How I Refresh our Entire House for the New Year

I’ve been sharing this week how our home is currently in “clean state” mode. The last of the Christmas decor bins have been brought down to the basement. I put away any of the throw pillow covers that I used for Christmas, and have found myself in no rush to bring back my everyday decor I had out before Christmas. Sometimes it’s nice to start the new year off with a clean slate visually and mentally in our homes. Not allowing anything to rush us into making decisions too quickly, or decorating for that matter. Nothing that visually clutters our mind, but really just allows us a little breathing room.

Today, I’m sharing how I refresh our entire house for the New Year.

Once the Christmas decor is all put away, I start by giving all my rooms a nice deep cleaning.

Now is the time where I like to do a deep cleaning, when all my surfaces are bare. With minimal decor out, I take time to wipe down all my shelves, and dust every last corner in our home. I take time to do some of that deep cleaning I may not have had time for in the rush of the holiday season. This gives me a chance to see our home with a fresh set of eyes, and really evaluate the things I have, and what pieces of decor I absolutely love, because inevitably they are the things that make their way back to those surfaces first.

I take time to go through drawers, and organize any of the clutter that has accumulated over the past year. This way every space starts off the new year fresh. I’ve found that when I don’t do this, things can pile up over the years, and then I have to spend more time cleaning and purging vs. taking the time to do a quick assessment at the start of each year.

Taking the time to organize and revisit any areas that may need attention each year, helps for a more organized home all year long.

I go through bins and boxes, throwing out anything I haven’t used or needed in the past year, or won’t need in the coming year. It also allows me to see any storage needs we might have, and if any of my storage systems already in place need to be fixed, cleaned up, or replaced.

I re-evaluate what storage systems are working for us as a family. Any organization I did the year before, to make sure things are still practical for what our family needs. Doing this last year lead to me swapping out the bench in our kitchen entryway for this antique dresser.

For years we used the bench as a place for our toddlers to sit while we tied their shoes, and placed crates underneath to hold all of our shoes. This worked great for years, until our kids grew and no longer needed our help tying their shoes. What they did need help with was reaching the bin that held all their hats and gloves everytime they wanted to go out and play in the snow. Having that bin on the top shelf in a closet wasn’t serving our family well, so by replacing the bench in our kitchen with a small dresser, I was able to utilize the drawers to hold their hats and gloves, that they could now reach whenever they needed them.

If you are finding yourself feeling stuck with your homes decor, try putting away all the extra, and living in the blank space for a little bit. This always helps me when I’m not loving a space so much anymore, to remove all the clutter, and see it with a fresh set of eyes.

I shared more on this process, when I did it in our living room a few years ago, and it helped so much! You can read more about it HERE, and the steps I took during that process.

And if you need a little help putting your house back together after the holidays, check out My Go-To Decorating Advice – HERE.

I hope you feel inspired to do a little refreshing in your home this winter too!