24 The Courier sun • at home • APRIL 14, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com AT HOME BRING THE OUTDOORS IN By Tresa Erickson With temperatures heating up, you are spending more and more time outdoors. You’re working on your flowerbeds, sprucing up your garden shed and more. Oh, how you love the warm weather. It makes you want to throw open your doors and windows and bring the outdoors in. Lucky for you, you can. Here are some tips. Bring in the natural light Replace those heavy window coverings with lighter ones wherever possible. Use sheers instead of drapes. Pull up those blinds. Clean your doors and windows, open them on good days and remove anything obstructing the view outdoors. Opt for lighter, earthier colors Planning to do a little repainting this spring? Choose lighter, earthier shades, like greens, blues, browns and yellows. Any color that reminds you of nature will help bring the outdoors in. If you don’t plan to repaint, you can still bring in natural colors by changing out accessories like pillows and throws. Add natural materials Bamboo, hemp, jute, rattan, seagrass and wicker are just some of Mother Nature’s offerings you can bring into your décor. Replace your plastic miniblinds with rattan blinds, purchase some wicker baskets for your magazines and throw down a couple of seagrass rugs. Incorporate natural accessories Mother Nature provides some of the best accessories around, from pinecones and seashells to pebbles and stones to fruit and vegetables. Incorporate these into your décor wherever possible. Trade in that artificial floral centerpiece on your mantel for a bowl of seashells. Add a tray of lemons and limes to your dining room table. Stack some rocks on your hearth. Entice the senses Invoke the feel of Mother Nature everywhere you can in your home. Freshen the air with some woody incense, fragrant potpourri or freshcut flowers. Bring the sound of water to your space with a fountain or two. Hang some nature photos or murals. Although not real, a wall-size mural of a bamboo garden or a wooded forest can make you feel like you are right there in the outdoors. Go green Anytime you make a new purchase, look for the most eco-friendly option available. When shopping for flooring, consider bamboo, cork and wood over man-made materials. When shopping for paint, look for brands low in VOCs, fungicides and biocides. Natural paint and milk paint are ideal. When shopping for linens, look for earth-friendly ones. Of course, one of the best and easiest ways to bring the outdoors is through houseplants. Accept all seedlings and shoots, visit your local nursery for other options and place all of your houseplants where they can be seen. It doesn’t take much to bring the outdoors into your space. Start sprucing it up now, and when the sun goes down and you’re forced to come inside, you might not mind it so much. F R ESE E L EPC T RORNI C SI R ENC Y L INGG E V ENT S A R E COMING TO QUEENS Avoid a fine: it’s now illegal to discard electronics in the regular trash! Event from10AM–4PM Rain or Shine Sunday, April 24 • WOODSIDE Forest Park, Forest Park Drive Bandshell parking lot Sunday, May 1 • JACKSON HEIGHTS 37th Avenue between 77th & 78th Streets WE ACCEPT: Working and non-working computers, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, cables, TVs, VCRs, CD/DVD players, phones, audio/visual equipment, video games, cell phones and PDAs For a full list of our spring 2016 events, contact the Lower East Side Ecology Center at lesecologycenter.org or 212.477.4022 We would like to thank our sponsor: 77 CLEANING, LLC A Green Clean Company • Home and Offi ce Cleaning • Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning • Move In/Move Out • Yard and Garden Clean-Ups • Cleanouts • Windows cleaned SPRING TIME CLEANING We use only Green and Environmentally Safe Cleaning Products! We Serve All 5 Boroughs HOURS: 8 AM – 6 PM 7- DAYS FIRST TIME CUSTOMER SPECIAL! With this coupon. Cannot be combined with any other offer. FREE ESTIMATES! CALL NOW! 718-326-8761 www.77Cleaning.com LICENSED and INSURED With this coupon. Cannot be combined with any other offer. 4 Rooms of Cleaning Only $77 + tax Any 2 Rooms 10’x10’ Carpet Cleaned For Only $77 + tax
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