What do you do when you are staring at four walls day after day because it’s too cold to go outside, when you have taken down the glamorous holiday decorations and your house feels tired and blah?

How do you struggle through the remaining days of winter with no light at the end of the tunnel? Can you survive these cold drab days of whitish grey landscape as you shave frost off of your car windshield day after day, will your manicure ever recover and will your toes ever see the light of a fresh colourful pedicure?

For obvious reasons, more people redecorate in the winter.

Our lack of colour and pleasant chores outside force us in and as a result we look at our interior for extended periods of time. Our nature craves colour and freshness and it is a natural want to bring that vitality to our homes.

Painting, new accessories, linens and citrusy soaps and lotions all feed our craving for spring as we wait as patiently as humanly possible.

Bring the outdoors inside!

Add some plants or treat yourself to fresh cut flowers on a weekly basis to infuse your home with botanical beauty. Just step inside a florists’ cooler and I guarantee the smell of the cut flowers will give you such a rush – at least it does for me! Find a warm sunny spot in your home and plant some herbs and watch your sunny disposition grow at the prospect of nurturing these infant plants.

Use lemony scents of basil, thyme and fresh bright flavours like mint and coriander.

Invest in daffodils and get an early jump on spring as you watch them bloom sooner than anything outside could accomplish.

For more indulgence how about a quick trip to Victoria in March to watch the daffodils being harvested – guaranteed to lift your winter blahs.

Indulge in your favorite colour and don’t be afraid to go for the gusto. Dive into a colour you love whether you paint or add accessories.

I found a lovely quilted blanket for my bed in the most delightful shade of chartreuse and I do believe that I sleep better under that gorgeous colour!

Maybe that is in my head but it makes tucking into bed much more delightful than the brown quilt I used to have on my bed. Colour affects our mental well being and even if you aren’t brave enough to throw bright orange paint on a wall you can certainly treat yourself with a cozy pair of slippers, a new nail polish or a stunning scarf to indulge in your colour fix.

Don’t neglect your favorite summer treats, the other day I heard on the radio that Dilly bars were on sale at Dairy Queen and I thought how ridiculous, it’s January!

Wouldn’t you know it the next day a co-worker walked by eating an ice cream treat and it made my mouth water which made me think of those on sale Dilly bars! Something I would only indulge in on hot summer days became an unusual and delightful treat in the dead of winter and truly made me think of summertime.

The days are getting longer and warmer times are ahead, use these quiet cold days to bring a little life into your home and some summer joy into your days.

Kim Meckler is an interior designer with Carpet Colour Centre in Red Deer.