Instead of feeling blue after the holidays, consider this your opportunity for a clean slate. Tackle one (or a few!) of these small ways to declutter and restyle your home for a brighter, happier, and cleaner new year.
Adorn a Bare Mantel
Resist the urge to shop to fill that empty ledge. Instead, strategically use a few objects you already have, suggests design entrepreneur Kate Arends. She recommends using one of two strategies:
Follow the “rule of three.” Pull together any three objects of different shapes and sizes (such as a tall tchotchke, a short dish, and a sculptural vase) and arrange them with some breathing room around them.
Group by color. Gather items in one hue—such as a bunch of blue vases, bowls, and books—for a monochromatic display.
“It makes a space feel more colorful and more organized,” Arends said.
