We’ve been in our flat for over two months now, and I think it’s about as “furnished” as it’s going to get. Therefore, I thought I’d devote this post to recapping what we found to be the bare essentials, furniture-wise.
We ended up with a grand total of four pieces, as follows:
1. Mattress on the floor. We haven’t found any reason to invest in a bed frame, and actually quite enjoy sleeping on the ground. Our bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window lends itself nicely to low (or non-existent) furnishing. Furthermore, our building has radiant ceiling heat, so our floor is warmed by the flat below. 
2. Coffee table. This multi-purpose item serves as a coffee table, a dining table, and occasionally a desk. It’s very lightweight, and can easily be picked up and moved around the flat when needed.
3 & 4. Two Ikea Poang chairs. As I mentioned in my last post, my husband and I opted for two of these lounge chairs in place of a couch. While I would have been fine with a floor cushion, I have to admit that they’re quite comfortable for reading, surfing the net, or kicking back with a cup of tea or glass of wine. Since we were determined to keep our furnishings to a minimum, these chairs offer us greater seating flexibility than a sofa.
That leaves us with one completely unfurnished room: the second (guest) bedroom. My guess is that it will stay unfurnished until the week before someone comes to stay with us—at which point we’ll have to come up with some sort of sleeping arrangement post-haste. I have my eye on the foldable Cube Bed from the Futon Company. I like the way it can be folded into a side table or seat when not in use. For now, however, that serene, empty space will be my yoga room.
So how did we choose these particular pieces? In order to stick to our minimalist living goals, we based our decisions on the following principles:
Necessity. After a week of sleeping on the floor, for example, we decided a mattress was necessary. Things like a bed frame, dining table, and printer stand we knew we could live without.
Multi-functionality. As a minimalist, I love pieces that do double or triple duty (like our coffee table). I’d like to be able to meet all our needs with as few things as possible.
Mobility. It’s important to us to be able to transport our furniture easily—should we decide, for example, to move to a different flat in a few months (six-month leases are common in the UK, versus the standard one-year in the US). Therefore, we chose the most lightweight and mobile furnishings possible. (What I wouldn’t give for the Casulo furniture I blogged about last month!)
Flexibility. We chose pieces that could work in a variety of configurations, and that we could move around the flat if necessary.
Non-attachment. This became a significant guiding principle for us. We really wanted (replica) Barcelona chairs, and thought a pair of them in ivory would look fantastic in the flat. And we came *this close* to purchasing them. However, we reasoned that we’d hate to leave them behind if we left the UK; they’d cost a fortune to ship somewhere else; and we’d be unlikely to recover even half the cost if we resold them. In the end, we decided we’d rather have furniture to which we didn’t have much attachment—and chose the less expensive, and more easily resaleable, Ikea chairs.
Four pieces of furniture is far less than what we had in our last house—but so far, we’ve found them to be perfectly adequate. Time will tell if we need anything more (and, of course, I’ll blog about it here!).
So, when it comes to furnishings, how low can you go? Even if you currently have more than you want/need (like we did four months ago!), what would your minimalist dream home contain?
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I have a sofa and a coffee table. That’s it!
Non-attachment is something I consider, too. I can “run away from home” without missing anything. Without furniture to weigh me down, I’m lighter emotionally, too, walking around in a delightful zen-like haze. People always wonder what it is that makes me so happy, but my attempts to explain fall on deaf ears.
I do miss sleeping on a mattress and will get one for my new (and smaller) studio this upcoming May. I’d also planned to purchase a writing table, but after reading this post – and your previous post/comments about living couch-less – I’m nixing that. Now I’m looking for an oversized floor pillow that will let me use my coffee table as work space. I admire you for using the floor, but my bony butt needs cushioning. Thanks for the inspiration!
Yes, it *is* great to brag about what we *don’t* have. I’m learning so much from you
Wow — truly impressive!
I apologize if I missed this below, I scrolled back and didn’t see it, but can I ask what you’ve done for meals or cooking so far? Did you have to purchase kitchen gear?
Great post! Currently, we have a Poang chair, foot stool, coffee table, mattress and our bike rack. We have a temporary desk in the living room with a chair, but once my partner is done with his dissertation we are going to donate it to a needy student. You can take a tour of our little place here: http://smalllivingjournal.com/issue-3/rowdykittens/living-small-sacramento-california/
My minimalist dream home is a tiny house on wheels. It would be too small for a lot of furniture, so we would probably have two small chairs for the great room.
Awesome blog! I’m going to add it to my reader.
My minimalist dream home would contain our current PB basic sofa w/white slipcover, 2 wall sconces for reading and stacks or interesting books. In the kitchen, a small kitchen table and 2 chairs, a few stacks of white dinnerware and a few good pots and pans because cooking is one of my passions. The bedroom would have a bed on the floor with white sheets and a white down comforter, reading lights and books. Throughout the house some cherished artwork and photography and a vase or two of garden roses. This probably doesn’t seem minimal to you but for me it would be heaven!
