I was a little sad to take down my Christmas decor, I really love it up! I heard several people say they couldn’t wait to take it down! What about you??? I really like the green garlands, and twinkle lights. Because of how much I love it, I was surprised how much I enjoyed my house when I put all the Christmas away. I think the reasoning was that I took these steps to refresh the space! Hopefully these steps will help you to love your home too, even when the sparkly glow of Christmas is gone!

6 Ways to Refresh your Home after Christmas-

1- Take everything out and dust-
Once you’ve tackled the hardest task of taking down and putting away Christmas, it’s easier to accomplish the cleaning and dusting under and around! This seems obvious to dust. But the step to remove everything off the shelves, furniture and mantles will really help you to look at the space with fresh eyes! Only put back things you really like! I personally think it is better to do without, rather than have an accessory you think is just ok, or down right don’t like!


2- Bring in plants for decor–

Simple fix to replacing the feeling of a Christmas tree…put a plant in its space! Do you already do this?? Plants are my main decor pieces. I decorate around plants. I pick a plant based on how much light it will get in the certain spot. Then I add decor around the plant! For instance in our kitchen we had a Christmas Tree (that I loved there!) so I went shopping for a taller tree to replace it! Keep reading to see where else I put plants after Christmas…


That gorgeous wood planter with moss was a Christmas Gift and it is one of my favorites (it came from Terrain). PS- diffusing is one of my favorite ways to easily make my home smell good no matter the season! And easy to switch out scents without toxins (read more here).

We actually kept our fiddle leaf fig in the basement for a month while the Christmas decor was up! Don’t turn me in…I was a good plant mom and put it under this grow light and still watered it once a week.

We had a fiddle leaf fig here before, and it really wasn’t doing too well in that spot (I think it had issues when I bought it). I found an umbrella tree at Home Depot that is an easy plant to take care of!
Tip for putting plants in basket-
Grab a plastic tray (or you can use a trash bag) and put it in the bottom of the basket. This will keep the water from ruining the basket or anything else. Then, add in a plastic container or another pot if you need to raise it to the top of the inside of the basket. Last, get some moss or rocks for the top to hide the inside of the basket! I layered another plastic tray and just cut a slit in the side and in the middle (then added the rocks and moss) so it can hide the inside of the basket! And I can still easily water it. PS- Reindeer Moss is my favorite!!

3- Add mirrors brighten up a room
A mirror will increase the amount of natural light brought into the room no matter how gloomy the sky is outside! The key is choosing the right spot for a mirror to play up your room’s assets.

I added a mirror I already had to the back of our bookcase here, it really added so much and brightened up this spot. Consider adding a mirror to unexpected areas like this!

And sometimes swapping a mirror with art in another spot in your home just breathes new life into a space.

4- Wash sofa cushions and stuff the cushions if needed!
Our couch cushions see a lot of action! Winter months bring us inside and using it so much more! Giving sofa cushions a good deep clean about every 6 months is recommended. I like to toss all the covers in the washing machine (follow manufacture instructions) then I use my upholstery cleaner on the base.

AND biggest tip to bring life to flat pillow cushions stuff them with king pillows! You could even leave in the stuffing and just add a pillows insert inside. For our long sofa cushions we used three of these king pillows inserts!

5- Rotate rugs-
Do you remember how we were supposed to rotate mattresses?? Every couple months you had to flip it over and around, now mattresses are just one sided. But I do rotate my rugs! Just do a little spin so the wear and tear gets evenly distributed!

6- Add new pillow covers
A super easy change is to swap out the pillow covers to make your sofa and room feel brand new! I actually took off two pillows to simplify, and that felt different and new. If you are looking for a unique pillow, a round pillow is always a favorite way to add interest to a sofa. I linked up some of my favorite, affordable pillow covers below….


- Black and White Small Print Cover 20×20 $3.99
- Washed Linen Pillow Cover 20×20 $12.99 (4 colors)
- Green Cover with Buttons 20×20 $17.99
- Montecito Pillow Cover 245×24 $128 (not budget but these are the only pillows I have kept around for 4 years, got my money worth- the gray I got on major sale, they are disconnected)
- Round Pillow 18″ $34.99
- Basketweave Pillow 24×24 $30 (5 colors)
- Tassel Pillow Cover 20×20 $29.99
- Fringe Pillow 24×24 (includes insert) $30
Bonus Tip-
Add lights to dark spots. We all could use some light right now ✨ Grab a jar and put twinkle lights inside like these, or put a battery operated light in a glass jar.

I started to add plants to my decor this year after reading your blog and I can’t believe how much it helps any space. It’s almost as if we were created to need green around us – they say that the outdoors can calm and focus us, so bringing it in any time has become a game-changer for me. Now I’m always like, “Where’s the plant? This needs a plant.” 🙂
oh my goodness I LOVE that “it is as if we were created to need green around us”. Such a true statement.
Live all your decorating❣️ I have started using plants and battery operating candles more!
Me too!!
Love this!!!!
I had someone come to my house and she said “oh I see some Nesting!!!” I have some cute plants in my front window, where my Christmas tree used to stay. I want to put plants everywhere! However only the front of my house has windows with direct sunlight. Any suggestions for the back of the house? My houses feels so uneven when it comes to plants. It’s kinda sad!
I can typically do a snake plant or a zz plant with lower light…..
Always the best advice from the best lady! Thanks Brooke for all these tips!
Thank you so much Alison!
Your home and ideas bring me so much joy. It still brings on so much inspiration. I’m so thankful for this post today.
I absolutely enjoy everything you share. Love, love your Christmas family pictures. You guys are the cutest
thank you so much!