Holiday Prep Guide

Once again, we find ourselves amidst the holiday season, and this year, many of us have big reunion plans for celebrating the festivities with family. But before you get caught up in those hectic hours of last-minute grocery shopping and standing in long lines for gifts, take a second to pause and collect your thoughts on your home. 

Do you love your current living room setup? Are you happy with the way your kitchen is organized? Do you feel like your floors are ready for house guests?

If you’re even slightly unsure about how your home functions right now, just imagine how much these issues will be amplified with extended family and friends gathered in your house. 

Fortunately, we know how overwhelming it can be to prepare for the holidays, which is why we’ve gathered great tips, ideas, and inspiration that will help you achieve an optimal level of function balanced with seasonal décor.

1. Clean Your Floors

Chatelaine Oak Weathered Stone by Mullican Hardwood 

First things first, start your house off with a clean slate by giving your floors a good deep clean. Take out the mop in the kitchen, thoroughly vacuum the bedrooms and shake out your welcome mats and area rugs.

While cleaning the floors can be a chore, your floors set the stage for the rest of your house —also just think about how glad you'll feel when you give yourself the holiday gift of fresh and shiny floors that are sure to impress friends and family.

The fun and busy summer months of tracking in beach sand and garden dirt serve as the perfect reminder to give your floors a once-over before the holidays. Plus, cleaning your floors forces you to organize rooms as you go, move aside furniture, pick up toys, and put away remote controllers. This will create access to rearrange any spaces that aren't functioning well early on before the rush of holiday planning begins. 

2. Declutter and Organize the Kitchen

Design by REBECCA HAY  Photography by MIKE CHAJECKI

So much of the holiday season is spent in the kitchen prepping and preparing food for the big family events. Before that mad spell of baking begins, re-organize your kitchen in a way that is intuitive to you so you don't have to schedule it last minute. Begin by cleaning out the fridge and pantry to make extra space for the cooking essentials.

Reorganize your cupboards and shelve your dishes in a way that makes it easy for you to grab things in a rush. Don’t forget to wipe down your counters and give your oven a good clean early on so you can go ahead and relax before the main course of crazy holiday hosting begins.

3. Spruce up the Main Spaces

Design by PAUL SEMKULEY  Photography by LISA PETROLE

Think about the main rooms your family will spend time in this holiday season like your living room, kitchen, or guest bedroom. Then, infuse these spaces with seasonal décor!

While maximalism does seem to be on-trend, this doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune on artificial trees, fake firewood, and ornamental lawn statues. Simply add some fun pieces that spark joy this season during your holiday prep.

Maybe it's a forest green throw for the living room armchair, a new set of flannel sheets in the guest suite, a tapered candle set in the dining room to complement the holiday food spread, or upgrading the handtowels in the bathroom with winter-themed prints.

Whatever route you decide to take —farmhouse chic or cozy transitional — it’s always a good rule of thumb to add a touch of green. If taking care of a houseplant isn’t your favorite idea, not to worry, simply purchase a sufficient supply of dried floral arrangements, evergreen boughs, harvest gourds, or holiday wreaths. 

4. Maximize Conversation Areas

Design by SARA BEDERMAN  Photography by STEPHANI BUCHMAN

We’re all too familiar with that feeling of guests milling in the areas of the house that you didn’t have time to clean, and instead gravitating towards your messy kitchen table while you cook or clogging up the hallway with pre-dinner conversation.

To encourage better conversational flow and maximize your organizational efforts, focus on providing plenty of seating and conversation space in the rooms you’d like your guests to be in to make it more enjoyable for everyone.

Maybe this means rearranging the furniture in your living room around the coffee table for better flow or pushing the sectional back against the wall to provide more legroom. Or, perhaps you have a designated hearth room with a grand fireplace, so you set up some drink carts and add a few armchairs.

Whatever space you have, be sure that you’re taking advantage of your square footage so that everyone has room to sit down. And don’t forget to tidy up the kitchen island and add some bar stools as you know you’ll inevitably end up with a few conversationalists while you cook.

5. Make Quick Home Improvement Updates

Design by MICHELLE BERWICK  Photography by LARRY ARNAL

Last-minute updates to hardware, furniture, and trim can make a world of difference when it comes to achieving a holiday refresh. While taking on home renovation projects like re-tiling the bathroom or replacing your counters in the kitchen might not be practical during the busy holiday season, you can still make small updates to your rooms that will help elevate your space for party guests and ensure a great time during the holidays.

For instance, consider switching out your old flush mounts for new pendants or simply updating the lampshades in your living room. Swap out your tarnished metal drawer pulls and cabinet knobs for modern metal finish in polished nickel or brushed gold. Something as simple as repainting your cabinets a light shade to open up the kitchen or replacing the old barstools at the counter can spruce up your space significantly and put you in the holiday spirit.

Looking for more holiday inspiration? Check out our blog on transforming your work-from-home spaces to holiday-ready! featured in our fall issue of Beautiful Design Made Simple. And if you’re curious to know about the best floors that can withstand your busy lifestyle this season, learn about the easiest-to-maintain floors in our stress-free flooring blog.