Dawn Matthews | Apr 9, 2024
Making The Most Of Spring Evenings At Home
15 Minute Read
Spring is one of the most hopeful, wonderful times of the year – especially once the clocks go forward and we start to enjoy lighter evenings for longer. How much time we can spend outdoors really depends upon what weather we’re blessed with, and since the UK has such interchangeable spring weather, having a plan for your evenings means that you can really make the most of them, both indoors and out. In this post, we’re suggesting ways that you can enjoy spending time, at home and in nature.
Refresh Your Home
Spring is all about renewal, and when the spring showers keep you indoors of an evening, look at the ways you can refresh the spaces in your home. Do you want to do a simple makeover, or start a major project?
For those of us that are in the mood for a simple home refresh, evenings are a great time to swap soft furnishings from heavy winter weight ones to lighter, summer weight ones, like swapping wool blankets for cotton throws. You can also use wet or chilly evenings to order new home accessories, or finally get around to doing those little jobs you’ve been putting off, like installing new shelving or a new notice board.
It might be that the spring has you hankering for a total home renovation project. If you’re planning a bigger refresh of your home and maybe some DIY, then we’d recommend using your evenings to get some of the prep done – whether that is doing proper planning, sugar soaping the walls ready for painting, or moving furniture.
Spring is also a great time to replace your furniture. For many of us, after Christmas, Easter lunch is one of the few times during the year we gather our families together, so a new kitchen table can be a wise purchase; but you might also look to refresh your home office with a new desk, or to give your hallway a makeover with a new console table.
If you’re pretty happy with your home as it is, then doing spring cleaning when the weather isn’t great is a productive way to make the most of spring evenings, and to ensure that you can truly enjoy your space. It is relatively simple to clean your home in a sustainable way using natural products – vinegar and baking soda are key ingredients, if you want to freshen your space naturally. There are also plenty small jobs that don’t take huge amounts of time to do, but that make a big difference. Descaling your kettle, cleaning your fridge and the microwave, or doing a deep clean in your bathroom are all tasks that don’t take long at all. Don’t feel you have to do them all at once though – one small job each evening quickly adds up to a spotless home!
Prepare Your Outdoor Space
As the weather turns from mild to warm, there are (hopefully!) lots of sunny days on the way that we all want to make the most of. So now is the time to get your garden, and other outdoor spaces ready. Tackling the garden after the winter, when you might not have been out there for months might feel a little overwhelming, but you can break down the tasks you need to do, and check them off one evening at a time.
Clean your patio or decking
We know, this job isn’t one of the easiest, or most fun to do, but you have to admit – it is one of the most satisfying to enjoy when it is done! Autumn and winter leave a lot of grime on patios and decking, and can leave them slippery when wet. Whether you have invested in a pressure washer or you’re going to tackle it by hand, there is some great guidance on cleaning your patio in this post. If you’re cleaning wooden decking, you may need to plan for another coat of wood finish to protect it.
Maintain your garden furniture
When you’ve invested in some gorgeous garden furniture, like a great outdoor table, you want to be sure you can use it the first chance you can get. Family meals outdoors are not fun when there are cobwebs still in place – and even less so if a spider actually appears! Take an evening to brush down your garden furniture, and for all the wooden furniture for your garden, make sure you’ve treated it with the best wood finish for the type of wood it is made from. If you’ve chosen outdoor furniture from our range, then we recommend our Outdoor Care Pack, which has everything you need to take care of pine garden furniture.
Prep your outdoor kitchen
Eating outdoors is a must during the milder months of the year, and so a warm spring evening is a perfect time to get your outdoor kitchen ready. Clean everything down, treat any wood, and make sure you have all the outdoor kitchen accessories you might want this year. Finally, make sure that you get your herb garden sorted, so that you have all those delicious freshly grown extras you want in your spring and summer salads.
Tackle the weeding and plan for new plants
Again, this might be a big job, but divide your garden up and do a small section each evening, (perhaps with a glass of wine by your side!) and it won’t take as long as you think – and it will definitely beat trying to do it all on the first really sunny weekend of the year! The most environmentally friendly way is to remove weeds by hand, pulling them out at their roots. Do this while the soil is damp, and they will come out much easier, but there are also tools you can buy to help.
You might not be able to get to the local garden centre immediately, but if you’re tackling weeding in the evenings, you can identify any empty patches, and research what plants might work best in those spaces. This means you can go into the garden centre with a plan, rather than wondering what might work, or ending up with a plant that dies because it prefers shade to full sunshine in the summer.
Find outdoor accessories
Finally, when you have friends and family over, you’re going to want them to love your garden as much as you do – so spring is time to get your garden accessories sorted. Solar powered garden lighting, planters, and lanterns for atmospheric candle lighting are all great places to start. Then make sure you have all the bits and bobs to make your garden seating and dining areas more comfortable. Cushions, throws, an outdoor coffee table and a specific tray to bring your drinks and snacks out on will all lead to some really lovely times in your garden, from the spring, throughout the summer, and hopefully, long into the autumn too.
Get Out There!
Whether you’ve done all the jobs or not, sometimes it is really as simple as getting into the garden on a spring evening and enjoying the weather, depending on exactly how warm it is! A few ideas we love during this time of year…
🌻 Simply sitting outside with a cup of tea and a book for half an hour
🌻 Bringing dinner – and the family – outside for a no-screen meal
🌻 Light a fire in the chimenea or fire pit and enjoy drinks with your partner or friends
🌻 Use your outdoor kitchen or barbecue to make dinner outside
If the weather isn’t quite warm enough, make sure you have ways to snuggle up – those giant wearable hoodies, hot water bottles, and fluffy winter blankets can allow you to be outdoors for just a little longer on cooler spring evenings.
While being at home during spring evenings is fantastic – and you’ll definitely have a lovely time enjoying your garden, and the home you’ve created – there’s nothing better than getting outdoors to enjoy nature when you’ve finished work. Whether you’re lucky enough to be able to go to the beach for a quick dip, take a hike in the woods, have dinner on a rug in the park (bag of chips, perhaps?), or a pint in your local beer garden, make the most of the season by getting out and enjoying the weather.
Our Final Thoughts
Spring evenings are a wonderful time to enjoy, whether you’re taking in the peace and quiet alone, or you’re with your family. Making the most of them means making plans for prepping your home and your garden, so that when we get unexpectedly nice evening, you can make spontaneous plans. If you just want to kick back and relax, or you want to go on a mini adventure, we hope you have the best time! Don’t forget to take lots of photos for your memories, and if you decide to be productive in your home or garden, don’t forget to tag us in your Instagram posts @bensimpsonfurniture.
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