The start of each season is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start, especially when transitioning from the warmer months to a cozier time of year. That is why professional organizers suggest decluttering a living room before fall to help ease us in and prepare us for comfortable nights as cold weather rolls in.
While you have probably decluttered here and there throughout the summer it is a notoriously busy time with trips and school or college closures. Identifying things to decluttering before fall however is usually a more intensive task, and having a plan will help.
Here, the pros break down the eight essentials to focus on when decluttering a living room for fall.
8 things to declutter in a living room before fall
Reem Elkady, professional organizer at Zen Organize Me, believes fall is one of the best times of the year to declutter a living room.
She says, 'With the onset of fall, kids go back to school, homes start getting ready for the holidays and our living rooms get ready to welcome us back in from the great outdoors. This is a great chance to examine what is currently in our living room, give it a deep clean, and decide what needs to stay and what needs to go in preparation for the upcoming fall season and holiday months.’
With that motivation in mind, here are the eight areas to focus your attention on.
1. Seasonal decorations
Pack away your summer decorations to make room for your gorgeous fall decor. Swapping out seasonal items is an important quarter-yearly tradition interior designers and organizing experts strictly follow. Doing this will keep your home clutter-free in order to create a purposeful display, as well as staying on theme and breathing new life into it.
Laura Price, owner of The Home Organisation, says, 'Decorative items are what makes a house a home, but too many decorative pieces and your home becomes cramped, cluttered and difficult to clean. 'With a new season approaching, it’s time to check in with your decorative and sentimental items and decide which ones you still want out on show, which ones you can store in a cupboard or under the stairs, and which ones you can donate, recycle or throw away.
'Having seasonal decorations that you swap out every three months is a great way to have your home looking fresh while keeping your surface clutter to a minimum.'
Decluttering decor that no longer serves your living space for the season is about more than clearing out summer decorations, it also involves sorting through decor for the upcoming season and getting rid of anything that is outdated or damaged.
Christina Giaquinto, professional organizer at Modular Closets says, 'Over the last year, decorations might have gotten damaged or broken while in storage. The last thing you want is to look through your decorations in October and realize that many of them can no longer be used, as you would then have to rush to the store and buy decorations at hiked-up prices.
'So take the time to sort through all your decorations now, donate ones that are still in good condition but you no longer want, and throw out ones that are broken. You can then buy replacements or new decorations without any holiday price hikes.'
2. Lightweight throws and pillows
One of the most seamless ways to decorate a living room according to the season is by finding throws and pillows in seasonal colors and designs to decorate your couch for fall.
Ivy Sbaiti, trained architect and designer, and founder of Ivy Home Solutions, suggests, 'Start by removing summer-specific items like bright throw pillows, lightweight blankets, or beach-inspired decor. As fall approaches, these items can feel out of season and clutter the space. This transition allows you to introduce warmer, cozier elements that are more fitting for the season.'
3. Coffee tables
Your coffee table can act as a centerpiece in your living room and should be tastefully decorated for fall to elevate your living room, which involves rearranging your coffee table display with choice items for the season and removing items that are no longer fitting.
Professional organizer, Christina Giaquinto recommends, 'Before fall, take time to declutter any decorations and trinkets you have on your coffee table and side tables next to your couch. This will free up space for you to add festive autumn decorations in your living room.'
Not overcrowding your coffee table is key to creating an impactful display, which is why decluttering is so vital.
4. Old reading material
If you are an avid reader or collector of magazines, then this is a great time to switch out those summer additions with fall favorites and new editions that will have been arriving for the last few months ready for easy reading to pass your free time.
Amanda Scott, professional home organizer and owner of Amanda Scott Home, recommends, ‘Culling your piled up magazines and books. Recycle magazines that are more than two to three months old – if there is an article that you really want to read, consider ripping it out and recycling the rest.
‘Place magazines you are keeping in a bin or basket to reduce visual clutter and relocate all your beach reads to the bookshelves. If your bookshelves are overflowing, declutter books you haven't touched in a long time and consider donating them. Many bookstores even buy back your used books so you can then use the money to buy your new fall read.’
Ideal for magazines, this storage basket can be easily tucked away down the side of a sofa to keep seasonal magazines close to hand for casual reading.
5. Lingering paperwork
Take this as an opportunity to start afresh by getting rid of paper clutter to ensure your living room remains exclusively a relaxation zone.
Laura Price, expert home organizer says, 'Living room furniture tends to be a great hiding place for old paperwork. You come in from work with a bunch of post and stuff it in the corner table for safekeeping or pop it under the coffee table but now you’ve got every edition for the last three years stored there.
'Take some time this fall to scan through your living room, deciding what paperwork you want and what can be shredded or recycled. For paperwork you do still want, file it away in a clearly labeled box so the living room stays uncluttered and relaxing.'
6. Finished summer diffusers and candles
'It’s really easy to forget about diffusers and then suddenly realize they’ve run out and haven’t actually been smelling for the last three months,' warns Laura Price. 'The same goes for candles, they sit on a shelf collecting dust and you never actually get round to using them. Fall is a great time to run an inventory check on all the scented things around the living room.
'Decide which ones need replacing and if you feel like you’ve got too many, donate, recycle, or throw away ones you don’t want or won't use.'
Candles and diffusers are the best way to make your house smell like fall, so it's important to assess which candles emulate a summery scent, and should be decluttered from your living room and saved for next year, so they can be replaced with those with fall fragrances.
For a fresher fall scent, opt for a fruity fragrance. This Jo Malone blackberry candle is ideal for infusing your home with a lighter scent that is still tied to the fall season.
I love a gourmand fragrance to make a home smell like fall. The vanilla Woodwick candles are a personal favorite for their strong scent and crackling wick. Woodwick candles are known for their soothing 'crackling' sounds as they burn.
After Woodwick candles, DW Home candles are my next favorite. Their fall-themed candles are always warm and comforting, perfect for making a home welcoming over the fall season.
8. Kids toys
Reem Elkady from Zen Organize Me reminds us that, 'Parents rely on an abundance of resources like arts and crafts, puzzles, games, etc. to keep their kids occupied during summer holidays. But, while you can still use these craft supplies over fall, with everyone going back to school and set routines, you’ll find you won’t need access to the same large amount. So pick and choose a few for kids to use during upcoming weekends and rainy days and pack away the rest as a surprise for next summer.'
To keep toys in a living room organized, you can consider creating a rotation system to keep the living room tidy, opting for labeled baskets, available at Walmart, to help you keep everything neat and orderly.
8. Unused electronics
As we prepare to spend more time indoors, we will be fishing out our indoor entertainment systems ready for longer, darker evenings.
Because of this, Justin Waltz, brand president at decluttering experts, Junkluggers, recommends, ‘decluttering any electronic gadgets or entertainment systems that haven’t been used in a while. Decluttering these items will make the space seem less cluttered, especially as the days get shorter and you spend more time indoors.’
When decluttering electronics, sell or donate any items that are in full working order, and be sure to dispose of any broken items safely. Most items with electronic components or batteries need to be disposed of in certain trash centers and not in your household waste as they can start a fire. It is best to look up your state’s rules online before throwing anything away.
Decluttering is not just an essential part of creating new opportunities to decorate your living room for fall, but it also encourages you to consider parting ways with decorative items that don't enhance your space, since less is often more. It's important to find the right balance of tastefully adorning your living room with decorative items without letting it feel cluttered and overwhelming. To do this, decluttering before fall is a key step, then you may like to move onto some pre-fall bedroom decluttering for a relaxing sleep space.
