Before the Fall Season, Designers Draw a Line on What Stays

Interior designers have compiled a short list of household items they say belong in the donation pile before autumn arrives, not the linen closet. Dead plants and worn towels top the list, offered as a plain marker of the difference between a home that is kept and one that is merely occupied. The guidance divides into two categories only: what to toss outright and what to give away. For houses that live and show well in every season, the standard tracks the market's own instinct — presentation is never incidental.

With reporting from Veranda.