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Health & Fitness

After the Holidays—Design Ideas for When the Decorations Come Down

Does your house feel bare after the holidays? Lucky for you, I have a few design ideas for when those decorations come down.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday! You are hopefully still enjoying the afterglow and playing with your new gifts and toys. I hope you had a wonderful time with your family and friends. I had a fun- and family-filled weekend.

I know what's next and I'm not looking forward to it...taking down the holiday decorations. Everything always looks so bare afterward. Lucky for you, I have a few design ideas for when those decorations come down.

I use it as a time to redecorate my home with items I already own. If you use things in new ways, your decor will feel new and fresh, which is just what you need after all of the pretty holiday decor is packed away.

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Let's start in your living room. I'll use the mantle as an example (if you don't have a mantle, this idea works for any surface). Clear everything off of the mantle for a blank slate.

  • Collect your favorite decorating items on a nearby table—all vases, containers, books, photos and tchotchkes that you love. You must LOVE them.
  • Group likes with likes (e.g., books with books).
  • Decide if you want a symmetrical or asymmetrical look for the space.
  • "Shop" your table like you would shop in a store.
  • Begin placing items on the mantle in odd groups if asymmetrical design; in pairs if using a symmetrical design.
  • Vary the height of pieces; use books to raise shorter items if needed.
  • Try to use things in new locations!

Repeat this throughout the rooms and other rooms where you have bare spaces left from holiday decor. I love to move things around in our house every few years to keep it fresh. Last year I made two stacks of pretty coffee table books on my buffet, topped them with favorite pieces and added a large glass vase with branches to one end of the buffet. Who knows where those books might end up this year!?

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Some items may not get used during this re-decorating, but don't worry, you can swap them out at any time for an updated look. I hope this helps you get through the post-holiday decorating slump a little easier. Take your time and enjoy the process. Remember, this isn't permanent—have fun with it.

Happy post-holiday decorating!

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