It’s no surprise that we tend to bunker down during the winter months and hibernate a little, with the short days and dark, dark nights not really lending themselves to much beyond quality family time and snuggling up on the sofa.
But as the weather improves, we tend to wake up - so it’s also no surprise that people start to think about making changes to their homes during the spring and summer months.
You might well have already heard that April is National Home Improvement Month, a campaign that encourages people to really love the homes in which they live and pledge to refurbish just one room over the month.
A task that certainly sounds doable to us here at Mineheart, especially when you think that you can really make a living space feel completely fresh and new just by bringing in some beautiful designer art and prints, and giving the room a bit of a paint makeover.
It’s worth remembering that quick wins can often be an excellent way of satisfying your home improvement urges. You don’t always have to pull your house apart and make significant structural changes for it to feel brand-new and exciting. People often decorate their homes in accordance with the seasons in order to keep it feeling fresh, so this might be something to consider as we move from spring to summer.
If you’re keen to see what other people are doing to mark National Home Improvement Month this April, you can easily do so on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by following the #MakeOneChange hashtag.
And, of course, if you do any work on your home over the next few weeks, make sure you share photos and use the hashtag so other people can see what you’ve been up to as well.
If you’re after a bigger project than simply wallpapering, laying down a new rug or bringing in some new luxury cushions for your living room, research shows that the kitchen is the most popular area for people to improve. Some 20 per cent of would-be interior designers say that they would pick this living space first and foremost, followed by the bedroom and bathroom, and then the living room.
And if you’re concerned about climate change and your own carbon footprint, making green home improvements this year could prove really beneficial to the environment. A solar water heating system which uses heat from the sun to warm the water in your home can really help reduce your energy bills and lower your carbon footprint.
You could also change all the lightbulbs at home for energy-saving ones, which typically use 75 per cent less electricity than traditional bulbs - while generating the same level of light.