~janet
p.s. I didn’t include my “ideal” wardrobe, but that’s another post for you to consider.
Sunny, just a sofa and coffee table–how wonderful! I completely understand your feeling of lightness and liberation. I hope your coffee table works out well as a work space; I actually find I think more clearly on the floor than at a desk.
Jen, thanks for the nice words–I think my next post will answer your question…
LOL, Tammy, the Poang seems to the minimalist’s chair of choice! Love your apartment tour, and looking forward to reading more of your blog.
janet, your minimalist dream home sounds lovely–especially the white color scheme. I agree that it’s important to incorporate some objects of beauty (like artwork and flowers). We’ll definitely talk about ideal wardrobes in the near future!
[...] Minimalist Furniture [...]
For those in the U.S. who still want a sofa, a fabulous resource is Home Reserve. These are assemble-it-yourself sofas with removable covers at incredibly good prices–and each seat has storage inside. They are delivered via UPS, and when you move they can be disassembled and shipped the same way if you wish.
As for chairs, I am a fan of the folding “zero gravity” designs–great for relaxing, working with a laptop, or whatever. These can be picked up very inexpensively, as well–enough so you needn’t be too concerned if you make a move and decide not to take them with you.
Sounds as though you are having lots of fun doing rather than accumulating.
For guests, would it work to have a regular futon? If so you could use it as a couch when people visit for a few hours for dinner and also for seating for guests to eat around the coffee table.
David, thanks so much for sharing this information! A couch that can be easily transported (and updated with modular components and new covers, according to the Home Reserve website) is a terrific idea. Can you provide a link or more info on the zero gravity chairs? (My googling comes up with everything from a lawn chair to a massage chair!)
Sharon, you’re right–our life is much more about experiences than possessions these days.
Yes, a futon would definitely work well for guests (both overnight, and dinner); in fact, that’s the setup we had in our former home. However, we don’t know how long we’ll be in the UK, so we’re pretty reluctant to buy a major piece of furniture!
Just found this post. Very interesting as I have a couch I really want to get rid of, but dont want to spend lots of money on new chairs. I figure I need three, one for me and two for visitors. I wish I could get away with two chairs but dont think I can. It is a real battle to me as to how much stuff you keep to suit occasional visitors and how much you have that is just for you and your everyday needs. This is why I like my bedroom so much. I can keep it as a completely minimal and furniture free space (apart from my bed! And I had that made smaller and more “Zen” like). Life is a constant compromise I find. I wish it wasn’t.
Hi Frances! I usually just sit on the floor, and let my guests have the chairs. Alternatively, you could keep a small, light folding chair to use when you have visitors (and stash it in a closet the rest of the time).
Livingroom:a soft carpet for a base (something colorful, maybe, a big square one or identical narrower strips for mobility), around 7 pillows, maybe in different sizes but similar color (white? gray?). Couple of identical nice floorlamps.
Bedroom: mattress, low chest or stackable boxes for clothes. Lamp/s.
Kitchen then would maybe need a table, sometimes it´s nice to sit down to a table to draw or reed or so.
A laptop, some kitchen stuff. Couple of flower pots.
It´s not how I live, I´ve almost always had too live in rented places that have had furniture in them.
Thanks for your comment, Kai! I love the description of your ideal place–simple and lovely.
Impressive ideas on how to live with less. My dream home would probably not be as extreme as some, but to each his and her own, right? I’d have to keep my piano (an old spinet with a peeling finish, but it’s mine), and my futon (it’s big, but it’s a sofa and a bed–so comfy I can’t even keep the dog off of it!). I’d love a platform bed (my current one is way too high) and a dining table with chairs that can double in the living room (and maybe at the desk). I would also love a round tray top storage ottoman (I have a square one, but the dog runs around way too much for it to be safe). Also, a very narrow bookcase would be nice. I don’t have a ton of books, but some are in Braille, and that takes up space. A couple of tables beside the bed might be nice, too. For a finished look. I don’t need a dresser, because I have a ton of closet space. A small table to be used as an altar would be nice too. Oh, and a dog crate that could double as a table would be awesome. If only I could find a very compact computer desk, too. A table doesn’t meet my needs, but I admire those who can get rid of the desk! I know, that’s a lot of furniture compared to the rest of the posts. It comes with having a dog, or kids, or even a cat (some cat trees are huge!).
