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12 Tidy Homes For New Year’s Clean-spiration

by Maxwell Tielman

Call me a total freak of nature, but I can think of few things more satisfying than the clean sweep that comes with the end of the holiday season. Yes, it’s sad to see the Christmas tree go, but look at how spacious the living room looks now that it’s gone! For me, the sloughing away of holiday detritus (the dismantling of garland, the packing-up of ornaments, the eating of the last cookie) elicits a deep, carnal pleasure, not unlike the feeling one gets when popping bubble wrap or peeling dried Elmer’s glue from one’s hands. It’s like taking your entire life to a weekend-long spa retreat.

Okay — I may be alone in my frantic post-holiday-cleanup-mania, but there is no denying that there is something wonderful about getting back to basics after a season of surplus. To celebrate this out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new time of year, we’ve rounded up a few homes that exemplify clean living. From enviably organized apartments to ingeniously minimal houses, these picks will give you the jolt of inspiration you need to get organized in the New Year! —Max

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The bathroom in the home of Office's Jill Robertson features a repurposed library ladder and built-in shelves, perfect for stowing away objects in style!
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Maria Lang's Calgary kitchen makeover is a stunning look at how thinking minimally can open up a space to endless possibility. Here, white IKEA cabinets and concrete countertops provide a clean canvas for cooking.
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Melissa McClure's home office uses a monochrome grey palette for a unified look that reduces visual clutter and distraction.
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Phil and Ruth de Vos used a dividing wall to create a bedroom and employed small filing cabinets as bedside tables.
5/12
This New Jersey Kitchen uses open shelving to keep essentials on-hand at all times while metallic touches provide sparkling visual interest.
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The children's room in this Spanish home uses bunks with built-in shelving to keep clothes and toys neatly tucked away.
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The bedroom in designer Katy Skelton's Brooklyn apartment uses small hanging pendants as reading lights to free up space on the bedside table.
8/12
In Caitlin Van Horn's Birmingham living room, the tv blends in with the surrounding artwork and built-ins provide ample space to tuck things away.
9/12
This Brooklyn bedroom keeps it simple with a white-on-white palette and built-in under-the-bed storage.
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The dining area in Amanda Bupp's Catskills home exchanges ornamentation for simplicity, allowing a large picture window to bring nature indoors.
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This Amsterdam home uses open shelving to house books and artwork while a coat of clean white paint creates a uniform, light-filled look.
12/12
Things don't need to be tucked away for a sense of organization. In Jessie Webster's LA home, coats and shoes are arranged "boutique" style, easily accessible when they're needed.

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