The Hardworking Home: Laptops, phones and tablets now have a safe space in this kitchen, keeping the countertops uncluttered

“Everything tends to wind up on the kitchen counters,” says interior designer Harmony Weihs. While working on a breakfast nook in Jeff and Amy Miller’s Mercer Island, Washington, kitchen, she couldn’t help but notice all of the phones, tablets and laptops that had overtaken this couple’s kitchen counters. “They had wires everywhere, even dragged across a gas range,” Weihs says. “I said, ‘Yeah … so … this is a safety hazard!’” In addition to safety concerns and keeping the electronics sheltered from spills and grease, the designer wanted to help the couple free up their cooking and prep space. She designed a freestanding cabinet with built-in power strips that not only cleared up their countertop space but also added to it.

Take a different approach this year, making simple, positive changes that add up before you know it

It’s January. Oh, the humanity. Perhaps you live in the Southern Hemisphere or some other warm and sunny place where those two words don’t bring a sense of doom so profound it propels one back into bed with a plate of cookies.

Maybe you are Naturally Organized and, now that all the holiday decor is put away, you just can’t wait to get the place cleaned up! You’ve dusted the lightbulbs and — honestly, I don’t have the strength to try to imagine what else you’re doing.

For some of us, the mere thought of the new year opens up a 55-gallon drum of worry and stress. How can it even be January again? Last year we were going to simplify and declutter. We were going to lose a bunch of weight and become profoundly spiritual or flat-out profound. We were going to meditate and plant an organic garden and read a ton of books, become more grateful and get super in shape — which is not the same thing as losing weight, let me tell you — and we were going to give up gluten, or was it sugar? We were going to go paleo! That’s it, except we couldn’t figure out how to make noodles out of squash. Were we going to give up meat? Dairy?

I know we were going to entertain more, practice hospitality and open our homes, make deeper connections and all that — you know, build community; but before we could have anyone over, we absolutely had to clean the place up and get totally organized! It was going to be the best, most productive, spiritually aware year ever, and here it is January again and we’re having a spot of trouble getting out of bed with or without the cookies.

Do you feel me?

Take it slow or be a speed demon — this room-by-room approach to organizing and storage will get your home in shape no matter how you roll

Party’s over, folks. It’s that time of year — now that the stockings have been taken down and the confetti has been swept away, any excuse to hold off on decluttering your home is long gone. Take advantage of the new year and give your home a fresh start. We’ve compiled some of the best cleaning and organizing guides from Houzz, room by room, to help you start off the year with a clean slate.

When electricity loss puts food, water and heat in jeopardy, don’t be in the dark about how to stay as safe and comfortable as possible

You probably know the ominous feeling: As a storm or hurricane sweeps through your community, you’re huddled safe at home or in a nearby shelter … and without warning, the lights all flicker and die. You’ve lost power, and experience says it could be a while before you get it back. What do you do now?

If you’re one of the lucky folks who has a generator, the going won’t be so bad, and you can live in relative comfort until the power’s back on. But generators can be expensive, beyond the reach of many of us. If a storm is coming and you could be facing days or even weeks without electricity, these steps can help you make it through.

As earthy or electric as you please, this yellow-green hue brings the zing or just freshness to homes from traditional to modern

It’s a vivid, electric color. Happy, even. It’s the inside of a perfect avocado, a bed of Scotch moss or the belly of a lovebird. Chartreuse is halfway between green and yellow — a yellowish green, a greenish yellow. But the spectrum within this color ranges from bright lime to light sulphur.

In its lighter, softer form chartreuse makes a great wall color for earthy, nature-inspired rooms. In its boldest, brightest form it is as eye catching as neon.

Chartreuse can be both earthy and electric. It looks wonderful with reds, oranges and blues, especially turquoise and cobalt. Bright chartreuse is a perfect foil for charcoal gray (think lichen on stone) and in modern design is often used as a pop against muted neutrals. It looks crisp and spring-y with bright white and vivid with purple.

It’s very popular in modern design, but chartreuse can span the eras and does not need to be used sparingly. Go ahead and put it all over; it can take it. Do you want a baroque entryway with chartreuse walls and crystal chandeliers? Go for it.

As these photos show, chartreuse may be bold — flashy, even — but it is not limiting. In fact, it’s an all-around great decorating color.

Rustic, minimalist, gloriously cluttered … there’s a mantelpiece style to suit every room and fireplace

The mantelpiece is an integral part of all but the most contemporary fireplaces, and for centuries we have been using this built-in shelf as a place to show off treasured items. In the past a clock in the middle flanked by porcelain dogs or matching candlesticks might have been the extent of the styling, but today we are free to follow our mantelpiece muse and get creative. These 12 stylish approaches show just how much fun can be had by pepping up your fireplace and making over your mantel.