizing.” Here are her tips for renewing the spaces we know so well, alongside imagery from Every Room Should Sing.



1. Start with a Spring Clean


“Give things away, take stock, and put things in order,” says Heuman. “Knowing where everything is and being organized makes your home feel bigger. I have one of those Dymo Label Makers at my house–sometimes I go a bit crazy.”

2. White Tablecloths are Refined and a Little Bit Dangerous


“Nothing quite beats a white tablecloth. Laying the table gives a sense of occasion, and fresh white is very uplifting. That cleanliness feels like a treat. Even though I have children, I still do it, and pile on the stain remover afterward.”


3. Bring the Outdoors In


“It’s the oldest trick in the book,” says Heuman. “The nicest thing about flowers is that they offer variation. There is only so much you can change about your home, but bringing in different flowers or moving pots around can give your space a lift.”

“I stole an idea from my friend Amber Guinness to put hooks in the ceiling and hang olive branches,” she continues. “We have an olive tree in our garden, so I just decided to try it, and the transformation was amazing. So simple, but the effect was dramatic.”



4. Experiment with Scent


“Scent is such a powerful thing, and if you find a new scent that you love, bringing that into your home is a nice way to create a different atmosphere. Look for scented candles, soaps, even a bag of lavender or lavender water that you can put in your iron to get your linens smelling really lovely.”

“I quite like it when my house smells a little bit like detergent,” she laughs. “And for me I love the signature scent from Le Sirenuse in Positano-that’s the holy grail, the perfume I always wear.”



5. Make Ordinary Details Extraordinary


“Things that you’re touching and seeing all the time have an outsized impact on how you feel,” says Heuman. She suggests making a start by upgrading hardware, shampoo bottles, and lampshades.

“It’s a concept I use often in my work,” Heuman explains. “We’ll make a decision to use quite simple joinery, and then make it more special by using really beautiful handles. I also decant washing-up liquid and shampoo into nice glass bottles. Things that you experience quite intimately like that can really make a difference.”

Decorating white card lampshades with watercolors is another of Heuman’s ideas for elevating the ordinary. “If you can hold a brush you can do it-it doesn’t have to be anything complicated. It could be purely geometric, or even a smiley face on a card shade could be quite cool. The shades don’t cost very much, so you can afford to try things.”



6. Change Your Cushions


“Cushions are a very easy way to change the feeling of a room. They can be swapped out seasonally, or even twice a year, for a big impact without breaking the bank.”



7. Dress Up Your Walls


“Something, anything, is better than nothing on a blank wall. Inexpensive art posters are great, and I think the bigger the better. I love using prints by the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint.”



8. Rearrange the Furniture


“Moving your furniture around will give any room a different perspective. Occasional furniture is also really helpful in making a room flexible and dual purpose-this past year our playroom has become a home cinema!”



9. Add Personality with Postcards


“I love buying postcards from exhibitions, and sticking them up on the fridge with interesting magnets, or the mantelpiece, or even tucking them into the frames of mirrors or artwork. It’s a nice way of curating your favorite pieces of art, and adding layers of interest to your home.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×