Reclaim Your Living Space

For the last 18-plus years, you've had one or more children living in your house full-time. Along with children come furniture, toys and swing sets—all of which you may be excited to part with when they head off to college or get their first job. We asked an organizational expert and two designers for their tips on reclaiming your space once your kids are gone. Step one: Clear clutter. Step two: Liven things up!

You may be eager to take a family vacation or simply spend time with your child before he leaves for college, but chances are he will want to hang out with his high school friends. When you are together, you’ll need to shop for bedding, clothing and possibly a car. But it’s equally important that you make time to sort through his belongings to decide what should be kept, tossed or donated. “There will be some things that kids will want to hold on to and others that they will want to take with them,” says New Jersey designer Cassandre Snyder.

As a parent, you may be ecstatic about taking down the life-size poster of Kate Upton that hangs in your teenage son’s bedroom, but Los Angeles-based organizing expert Tori Springer of Simply Simplify discourages parents from moving too fast. “If your child is having trouble adjusting to the idea of leaving home, you may want to wait until at least after the holidays, at which point he will have settled into his new life,” says Springer. “Leaving home is emotional and so is clearing clutter. Be careful not to rush your kids out the door.”

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When the time is right to pack up treasured keepsakes, take care to protect them from leaks and floods. “There are cardboard boxes that come with archival paper, which I like to use for school diplomas, achievement certificates, sport team photos, badges, etc.,” says Springer. “We then place them in water-tight bins and of course … label away!” Tallahassee, Fla., decorator Laura Burleson is partial to the Tupperware containers that can be stowed discreetly under beds. “I use one per school year and label them with my child’s grade, teacher, etc., to archive that year,” says Burleson, who notes this can also be done retroactively.

Once your child is gone, find a nice way to display his favorite items and surprise her on her first visit home. Create a gallery wall with framed art and photographs or even hang shelves for meaningful trophies. “An old pair of ballet shoes with a picture of your child dancing will display beautifully in a mounted shadow box,” says Snyder. If your child was a star athlete, Burleson suggests having a quilt made out of his team jerseys. “There are even methods of preserving prom corsages and graduation leis in airtight, Lucite boxes,” says Springer.

Once you have dealt with your child’s belongings, look around and see which items are no longer necessary. Perhaps the command center style bulletin board or white board in the kitchen can be taken down or relocated to a less prominent place. “Once the kids leave the nest, if it's still necessary for the parents to keep a calendar, find some place unnoticeable to stay informed,” recommends Snyder. “A white board displayed on the inside of a pantry door helps everyone stay on schedule, and doesn't ruin beautiful design,” she says. Likewise, the video games, controllers and related cords can get packed away.

If you worry your child won’t feel at home over the holidays should you change your home too much, wait to do any major remodeling until he’s been gone a full year. In the meantime, Springer suggests treating yourself to “a nice set of everyday dishware, reupholstered dining chairs, fresh curtains, a larger television or a wine fridge.” Even having the carpets professionally cleaned will give your home a boost, she says. “And buying yourself a few grown-up items allows you to reward yourself for sending a productive member of society off into the world.”

Many parents steer clear of white sofas or chairs when they have young children or rowdy teenagers at home. While Snyder feels that there are plenty of companies who make easy-to-clean fabrics these days (so there’s no need to wait), she says if you have waited, now’s the time. Embrace light-colored carpets, tile floors, furniture and paint colors. Accessories can be replaced, too. “Upgrade all of the fabrics, rugs, bedding and pillows—anything you'd have worried about with sweaty gym socks on them,” says Burleson. “The wait is over!”

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With your child’s permission, transition his room into a guest bedroom or office. “Remove the bed and replace it with a cool daybed, so that you can have an office but he still has a place to sleep when he comes home,” suggests Burleson. If you want to make use of your child’s bed, simply replace the sheets and duvet cover for a more grown-up look, says Springer. In addition, “add guest amenities to the unused bathroom,” recommends Springer. “Stock it with a toothbrush as well as hair and body amenities so it’s set up like a hotel.”

Since grandchildren are probably at least 10 years away, it’s probably not worth it to keep the tire swing, trampoline and basketball hoop up unless your children think they’ll use them when they’re home. “By the time grandkids come around and are ready to play, there will be something newer, better and hopefully safer,” says Burleson. Also, don’t get overly sentimental about clothing, toys and furniture your children used as babies that you think they may want for their own children someday. Hang on to items that were handmade, such as a dollhouse or quilt, but part with most everything else.