Less is more. I think we can all agree that a clutterless environment clears the mind and allows for more focus on the non-material things in life. Unfortunately, many perceive minimalism as boring, bland, and hyper-modern. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Minimalism isn’t asking you to throw personality and character to the side. It’s simply encouraging you to embrace what is truly important and to eliminate that which only functions as distraction.
However, we know minimalism isn’t for everyone. But for those seeking a simpler environment, let’s explore how minimalism can benefit you and how to create a minimalist home.
Why Minimalism?
Reduced stress.
By reducing the amount of distraction your brain has to process and the amount of stimulus you are surrounded by, a minimalist environment is calming and invigorating.
Easy cleaning.
Regardless of how hard you try, a cluttered environment makes it nearly impossible to keep your home clean. Areas get neglected, dirt and dust have more places to house themselves, and the task itself is unnecessary weight on your shoulders.
Focus on what’s important.
From pictures of your family to a cherished coffee table, limit your furniture and decorations to pieces that mean something special. Surrounding these items with filler items takes away from these cherished items. They also take away from who you are.
Creating Your Minimalist Home
Identify Your Needs.
As we discussed above, take some quality time identifying what you really need and what you can let go of. The best way to do this is simply walk into each room and ask yourself, “What could I genuinely live without?”. I guarantee you will discover a handful of items in each room that you forget you even had.
One Room At A Time.
This process doesn’t need to be done in one fell swoop. Take your time. By taking it one room a time, you will begin to develop an understanding of what your focuses should be and how to approach each project. We find that jumping around just leads to chaos and more of a spring cleaning scenario. Creating a minimalist home is a lifestyle change, not a spring cleaning.
Furniture First.
Start with the big stuff. Without sacrificing livability and the ability to host, rid rooms of rarely-used, space-hogging furniture. One of the main reasons we recommend this as the first purge is due to how dramatic of a transformation you will notice right off the bat. This will empower you to keep moving forward.
Clear Flat Surfaces.
The vast majority of flat spaces should be clear. Except for simple, important decorations, keep all other decor out of sight.
Out-of-sight Storage.
For non-minimalists, storage is often creatively repurposed as decor. For a minimalist, most of your storage should be out of site. Moreover, a minimalist should seek to not have much need for storage in general.
Quality Over Quantity.
Many will say minimalism requires everything to be plain and simple. This is not the minimalism we encourage. We are pro-quality. What you choose to decorate with should be high quality and meaningful, not just plain and simple. Cleanse yourself of the unnecessary.
Minimalism Is A Process
We know maintaining a minimalist home isn’t easy. It’s not about a preserving a one-time transformation. It’s about accepting that minimalism is a lifestyle and a process. Our hope, through this minimalist process, is that you gain a finely-tuned sense of what is truly important to you and what is just material.
