Minimalism and organization help make season go smoothly

By Kristyne E. Demske
C & G Staff Writer

Among all the tinsel and bows, turkey, stuffing, china and other trappings, homeowners can get lost when trying to prepare for holiday guests and parties.

Instead of reveling in the merriment, they instead overbuy or over-decorate when at a loss for how to work with what they have.

But with a little pre-holiday organization and a “less is more” philosophy, local experts say the holidays can be brought under control.

Before even breaking out the decorations, it can be useful to take stock of what you have and organize the house to get ready for holiday baking, wrapping and guests.

“Start going through areas of the home, not taking on big areas at one time, just start maybe in your pantry: going through there, taking stock of what you have, maybe purging some items,” said Char Luteran of Smart Space Design by Closets Plus in Shelby Township.

For those looking for professional help, Luteran said they make free in-house consultations in which they analyze a space and situation, and then help homeowners use the Closets Plus products to find a solution. For the holidays, she said, places like the pantry, home office, media centers, and garage and basement storage areas can always use help.

“People don’t know where to put a lot of these things, and I’ve actually created gift-wrapping centers or craft rooms for people. We come in and we work with you on organizing the space and designing it out, coming up with a strategy, and then we follow through and we install the product,” she said.

But those wanting to tackle organization themselves before the holidays should also look into those areas, so they know what they have and what they need before company comes to call.

“A lot of times, because people do not have adequate storage, they put things in places and they don’t even realize that they have items,” Luteran said. “Thinking about what you need to purchase, you may be saving money if you know what you already have.”

The bathroom is another place to take stock, she said, to make sure there are extra toiletries and toothbrushes on hand for unexpected or overnight guests.

“Being organized from the get-go is going to help people have a more smooth Christmas and bring more harmony into your home,” she said. Many people “get very frustrated with the holidays. They want to enjoy them, but it’s too much and they’re not prepared.”

Once the house is organized, tackle decorations. While it can be tempting to just put out everything that’s accumulated over the years, that may not the best course of action.

“If you overdo it, then when somebody goes into your home, it just looks cluttered,” said Lauren Smith of Your Space Refined in Rochester, a one-day decorating service that makes use of items people already own.

She said when pulling out a holiday collection of figurines, ceramic houses or nativities, place the items in odd-numbered groups of three or five to showcase the set. Even if the items are scattered in small groups throughout the house, it’s a more pleasant effect than collection overload, she said.

“If you’ve got a mantel or a staircase … wrap around some artificial greenery with some twinkling lights and maybe some candles on the mantel, and that’s it. Less is more,” she said.

A similar philosophy holds true for the outdoors, Smith said, suggesting homeowners fill outdoor planters or urns with some greenery and just a few lights before calling it quits.

“The reason is twofold: Sometimes I think you can get a little over-enthusiastic with lights, (and) people need to cut down on their electric bills. I like to give people green or eco-friendly suggestions,” she said.

She said her minimalist philosophy even extends to Christmas trees, which look beautiful when done in one color in a variety of different materials or just as an exhibition of family ornaments with no extras.

“If somebody’s collected family heirloom ornaments, put those on the tree, but don’t use a lot of tinsel. You don’t need it,” she said. “White lights, that’s all you need to make a tree look beautiful.”

Now is also the time to prepare the home for the gifts that will come before the new year by taking stock of what you already have and getting ready to organize what you want.

“A lot of the gifts that come into the home open up new issues as far as space. If the children or somebody is getting a new computer system or a new TV, new components, they might need some type of storage for all those items. Going through things ahead of time will make space for the things that are going to come in for the holidays,” Luteran said.

Your Space Refined is located at 6826 N. Rochester Road, No. 218, in Rochester Hills. For more information, call (248) 770-1034.

Smart Space Design by Closets Plus is located at 56712 Mound Road in Shelby Township. For more information, visit www.closetsplus.net or call (586) 677-3844.