A Clean Slate for the New Year

Hello Friends!

Happy New Year!! I hope your New Year is off to a great start! I have been embracing the post-holiday “slow down”, and finding contentment in doing less these days. There are a few things that I like to do at the start of every new year in our home. And as I’ve learned to embrace winter, and find comfort in the stillness, I am beginning to looking forward to this time of the year more and more. So in case you have found yourself in a post-holiday slump or fog, I wanted to share my process with you and the steps I take to create a clean slate for the new year. Today it’s all about the home, and next I will be sharing how I do this process in my life personally as well.

Let’s dive in together ~

Now that all the Christmas decorations have been put away, I wait a little bit before bringing out my “everyday” decor. I like to clear off all my surfaces, and allow myself a day or two (sometimes a week) to sit with a clean slate. I also take the time to give every surface a deep clean. Dusting off those shelves, and washing down any surface that hasn’t been cleaned in awhile. With minimal knick knacks in the way, now is the perfect time to do this.

I also find that cleaning my home keeps me from buying anything new this time of year. Or feeling the impulse to bring anything unwanted back into the space that would provide a quick fix. It’s so easy to want to fill up those bare spaces after the Christmas decorations get put away, but I say embrace the blank spaces and the quietness they add for the moment. Give yourself a little breathing room not only visually, but mentally before filling those spaces back up.

Give yourself some time to really think about what you want the space to look and feel like. It’s funny how all those tiny decor elements we add to our spaces to add warmth and texture can overwhelm the space, and before we know it we’ve veered off course from our original vision. I find when I remove all the knick knacks, and even the pieces with patterns and really strip the space back to a clean slate, only then will fresh vision come.

TIP : I also love doing this if I’m feeling stuck with my home decor in a particular space or room.

What areas in your home could use the clean slate as we start the New Year?

Next thing I like to do at the beginning of every new year is to go through and purge my decor. I know the word “purge” can seem a bit abrasive, and even like a daunting task, but it’s amazing how much stuff can accumulate over the years without us even realizing it, and then the next thing we know, we are surrounded by clutter we can’t even remember how it got there. To make things easier I tackle one area at a time. Notice I didn’t say room – sometimes it’s a drawer here, or a closet shelf there. Sometimes it’s even just one cabinet at a time. Do what feels attainable to you. Doing one small area at a time helps me stay on track, and keeps things less overwhelming. Sometimes it’s hard to see what it is we don’t like about a space, because the space is so full we can’t clearly see the space. 

Remember this : If our spaces feel cluttered and chaotic, what do you think that is doing to our mind?

Questions to ask yourself ~

Do you feel the need to simplify your space? Are you feeling like you are surrounded by a bunch of small knick knacks you can’t see the ultimate design for your space anymore? Are you wanting to refresh a room, or a fresh start in your favorite room? Here are few things to consider as you start this process:

• Start by removing anything that has a strong or bold pattern
• Remember it’s only temporary, so if you feel like the walls are closing in on you, strip your room down to the main pieces, and take some time to breath in the space before slowly bringing items back in.
• Have you lost the vision for your space? Sometimes the best way to cast new vision is to remove everything so you can clearly see the space, you may be surprised by what you bring back to the space and what you don’t.
• Is your space feel stale or blah? Maybe simplifying your space for a room refresh is just what you need!

Below is an example of our previous Living Room in Clean Slate mode :

No matter what room I do this in, whether I clear off all of the surfaces, or strip the room down completely to the bare bones, it helps me decide what I want to allow back into the space, and what no longer speaks to me. This makes purging items a lot easier as well, because you are in control of the items you bring back.

So who’s ready?! Are you feeling motivated to start off the new year with a clean slate?

Next I will be sharing what I do personally in my own life to help wipe the slate clean and begin the new year fresh.