After the holidays, it’s important to restore your home to its usual state so that everyday life can quietly resume. Removing items brought out to make guests comfortable will ensure that your home doesn’t look cluttered and chaotic once the new year begins.
We asked a designer to name the top five items that she immediately puts away once the holidays are over to make her home feel calmer again.
Holiday Greenery
While you can repurpose simple greenery as winter decor, decorated wreaths, garlands, and holiday mantel arrangements can become overwhelming when the new year arrives.
“Leaving greenery up past its moment can make a home feel stuck in the previous season,” says interior designer Lauren Saab. “Removing it clears visual weight that allows the bones of the room and your everyday decor to feel fresh again.”
Extra Seating
Saab recommends removing any extra seating, such as poufs, stools, or dining chairs that often get pulled in from kitchens, bedrooms, or offices, to accommodate holiday gatherings.
“After the guests have departed, these temporary additions to your home can obstruct circulation within the room and disrupt the original proportion of the space,” she advises.
Return those additional items to their designated spaces to restore balance and flow to your dining room and living room layout.
Festive Accents
Holiday accents and decor, such as bowls, extra candles, and sculptural objects, can pile up on entryway tables and dining consoles during the holidays.
Create a sense of order by clearing those surfaces of holiday-specific decor. When restyling surfaces, Saab suggests sticking to a single anchor piece as an antidote to the excess of the holidays.
Excess Throw Blankets
Winter entertaining often includes bringing out additional throw blankets for guests and family to create a welcoming and cozy feel.
“If those throw blankets remain in place, they can cause a cluttered look,” Saab says. “By choosing to return to just one quality throw blanket, you can keep your space looking polished and intentional.”
Store excess blankets in a linen closet, a floor basket, a blanket ladder, or a chest of drawers.
Serving Dishes and Barware
Once the holiday festivities are over, return extra serving dishes and barware to their usual spots.
“Those items, which appeared festive and fun during the holidays, become clutter and detract from the overall look of your home when they remain in the open after the holidays,” Saab notes. “By placing those serving items and barware back into storage, you can instantly quiet the room.”