Sundays are the ultimate reset days – a time to clean, organize, and prep for the week ahead. But beyond the many loads of laundry and meal prepping lies another Sunday routine that designers put at the top of their to-do lists: resetting interiors.
You see, past the menial, must-do tasks that typically fall into the realm of a 'Sunday reset', there are more design-driven things that you can do to give your home an aesthetic weekly refresh. These designer-recommended tasks feel less like time-consuming chores and more like pleasurable endeavors that can restore balance in your interiors and elevate your home's atmosphere.
The Sunday reset presents an opportunity for more than just cleaning and decluttering. According to interior designer Karina Plotko, 'A Sunday reset clears your mind and sets the tone for a smooth, intentional start to the week ahead.' Read on to discover what small but impactful rituals designers suggest you try each week to help you successfully reset your home.
1. Change One Piece of Art
Art is a major element of home decor that can help create and define the atmosphere of a room, and changing it up every now and then can give a space a new sense of visual interest.
Founder and Principal Designer of Gray Oak Studio Leah Hook, recommends switching around the artwork in your home each Sunday. 'It could be a family photo, a mini art print from a farmer's market, a piece of art from your children, a postcard from a summer vacation, or even a beautiful magazine clipping. Over time, you’ll build a folder of images that reflect both memories and mood, and it's fun to collect things throughout the year!' the designer explains.
'Something as simple as a rotating photo or print invites reflection on joyful memories or anticipation of what’s to come,' Leah continues. 'A quick glance at the 'new' art will pull you into the present, set the mood for the week ahead, and, ideally, stir a smile.'
Looking for a new frame? This one from Anthropologie is such a charming pick. From its undulating edge to its dainty floral details, it's the perfect frame for your family photos.
If you want some new artwork to style in your home, this mini print is a worthy contender. Its hand-sketched design feels charmingly personal – just the print you need to update one of your frames this Sunday.
This twisted brass frame can serve as the perfect place for your weekly photo swap. Whatever photo or print you place inside it will be beautifully framed with elegant style.
2. Create a 'Scent Scene'
A room's scent sets the tone of the space. While some might prefer to give their homes a singular signature scent, a good way to reset your interiors is to 'create a 'scent scene', or a signature scent per week,' Elizabeth Valkovics recommends, Founder and Creative Director of Batten Court Design.
'A Sunday reset creates a clear emotional transition: you’re not just preparing the house, you’re preparing your nervous system for the week ahead,' Elizabeth muses. And with the right scent, you can ensure a calm week right from the start.
'Instead of lighting a candle randomly, choose one scent profile for the week and style it intentionally: a candle and a beautiful dish or a diffuser on a tray with a small vase with greenery,' Elizabeth explains. The best candles for the job are non-toxic candles made of soy or beeswax, Elizabeth explains. These candles will ensure the healthiest and freshest impact.
As for where to create your scent scene, Elizabeth recommends either the living room or the kitchen – the most-frequented rooms in the home. 'The living room is one of the emotional centers of the home. It's where we gather, unwind, and entertain. A scent scene here acts like a design anchor: it defines the mood of the entire house,' Elizabeth explains. 'The kitchen is the home’s 'daily rhythm center.' Resetting each space makes the entire week feel more supported.'
Cue's Balsam Mahogany is perfect for the winter; it radiates a fresh, inviting scent that can enliven your interiors for the week ahead.
As a warm, grounding scent, Salt & Stone's Santal & Vetiver candle is perfect for a Sunday reset. With notes of amber, cedar, and cardamom, this scent is calming, fresh, and luxurious, too.
APOTHEKE's Earl Grey Bitters candle literally smells like a fresh cup of tea. It's a great candle to light on a Sunday and burn at various points throughout the week. You'll never get tired of its fresh scent.
3. Restyle Vignettes
As you reset your home each Sunday, take some time away from folding laundry and vacuuming to restyle a vignette. 'When time allows, there is nothing I enjoy more on a Sunday than putting on some good music and restyling little moments in my home,' says Gabriela Eisenhart, Founder and Creative Director of Silo Studio Design. 'Whether it be the coffee table, the entry, or a bookshelf, clearing the clutter and making intentional swaps to the decor breathes new life into the space.'
'Our eyes process visual information constantly, and clutter, even subtle clutter, creates mental noise and unnecessary stimulation,' Gabriela continues. 'I have a very simple saying in my home, 'an organized space is a calm space.' I like calm order and the ease it carries into my week.' By restyling little moments around your home, you can address any visual noise that might be making your space feel overworked and refresh the scene for the week to come.
A catchall tray is like the cherry on top of a styling arrangement. With its brass finish and ornate border, this tray would look so chic if placed on top of a stack of books.
