Updating your home is a bit like cleaning out your closet—getting rid of things can be a tricky but ultimately cathartic experience. As we were pondering the state of our own apartment, we couldn’t help but wonder (in Carrie Bradshaw–esque fashion): If an interior designer had carte blanche to get rid of whatever they wanted in a home, what would they toss? To find out, we tapped three of the best in the business, including Beatrice Fischel-Bock, CEO and co-founder of Hutch (an app that helps you redesign your home), to share the items they’d ditch, like yesterday.
Remove These From Your Home, Stat
"Hutch is all about decorating to scale, and the most common problem I see in smaller homes is rooms crammed with too many accent pieces," says Beatrice. "In a small space, it's key to lift as much off the ground as possible. The first thing to go should be floor lamps. Always opt for a table lamp or an overhead when space is limited."
"I would get rid of leather couches," says New York–based interior designer Sasha Bikoff. "People tend to choose leather couches because they don't stain but I would love to see more people taking a chance on sofas for their design instead—bright colors and printed fabrics. Couches can encompass both comfort and design."
"Holiday decorations past the holidays," says Beatrice. "You know who you are!"
"I would love to see people stop using standard, simple wallcoverings," says Toronto-based interior designer Anne Hepfer. "I would much rather see metallics with a shimmery finish or silvered grasscloth—cork, mica and textured materials with metal are also great examples."
"The living room is the most difficult space to keep tidy because it's where most of the action is happening," says Beatrice. "Try not to hang onto items lingering past their expiration date. A few examples: Throws that have been pulled apart by your puppy, outdated magazines or books that aren't being read. If you don't own a bookcase, your key word should be donate."
Shoes and jackets piled in an entryway are another must-remove, says Beatrice: "It's important to keep the entrance to your home as organized as possible. It's the first impression."
"Try to keep desks as sparse as possible, or at least compartmentalized," says Beatrice. "Considering so many of us work from home these days, it's very easy to create a disaster zone on a workspace."
