As the nights get longer and cozy season draws in, interior designers say now is the perfect time to give your living room a quiet refresh.
But as we pile in the blankets, candles, and holiday decor, our living rooms can quickly start to look cluttered rather than comfortable.
5 Things Interior Designers Quietly Strip from Living Rooms Before Winter
1. Excess Throw Pillows and Blankets
Extra pillows and throws will end up cluttering floors.
Adding pillows and throws is one of the quickest cozy decor swaps to transition your home for fall, but adding new ones on top of your existing sets will quickly lead to clutter.
Lauren Saab, interior designer and founder of Saab Studios, warns. Too many cushions make a sofa look cluttered and leave little room for guests to sit comfortably; therefore, put away the extra pillows to reduce visual clutter in a living room.
'Before the holidays, trimming back to a few larger, textured pillows keeps the look tailored and welcoming. It creates space to breathe and makes the room feel calm instead of crowded when people gather.'
Keep those items you are not using tucked away in vacuum-sealed storage bags from Walmart to reduce their footprint in your storage ideas.
Popular amongst mid-century designers of the 1940s, bouclé is characterized by its curly, knotted, touchable texture. Here, the cozy material finds its way onto a plush square pillow with a blanket-stitch border.
Vacuum storage bags are ideal for seasonal storage, keeping clothes and household linens safe from pests and moisture, without them taking up valuable storage real estate.
After decluttering your space and prepping for the holidays, relax and unwind with a festive candle. This soy-blend candle has top notes of ginger with butter and maple, with a 50-hour burn time.
2. Cords and Tech Clutter
Nothing cries chaos like unruly, messy cables.
Never underestimate the power that organizing cables can have on a room.
Lauren continues, 'Before guests arrive, tuck away the tech clutter. Cords, chargers, and remotes quietly take over living rooms without anyone noticing.
'Stashing them inside drawers or woven baskets [such as these handwoven water hyacinth baskets from Target] instantly restores order and lets the focus shift to people and conversation.
'When screens and wires disappear, the space feels more composed and ready to host.'
Measuring 8x10x11 inches, these handwoven water hyacinth baskets are ideal for drop zones, shelves, and cabinets.
Made from mango wood, this cable organizer conceals power strips, surge protectors, and unsightly cables, helping you declutter your space while enhancing your décor.
Trail cables up around the back of furniture to keep your home perfectly neat and organized.
3. Shelving Knick-knacks
Avoid overwhelming shelves with seasonal decor.
Amanda Sinistaj, designer and founder of Ellwood Interiors, shares, 'Knick-knacks stack up over time, causing visual noise. Take a beat to reorganize, coordinate stacks, update the photo frames, and pare down the accessories to make room for festive greenery and twinkle lights.'
While tackling the things that make your shelves look cluttered, take some time to declutter the things to never store on coffee tables and side tables, too.
Amanda continues, 'Stacks of books, old magazines, and candles burned down to the vessel are ready to be recycled or put away.
'Clearing off your tables physically and visually creates space for the beautiful center pieces, the spruce candles, and a well-placed martini glass.'
4. Walkways
Keep walkways clear for easy guest access.
Acing your living room layout is essential in the hosting season to help prevent slips and trips, and ensure you can fit everyone in. The floor decluttering method is perfect for this.
Designer Kristina Lawrence advises, 'Clear the pathways. Consider traffic flow for your gatherings. Removing a side table or repositioning a chair can open up a room and make it feel more inviting without changing your design scheme.'
Using large storage baskets, available at The Citizenry, can help to corral items that usually get in the way, such as throws, pillows, or everyday clutter, to help get a home guest ready in under an hour.
These under-bed storage bags on wheels are easy to pull out and are perfect for hiding away seasonal items during the holidays.
Handwoven from locally-sourced palm leaves, these baskets are lightweight, durable, and stand up to the day-to-day. Perfect for stashing blankets, books, laundry, or towels.
This bestselling book packs so much information into a mere 200 pages, in a readable and digestible format that's accessible to all readers of all ages.
5. Seasonally Surplus Furniture
Putting some furniture to one side can make your living room more comfortable for guests.
Your furniture isn't likely to be at the top of your list when working out which items to get rid of in your living room before hosting, but it can be a quiet way to make space for guests.
Joy Lynskey, lead designer, founder, and CEO of Jewel Toned Interiors, suggests, 'If it’s not obvious that your ottomans are meant for extra seating, store them temporarily.
'Clear, open spaces make it easier for guests to navigate the room without worrying about bumping into anything.'
You don't have to work out what to do with the items you are decluttering here, simply stow them in a lesser-used room for the festivities and put them back in January.
Meet the Experts
Lauren Saab is a Texas-registered interior designer with a background in both interior design and architecture. Holding a Bachelor’s in Interior Design and a Master’s in Architecture from CIDA-accredited programs, she is NCIDQ-certified and a LEED Green Associate.
Amanda Sinistaj founded Ellwood Interiors in 2012. Today, the firm specializes in luxury projects ranging from 3,000 square-foot remodels to 20,000 square-foot new construction.
Amanda has been featured in over 30 publications, both locally and nationally, including Detroit Home, Builder Architect, and Styleline magazines.
Joy Lynskey has over twenty years of expertise in design, construction, and planning as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jewel Toned Interiors (JTI). JTI is an award-winning, women-owned interior design studio located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Too busy for fall decluttering ahead of the holidays? Don't fret! There are some great last-minute pre-Christmas organizing tips that can save your hosting.
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