Kelly Bertrand makes over her home to be brighter, bolder and far more optimistic as we head into spring – but focuses only on small changes with new season spring décor, but with maximum impact!
Capsule x The Warehouse
Ah, spring – the most optimistic season of them all! Let’s be honest, it’s been a bloody run of gloom during winter, but across the motu it feels like there’s finally some sunshine and happiness at the end of the tunnel (well, it’s what I’m manifesting, anyway!). In this fun, fresh spring spirit, I wanted my house to reflect my positivity – there’s a lot of black, white and neutrals going on, so amongst my spring-cleaning (I’m so lame, it’s genuinely one of my favourite things to do) I wanted to add in some little things to brighten up my home, without breaking the budget. Zhushing up your house is all down to the little things, rather than making big changes, so, working with what I already have and love, I popped down to The Warehouse to hunt for a few bits and pieces of new spring décor that would change the entire vibe of my place! Here are my top tips:
Add in a few new soft furnishings
When you’re working with little things to make big changes, soft furnishings should always be your first go-to. They’re cost-effective, they instantly change the vibe of a room and you can afford to be bold with colours and textures – well, more so than when you’re choosing permanent pieces such as couches and tables!
In keeping with my ‘bright, bold, fresh’ theme, I couldn’t go past this wild throw that absolutely screams warmer days are on the way (also this is really betraying my age, but my first thought when I saw this was iconic 2000s perfume Escada Rockin’ Rio which I positively bathed myself in as a precocious 13-year-old).
Living & Co Check Throw Pink Pink, $39
Being this bold with colour is a BIIIIIG move for me, so I then opted to chill things out a little bit and ground my colour palette, while still keeping the tones in the same family – I spotted these fun geometric printed cushions that still offered a pop of colour, but in a more earthy way that’ll tie into everything else in my house. I’m also planning on using these on my bed when I have my earth-coloured linen duvet on.
Living & Co Yarn Dyed Jacquard Cushion Geo Caramel Rust 45cm x 45cm, $20
Be bold with colour
We’ve started this trend strongly already, but I was determined to stay away from my trusty shades and neutrals and opt for items that have a little more personality. So, instead of the black and white checked tea towels, it was a huge yes to the bright mustard version instead, and rather than the normal boring white ramekins I use on my cheese boards, I went for a gorgeous sage green. And finally, a pop of colour in my mug collection to tie everything together – and with a name like Amalfi Yellow, I’m more than happy to dream about an Italian holiday over my morning coffee.
Living & Co Awaroa Tea Towel Mustard Yellow 2 Pack, $5
Living & Co Ramekin Sage 8.5cm, $3
Living & Co Amalfi Mug Yellow Dark, $4
Switch out something small
Updating your home to switch up the vibe doesn’t mean massive changes like replacing furniture or rugs – rather, a small addition can make all the difference. I spotted this ottoman as soon as I entered the store and fell in love. It balances out all of my new colour, provides another gorgeous new texture with the boucle finish, AND gives me more storage with the removable lid. It’s also practical, as we can use it as a footstool, side table or an extra seat when we have people over.
Living & Co Roma Boucle Ottoman Snow, $69
For something so small, our placemats our dining room table take up quite the amount of real estate – so why not switch out our plain black options for something a little more fun and informal? These woven frayed green numbers are the perfect shade to tie all of the new colours together, and are easy to clean and fabulous to pop out for any occasion – they’ve really lifted a space that was previously devoid of colour!
Living & Co Woven Frayed Placemat 2 Pack Green 38cm, $8
Refresh tired objects
What self-respecting Kiwi doesn’t like a ‘two birds one stone’ approach to home décor? When switching up your vibe for the season, have a little look around for things that need to be replaced anyway – for us it was our non-stick frypan that had certainly seen better days. What a great opportunity to switch it out for a new one in a fun colour that makes me happy when I go to cook with it?
Living & Co Recycled Aluminium Frypan Green 30cm, $39
I also had some candle holders that have seen far better days – in fact, one was so bent that I had to Blu-tak the candle base to it which, now that I think about it, isn’t a great fire-safety tip (yup I’m an idiot). So, when I saw this fun – and sturdy – taper candle holder that adds a huge amount of personality to my drinks cabinet. I absolutely adore the shape and I’m sorry, it looks SO MUCH MORE expensive than it is.
Living & Co Double Taper Candle Holder, $16
Focus on feelings
To paraphrase Fleabag, vibes are EVERYTHING, Anthony. Sure, how your place looks is a massive element, but how it feels is where you really see the value in making little changes. To the surprise of no-one who reads Capsule, for me, this is candles. I always have one burning when I’m at home, and they have the power to completely turn my mood around, so I have quite the supply at the ready.
Can you IMAGINE how jazzed I was to see this new range pop up at The Warehouse – not only are they super-fun to look at, I can genuinely tell you that they smell freaking incredible – not even for the price, just bloody gorgeous. I went for the yellow and purple jar to tie in with everything else, but don’t sleep on the other scents too.
Cosmic Crush Scented Candle Mango & Pineapple Yellow 300g, $12
Invest in yourself
I mean, you can’t have a brand-new home vibe without having one for yourself, right?! I could NOT go past The Warehouse’s new ribbed activewear/ loungewear sets and before you say, ‘hang on Kelly, where is the bold and bright’ PLEASE know that wearing anything cropped IS bold for me because I’m an old millennial and cropped anything just isn’t in our go-to fashion arsenal. But, I adore the chic chocolate colour and my lord, these are comfy!
Active Intent Women’s Cotton Elastane Rib Ankle Leggings, $22 and Active Intent Women’s Cotton Elastane Rib Tank, $18
When in doubt, fresh flowers
It’s the finishing touches that make a room really come alive, and a beautiful all-purpose glass vase full of seasonal blooms is the perfect final addition (and also, when you leave an empty vase out, it’s the perfect invitation for a certain someone to fill it!). Your local dairy is the perfect place to go for a few stems – you don’t need a whole bouquet! – and I picked up these gorgeous yellow tulips for $12, and used a clear glass bulb vase (of course, a few artificial stems with some greenery looks fab too, if you CBF’d with replacing fresh ones!).
