A Cozy Fall Reset: Starting in the Living Room
The living room is the soul of the home, making it the best place to begin a fall reset. It’s where so much life happens—football games on TV, family piled on the couch in front of the fire, or even the chaotic rush of school mornings. Because it’s such a central spot, your living room should feel welcoming, refreshing, and cozy—a place that reflects you and your family.
This fall reset is less about adding more, and mostly about creating space. We’re going to use my simple five-step decluttering guide to give the living room a refresh. Fair warning: this experiment involves more undecorating than decorating. But I promise—if you trust the process, the results will feel like a decorator stopped by your home just in time for the holidays.
Think about it: in the next few months, your living room will hold not just people but also gifts, decorations, and yes—actual Christmas trees (this is weird, guys but at las it’s tradition).
Making room now will save you time, money, and stress later. So, let’s dive in together.
Step One: Declutter
The most important step is to declutter your space. Work through the room and evaluate every item to decide if it should stay. The living room offers you a chance to manage less for once, so keep this room as simple as you can.
Don’t skip furniture and decor either. Do you want to keep those items here or are they your design style? You can declutter temporarily too. I tend to do this more during this season to prepare for the Holidays. Find a closet or room to store items in for when Christmas is finished. However, this should only be for the most important items.
Keeping this room simple will make it easier to manage once your schedule gets busier. If you missed our declutter series, here is the 30-day challenge.
Homework
- Hold each item and decide if it should stay in the room.
- Create piles for trash, donation, rehome, or maybe.
- Collect items you are temporarily decluttering and place them in a closet or vacant room.
Step Two: Organize
Living rooms don’t usually require heavy organizing, or at least this is our goal. I have found that my living room becomes the drop zone of life. Hair brushes, kid’s toys, and morning blankets tend to collect here.
Here’s what helps me: I keep a basket nearby to collect items that don’t belong. At the end of the night, I return them to their proper homes. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it keeps clutter from spiraling.
Homework
Evaluate what clutter “problem” shows up most in your living room. Then create a solution—whether it be a basket, tray, or bin. Consider rehoming the items to another room or even a closet if they are not used frequently.
Step Three: Clean
This isn’t about your everyday cleaning routine like a simple dusting and quick vacuum. In this step we are doing the cleaning that makes the most difference in the shortest amount of time. I’m all about the most bang for my buck.
Cleaning the areas that seem trivial but are often overlooked, tend to clear our heart and mind the most and prepare our home for the Holidays.
Homework
- Wash slipcovers, throw pillow covers, and blankets.
- Vacuum under cushions and furniture.
- Wipe down surfaces, baseboards, and doorways.
- Clean windows and dust light fixtures, as well as the upper corners of the room.
Don’t underestimate this step. Sometimes a good cleaning is the fastest, cheapest way to transform a room.
Step Four: Decorate (But Really… Undecorate)
Stay with me and trust me in this. The best thing you can do before adding ANYTHING is to remove what isn’t working. The order matters too. If something is not your style, take it out of the room! Be okay with blank walls and empty spaces.
Before you begin, I want you to spend time using Pinterest to create a board or review pictures you have already posted. Evaluating what you like about your inspiration pictures will help you discover your style and use that as a boundary to inspire you. You’ll also want to think about what is not working well, so you can find a solution.
HOMEWORK
- Furniture placement. This is the biggest impact change you can make. Consider the focal point (fireplace or TV), arrange seating intentionally, and make sure walkways are clear. Begin with the seating first, then add in your surfaces.
- Lighting. Fall evenings get dark earlier—add a lamp or two where you read, relax, or gather. Task lighting is a must.
- Walls and art. Remove pieces temporarily if they feel off. Try shopping your house and swap art between rooms. Scale matters more than you think! But do not be afraid of a blank wall!
- Surfaces. These are the coffee table and/or sofa table surfaces. Clear them off, then add back one or two intentional items. Bigger is often better than lots of little things. Review your inspiration picture to count the items they have on surfaces.
- Accessories. Challenge yourself to live without excess pillows, throws, or mantel décor—at least for a season. This step, keep as few items as possible. Remember, it doesn’t have to be permanent.
Check out this blog post on the fall reset.
Step Five: Finish
By now, your living room should feel lighter, cozier, and ready for fall. Finish well and then celebrate the space your created by experiencing it for yourself.
HOMEWORK
- Take out the trash.
- Drop off donations and returns.
- Store your “maybe box” items for the season.
To celebrate, light a candle, curl up with a blanket, and enjoy the room you just worked so hard to create. Put it on your calendar if you have to—because this season fills up fast, and you deserve a moment to pause and soak in your refreshed space before rushing to the next room.
Final Thoughts
Friend, I’m so proud of you for taking on this reset alongside me. I’m doing this in my own home too, and I can tell you—it’s always worth the effort. This approach may feel different from the typical “add more” decorating mindset, but over time, you’ll see the beauty of living with less, especially during a season that brings so much to your home.
Remember: every new piece of décor deserves space. Add intentionally, remove thoughtfully, and keep your living room centered on what matters most—the people who gather in it. Next up, the kitchen reset.
Here’s to creating a home that feels like you.
