A Guide to Creating a Minimalist Home
How to make your home calm and clutter-free, from Leo Babauta of the Zen Habits blog. His kitchen holds just a table, chairs and stools, with only a toaster, coffee maker and microwave on the counters, and a visitor remarked she'd never seen a kitchen so clear of stuff.
Why bother
- Less stress. Everything in view tugs at your attention; less clutter means a calmer mind.
- More appealing. The rooms people admire in photos are mostly simple: a few beautiful pieces, a little art, a couple of decorations.
- Easier to clean. It's far easier to clean a clear room than one full of objects.
What it looks like
- Minimal furniture: a living room might be just a sofa, a chair, a coffee table, a simple TV stand and a lamp or two; a bedroom just a bed, a chest of drawers and a bedside table.
- Clear surfaces with one or two accent pieces, not piles of objects or paper.
- A few accents: a vase of flowers, a single family photo, one good piece of art.
- Quality over quantity: one great table beats five flimsy ones.
- Traditional Japanese homes are a classic example of the look.
How to do it
- One room at a time. Make it your calm centre, and let it inspire the next.
- Start with the furniture. It's the biggest thing in any room. Keep only what you need, in simple designs and solid, muted colours.
- Keep only the essentials. If you can live without it, remove it. You can add a few chosen items back later.
- Clear the floors of everything but furniture.
- Clear flat surfaces except for one or two decorations.
- Clear the walls apart from a piece or two of good art.
- Store things out of sight in drawers and cupboards; shelves hold books, not collections.
- Declutter the storage too, in a later pass if you like.
- Simple art in plain frames; leave some walls bare.
- Simple decorations: a plant or flowers, perhaps in a bright accent colour.
- Plain windows: bare, or with simple solid curtains or wooden blinds.
- Plain patterns: solid colours instead of busy prints.
- Muted colours: white, or soft earthy tones, with at most a splash of brightness.
- Edit again. Revisit each room after a few days, and every few months.
- A place for everything: give each item a home near where it's used, and keep it there.
- Sit back and enjoy it. The calm is the reward.
See also
- Minimalism
- Life Hacks
- Monk Mode (tidy room, clear mind)
Summary of an article by Leo Babauta (Zen Habits).