It’s finally holiday season – the festive plans are well underway and you’re frantically getting your home ready for when the guests come around 👨‍👨‍👧‍👧

Preparing your home for the festive season is a must every year. When your loved ones are popping around for festive meals and neighbors are bringing you Christmas cards, it’s normal to want your home in tip-top shape. With a quick home refresh, you’ll keep the in-laws impressed and become the talk of the town 🏡

If you’re buying gifts, shopping hefty grocery lists and covering sky-high heating bills, there may be little room for splurging on seasonal decor. Our solution? Doing small jobs around the house, with just your tool box and a bit of creativity. You'll be surprised how little you'll spend if you just try second-hand shopping and curating just the bits you need.

Whether you're hosting in celebration of Christmas, Diwali, Hannukah or Thanksgiving, these tips will help get your home guest-ready. Here are 7 easy ways to get your home hosting-ready, all whilst sparing your wallet 💵

1. Deep clean & declutter

You can’t be having those bits n’ bobs cluttering the living room, or the touchpoints around your home looking grubby. Give your social spaces a deep clean, covering all the nooks and crannies. Use soap and water to clean your brass hardware, and dust between open shelves and around radiators 🧹

Now it’s time to declutter and reorganize your spaces. Rid of that dated throw on your sofa, and give away those books that’ve been gathering dust on your coffee table. Colorful crates can help tuck away small bits n’ bobs, even doubling up as a playful design feature. With your open shelves now dust-free, create a fresh look by thoughtfully displaying your favorite trinkets and framed prints 🖼

 

2. Organize your hallway

As the place your guests first step in to, your hallway should make a good impression. Organizing your space is key, with hooks to hang up coats and keep your floor clutter-free. Our PULLMAN Hooks are the perfect size to hang up the odd coat or two that your current hooks can’t handle.

If you’re starting from scratch, a larger hook that can hold multiple items may be best for you. We recommend LEVI, which extends outwards at both the top and bottom so you can support two items at the same time 💪

If you want an all-out hallway makeover, then you might want to look into adding some shiplap paneling, a bench and some wicker baskets. Take a look at Charlotte of @holman.home’s project – she created a practical hallway with some LEVIs, paneling and paint. Directly opposite, she made a mini-version for her kids. Clever, right? 🧒

Whether you’re hosting for Hannukah or Thanksgiving, your loved ones will be amazed as soon as they step into your doorway 🚪

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3. Hang holiday decorations

With tables reserved for food, and floors for walking space, the only place that’s left to display your holiday decorations is your walls. You’ll need hardware to help hang your decorations. This is where our hooks range comes in handy 👋

With Christmas around the corner, what better way to decorate your space than by hanging up those Christmas stockings? Why not tackle two birds with one stone, and deck out your hallway with some of our CAREY Hooks. That’ll make for a welcoming display of some well-stuffed stockings during Christmas time, as well as a practical hallway after festivities end.

4. Level up your kitchen

DIY the heart of your home, to leave friends and family in awe this festive season. We’re talking a kitchen refresh – whether that’s means upcycling your kitchen cabinets or a matter of installing new hardware 💥

Elevating kitchen cabinets is easy when you let the hardware do the talking. We recommend choosing from our newest designs, like our ALVA Collection with a trend-inspired tubular silhouette. Is your interior style more modern? You may prefer the dynamic profile of our matte black KING Ring Pull and matching KNIGHT Pull.

 

Make the most out of the space by hanging up items you’re happy to display. Get hooks that match your knobs, such as as our SWIFT Hook or FELIX Hook. Made for hanging up kitchen must-haves, now is your chance to display your holiday inspired tea towels and oven mitts.

 

5. DIY a serving tray

As serving starters becomes regular practice, having a reliable tray at hand can be a great help. Why not upcycle a drinks tray with a splash of paint, patterned wallpaper and sturdy new pulls? If you prefer a more versatile look, just secure knobs beneath each corner of your tray, and let your DIY take center-stage on your dining table 👏

Wood is perfect for the base of a serving tray, just give it a trusty stain and you're good to go. You can get straight to screwing in some statement SQUIGGLE Pulls, or personalize it further with some hand-painted strips 🖌

6. Set up a bar area 🍸

If you’ve got quite the collection of drinks to display, a cocktail cabinet makeover may work well for you. Keep the exterior bright and eye-catching, and why not add wallpaper to the inside, for a touch of intrigue? Top off your drinks cabinet upcycle with some new, trend-led hardware designs, such as our BOBBIN Pull or FOLD Front Mounted Pull. Step back and admire your masterpiece – your cabinet is now ready to be the life of your holiday party 🍹

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7. Upholster soft furnishings

Got a sewing machine and a bit of spare time? It’s time to revive your cushions and hang up fresh curtains. Pop to the local fabric store to pick up a material with a pattern or color that reflects the season. Go for a rich seasonal burgundy, or try a striped white and cherry red print 🍒

A ruffled cushion cover will elevate your living room sofa. Use leftover fabric to sew a quick café curtain. That’ll not only help disguise non-aesthetically pleasing appliances, but give your kitchen that trending old-school look. Worried about your dining table chairs looking a little rough around the edges? Upholster the cushions to keep your dinner party guests comfortable and conversing about your impressive, new-found skills 🧵

Which project will you tackle to prepare your home for the holiday season? We’d love to see what you get up to. Be sure to share your festive makeover by tagging us at @plankhardware 🎄