Photographed by Stephan Julliard. Interior design by Stéphan Bidoux and Julien Villeneuve. From a Right Bank Parisian apartment making a case for vivid green accents
2. Start cleaning
This is that therapeutic and fun part we’ve been talking about; where you stop procrastinating and get down to the nitty gritty of the process. “Clear the schedule and start early while your motivation (and energy) is still high, open up all the windows and put your favourite track on—loud,” Vidović advises, adding, “start at one end of the house and work your way through each room successively, emptying out all the drawers, cupboards and shelves one at a time, before cleaning and packing it all away.”
It’s worth acknowledging that spring cleaning any home, no matter how big or small, can feel horribly overwhelming but learning to break up the tasks and rooms into easy, manageable jobs will serve you well. “I find this is the easiest way to compartmentalise each little job without turning the whole house upside down all at once,” says Vidović. “It also means you’re not committed to doing it all in a day and can spread it out over a few days.”
And do not forget that under no circumstances should this task fall only on your shoulders if there’s a whole family occupying space in your home. Everingham recommends getting children to help sort small things like pens and pencils, or getting taller offspring to help reach the tops of cupboards.