How to make your home feel like your own again after hosting for the holidays, according to our editors

To me, the holiday season is the best time of year for my home. It is when it's at its warmest, jolliest, and well, fullest – full of Christmas decor, twinkling lights, heaps of food, festive scents, and loved ones.

But come the New Year, once I've packed away all my Christmas decor, it can start to feel a little flat and empty. So as the celebrations wind down this January, it is important to take time to reclaim your home and restore it to a place that feels authentically yours.

Other than a good clean-up, there are a few things we editors at Homes & Gardens like to recommend you do this side of the New Year in order to make your home feel like your own again after hosting for holidays. Here's how we like to give our homes a fresh start in January.

How to reclaim your home after the holidays

Between hosting friends and family, rearranging furniture, and decking the halls with decor, your home can start to feel a little more chaotic than calm over the holidays.

After weeks of accommodating guests and clutter, a few small thoughtful changes – like decluttering, adding fresh greenery, or rethinking a layout – can make a world of difference. Here are a few of our favorite ideas.

1. Declutter and reset

Head of Solved and H&G's resident organization expert, Punteha van Terheyden, finds that after the whirlwind of holiday hosting; decluttering and resetting your home is the first step to reclaiming your space.

'Visual clutter disturbs us for a reason and once the festive spirit has been and gone, it feels great to declutter and tidy up, especially where seasonal decor is concerned,' says Punteha.

'Starting with your Christmas decor, go room by room, and don't expect to complete the task in one day. If you tackle just one room at a time, it'll reduce the sensation of cleaning overwhelm and will help you focus on doing a more thorough job,' she advises. 'Usually, cleaning and tidying have a cascade effect: once you've completed the first task, it'll usually flow easily into the next, but managing your expectations with how much you can get done in one go will make it easier to start.'

'To save me time, instead of individually wrapping all of my tree ornament this year, I have bought a specialized container, just for the job. A Christmas ornament storage box will help you avoid breakage and save you time when packing it all away.'

2. Bring in fresh flowers and foliage

With holiday decorations packed away, your home may feel a bit bare so some new floral arrangements and plants can work wonders to bring life back into your spaces.

'For me, it's all about the fresh flowers and foliage,' says Head of Interiors Hebe Hatton. 'I bring a lot of foliage into my home over the holidays and although I am always ready to say goodbye to all the evergreens and berries, it does feel a bit flat once they are gone.'

'So I fill up all my vases again with either in-season flowers from the florist or I cut down some of the Camellia that's in my garden,' says Hebe. 'The bright pink flowers can be out right now which feels so uplifting when the weather is gray, but even the glossy vivid green leaves make for beautiful decor and a nice break from all the dark evergreens I have had in my home for the last few weeks.'

'Pots of paperwhites and hyacinth come into my home in the middle of January too, their scent instantly takes me out of the post-Christmas slump and gets me excited for the change in the season ahead.'

3. Carve out some 'me-time' spaces

In my opinion (as someone who is easily overwhelmed), the worst part about having your home filled with guests is the lack of alone time you get.

Yes, it is a beautiful and festive thing having your home filled with loved ones, but I do long to escape for some quiet moments with a book or a glass of red. So this New Year, I'm putting the focus on some dedicated me-time and looking to carve out some small spaces to retreat into.

Once the festivities are over, I find it essential to reclaim parts of your space as zones for relaxation. Creating intentional spaces for this can help you recharge and restore balance in your home.

Embracing the nook, I've got my sights set on a reading nook in the bay window of my living room and am currently mood-boarding a beautiful window seat complete with the comfiest of cushions and of course a good lamp for ambient reading light that will encourage me to wind down (without my phone!) more in 2025.

4. Make subtle swaps in the kitchen

'After the Christmas chaos, my kitchen is the first place that needs an overhaul in the New Year,' says our Kitchen & Bathroom Editor Molly Malsom.

Post-holiday feasting, your kitchen also may require a refresh to transition back to everyday functionality. Making a few subtle yet impactful swaps can restore order and breathe new life into the heart of your home.

'Aside from the obvious deep cleaning and decluttering, I always like to swap out the decor in my space,' Molly advises. 'A small yet stylish lamp can elevate an empty kitchen countertop, styled with recipe books I've been gifted over the holidays, and topped with a new scented candle.'

'These subtle swaps instantly give my kitchen a refresh and make it feel like it's mine again – rather than the busy, communal space it became through the festivities.'

5. Refresh your WFH space

Like all of us at H&G, the start of January also signifies the return back to work so I think it is only right that we give our WFH spaces a rejig to help us all feel a little more motivated and refreshed ahead of the first day back.

If your home office setup doubled as a storage area or an office combined with a guest room during the holidays, now is the perfect time to reclaim it for yourself.

Start by removing any leftover holiday items or temporary furniture like a sleeper sofa or makeshift bed. Then, give your desk and shelves a good cleaning – a tidy workspace fosters a tidy mind. Finish off by surrounding yourself with objects that spark inspiration and joy – maybe a new potted plant, a stylish portable lamp, framed family photos, or that beautiful new 2025 calendar or diary Santa brought you.

6. Switch out your seasonal scents

After weeks of cinnamon, pine, and spiced holiday candles filling the air, swapping out seasonal scents for ones that feel more personal can help you reset emotionally and physically.

'Aside from giving my home a good clean after hosting guests (there’s always so much washing to do), one way I reset my home and make it feel more like my own is to freshly scent the space,' suggests H&G's Managing Editor Zara Stacey.

'Many of us will have filled our homes with inviting festive fragrances over the holidays, now it’s time to swap the cinnamon and the cedar for something fresh and new.'

'As much as I love using candles, I’ve been using my Patouchil essential oil, available on Amazon, with my candle oil burner to make my home smell nice over the last few days – never underestimate the power of scent to help revigorate your home!'

Think of the start of the New Year as a chance to edit and curate your space. Prioritize comfort, function, and the small details that bring you joy and you'll soon feel like your home is back to normal – if not better than ever.