It’s my favorite time of the year!– Back to school. Anybody else? I just love the feeling of a fresh start. It’s also when I can take some time to get the home back in order from the chaos of summer, so I thought I would share a few ideas on how to get the home reset for the new school year.
First things first, let’s declutter like there’s no tomorrow. Go through those closets, drawers, and shelves with a discerning eye. Donate, toss, or repurpose items that no longer serve a purpose. We’re talking about creating an environment where everything has a home, and chaos becomes a thing of the past. Everything in life just feels more manageable when there’s less… stuff! Here are some posts to inspire you to let go.
5 Decluttering Tips
How to decide what to sell, donate, or keep
Lantern Pendant | Grey Vase | French Double Wall Sconce | Chairs (vintage) | Red Framed Art (vintage) | Brass Shelf Bracket | File Folders | Copper Planter
Create a dedicated area where your kids can tackle their schoolwork. For us, this usually takes place in the bonus room, but sometimes we handle it at the dinner table. Then again, I’m sure we’ll have a few evenings spent in the study, which doubles as our home office.
Plaid Rug | Wallpaper | Leather Chairs | Wire Basket | Paper Drawers | Gold Knobs
In our last house, the girls had quite the setup in their own office, which I definitely miss!
We don’t have a designated command center in our home, but I’m certainly not opposed to one. We have plans to turn our former laundry room into a mudroom, and I would love to set up a central hub where we can corral all the backpacks, school papers, calendars, incoming mail, and such. It’s like creating a launchpad for your family’s daily activities, ensuring everyone is on the same page. I’ve got my eyes on a few cute command centers in the round-up below! And if you’re still in the market, check out these fun backpacks.
In addition to getting the home set up for back-to-school, I gathered some pieces to make your life and your home feel ready.
Our wood grain Shaker cabinet fronts were designed for busy, high-traffic homes like ours. Clad with durable textured thermofoils, this line is compatible with Sektion, Akurum, Godmorgon, and Besta cabinets from IKEA. It's the perfect, practical way to add the warmth of wood to all the rooms of your home.
We have teamed up with Loloi to create a line of rugs that are as affordable as they are beautiful. This collection houses a great mix of traditional and modern rugs, in cottage-y colorways, as well as vintage-inspired beauties that you’ll want to roll out in every room.
We partnered with Stuga on a line of hardwood floors — The Ingrid is really livable, and the color is very neutral. It doesn’t lean warm or cool, it’s that just right in-between. We have really loved putting it everywhere in our house. It’s the best jumping-off point for design, no matter your interior style. In addition to being beautiful, Ingrid is really durable — we have three kids, and we always have a home construction project going on. Ingrid stands up to it all.
SHop all
Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop.
Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
The next project we’re checking off our 2023 project list is the mudroom! This used to be the laundry room until we built out a much bigger, better laundry room upstairs. So, in the meantime, this space has been exclusively Cricket’s room. Cricket will still have a special space here, but we’re transforming this dingy […]
We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?
Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
Links
Get Around
Make yourself right at home
Portfolio
Design
Casual Friday
Projects
Lifestyle
Gift Guides
All Posts
Shop
Don’t forgot – a central charging station! …off to declutter the kids’ desks now…