If you're looking to restyle a shelf, consider propping up your books with some bookends, like this set of two. With their travertine finish, they're richly textural. Plus, their wavy sides will add some visual interest to your shelf styling.
Every vignette could benefit from some flowers, and what better vase for your flowers than this one? Its exterior detail is as unique and statement-making as the flowers it holds.
4. Display Fresh Flowers
If part of your Sunday routine involves grocery shopping to stock up on food for the week, consider buying yourself a bouquet of flowers while you're there. You don't need to get anything crazy or over-the-top – any simple floral arrangement that catches your eye will work wonders in refreshing your home for the week to come.
Gabriela says that she always tries to incorporate fresh greenery or flowers in her home each week as part of her Sunday reset. 'You don't need to wait for a special occasion to have fresh flowers in the home,' she explains. Since flowers and other plants are 'instant mood-lifters' as Gabriela calls them, styling them around your home will keep you feeling good all week long.
And if you already decorate with plants, consider moving your potted beauties to different spots around the home (spots that still meet the plant's needs, of course). For instance, you could move a small table plant from a shelf in your living room to the dresser in your bedroom. This idea will help your interiors feel fresh and reenergized for the week ahead.
If you'd rather have a bouquet of flowers delivered to your doorstep, Urban Stems can do just that. The brand ships beautiful bouquets like this one nationwide, and if you feel so inclined, you can even sign up for a subscription to receive flowers as often as you'd like.
This waterfall orchid is a beautiful flower that can bring some life into your interiors. Each week, consider positioning it in a new spot in your home so that each room can experience its fresh energy and chic beauty.
All flower bouquets need an equally stylish vase. With its patchwork-style design this one is such a unique pick – it might even give your flowers a run for their money.
5. Rearrange Throw Pillows
A Sunday reset is all about refreshing your interiors to make you and your home feel ready for the week ahead. Like Karina Plotko says, 'consider how you want to experience your space from the moment you wake up on Monday to the moment you walk back through the door at the end of the day... If your living area is the first thing you see when you arrive home, take a few minutes to arrange the sofa pillows and throw,' she suggests.
Of course, you don't need to buy new throw pillows each week – you'd be swimming in pillows by the end of the year. However, every Sunday, consider restyling your couch and its pillows in a new, fresh way. You could change the side of the couch on which the pillows sit, or you could take an accent chair's pillow and add it to your couch's arrangement.
According to Karina, arranging your sofa '[is] a small gesture that instantly signals relaxation,' she says. This quick and easy act of restyling is perfect for a Sunday evening, and it can set the tone of your living room for the week to come.
This pillow comes recommended from Karina herself. It's extra soft, plush, and texturally appealing, too. This pillow can definitely elevate your couch's pillow arrangement.
From its charming green color to its unique striped border, this pillow is undeniably stylish. It can add some color and freshness to your couch in no time.
If you only have square pillows on your couch, consider incorporating another shape. With its long body and round design, this bolster pillow is bound to add some visual interest to your pillow arrangement.
What Rooms Can Benefit Most from a Sunday Reset?
Any room of your home can benefit from a Sunday reset, however, the entryway is one spot that deserves a weekly refresh. For most of us, this is one of the busiest spots in the home. It's where we enter and exit, and where all of our shoes, coats, bags, and miscellaneous items end up. According to Karina, styling the space with a catchall tray can 'keep essentials like keys and sunglasses in one place, making mornings calmer and more efficient,' she says.
Even just a general reset of your entryway can help the rest of your home feel a bit more at ease, too. 'A quick 5-10 minute tidying up goes a long way in setting the tone for the week, but adding a small design ritual makes it even more meaningful,' Leah explains of resetting the entryway.
Another spot that deserves a weekly Sunday reset is the kitchen. According to Gabriela, the kitchen 'holds the most life in a home.' It's a place in which families gather, eat, and relax. Because of this room's constant use, it's important to reset it each Sunday, and bring it back to a blank canvas to prepare the room for the busy week ahead. 'I like to reset [the kitchen] every weekend by reorganizing, restyling, and adding a simple fresh arrangement. Because let's face it, I need all the inspiration I can get to want to cook,' Gabriela quips.
Other rooms that experience frequent use can benefit from a Sunday reset, too – like the bedroom, the bathroom, and the living room. Re-evaluating and refreshing these spaces can help your home feel lighter and help you feel more prepared to take on the week ahead.
Your Sunday reset can consist of anything you want it to, but consider taking it a step beyond the typical deep cleaning and reorganizing. By making small decor adjustments each Sunday, you can make your home feel both fresh and new.
If you want to know what other refreshing adjustments you can make to your home (adjustments that you don't have to do every single week), check out our designer-approved guide to no-reno design hacks. These small changes are bound to make a difference in your home with minimal effort required.