Laurel, thanks for sharing the description of your dream home! It’s all about living with what’s enough for *you* (and your family, of course), and nothing more.
we have a
1. king sized, family bed,
2. a dresser that holds clothes for three people (dh, myself, 2 yr old)
3. a coat rack in our entry way (shoes, bag for hats/gloves/scarves, hangers for coats), as we have no closets in this place (common in old homes in NZ); and
4. a desk and stool since my husband prefers to write there (he’s a writer, so. . .).
we have found since moving from PA, USA to NZ that we can and do want to live with so much less. we are living our dream of “living zen.”
also, i can clean my whole house–if it’s a complete mess–in about 20-30. that’s tidying, but also washing dishes and wiping down the kitchen, as well as cleaning the bathroom and dusting/vacuuming. pretty sweet!
Jenifer, your house sounds wonderful! I love how you say “we are living our dream of ‘living zen.’” Very cool.
Hi. We have two of the Futon Company’s cube beds, which are hopefully our final solution for guests after having a real bed (when we had a bigger house – don’t want that again), and then inflatable mattresses (always the worrying thought – and reality – of punctures). They are nice and neatly cubic
On sustainability grounds I’m not a big fan of foam, but the versatility and plain styling of these persuaded me to just buy them and cease my eternal search for something similar in wool/cotton/natural latex that would probably look lumpy and be much heavier to move around.
Hi May! We ended up buying an inflatable mattress, since we planned on moving about a month after having guests. I’m still intrigued by those cube beds, though, and think they’d be a great solution once we’re settled again.
How comfortable are the cube beds? I was considering buying an air mattress for guests but I like the multi-functionality of the cube beds. I would probably use one as a chair for my desk and also use it as a dining/coffee table for guests by placing a nice piece of solid wood over it that I can hide in the closet. I only hope that they can ship to the US!
Other than that I am loving this blog. As for myself I am keeping it fairly minimal. Other than my clothes, bathroom and kitchen stuff (I do like to cook) – I only have a mattress, a small dresser, two poang chairs, a small desk with a folding chair and a small table with two chairs in my kitchen (only necessary because I don’t have any countertop space).
I’m living in a small ~350 square foot studio but it feels very spacious!
Glad you’re enjoying the blog, Andrew D.! Your studio sounds lovely.
I’m beginning to wonder why so many of us minimalists have Poang chairs…
Hello,
I am new to reading this blog. I am curious about what type of mattress you are using to sleep on the floor? Have you experienced any back pain or any pain in the morning when getting up off the floor?
Hi Ally! We have the Sultan Elsfjord mattress from Ikea, and love it. Very comfortable, and no pain at all.
I continue to try to reduce what I own – but its a challenge when you have a spouse that isn’t as “into minimalism” as you are (although somewhat supportive).
But its even more of a challenge when it comes to kids – they seem to accumulate things faster than I get rid of stuff. But I realize I need to be tougher and show them how simple life can be – spend money on experiences not stuff – I agree!. Its a challenge but one that I thoroughly enjoy. We have a couch but love it as we can all pile on it together and be physically close to one another.
We are now down to only one diningroom table – no longer have a kitchen table as it just seemed silly to have two just because you have the space for both. Isn’t it funny in our culture (North America) that we not only accumulate too much but often duplicates of the same thing – guest beds, formal diningroom sets, multiple televisions, etc.
[...] Minimalist Furniture: The Bare Essentials [...]
A good comfortable bed.. I like a slat mattress (inner spring) because it doesn’t add visual bulk to a room. Living in warm climates though, it needs a futon base, otherwise it gets moldy underneath. We had no ventilation under our bed in our van in NZ and weekly airing was a necessity. You don’t want a moldy bed!!! A futon mattress folded up as a floor couch (again, can be aired easily) works great.. just pull it out as a spare bed. A medium sized, low table for food to be put on and to double as a work space if necessary. And a good, open, wall sized, functional bookshelf that will take other odds and ends too. And a comfortable place outdoors to sit on under shelter. An old couch is perfect..
I’m not sure if it counts as furniture, but a piano never goes astray. The only other piece of furniture I like is a swiss ball. It’s great as a desk (or piano) chair and doubles as a gym.
[...] Minimalist Furniture: The Bare Essentials: We’ve been in our flat for over two months now, and I think it’s about as “furnished” as it’s going to get. Therefore, I thought I’d devote this post to recapping what we found to be the bare essentials, furniture-wise. We ended up with a grand total of four pieces, as follows…{read more} [...]
A bed frame is to get air under the mattress, to increase longevity, decrease moisture and mold and mites. So if you air the mattress every day there should be no problems, but if you’re lazy a bed frame might be a good idea, something like Ikea rebbenes perhaps. Cheaper and easier than replacing the mattress.
This is not minimalism. Its voluntary simplicity. Ask yourself “what is the essence of a chair” and then consider the aesthetics. Compare the answers with your choice. Are you buying the purest object? true to it’s materials?
Just a note from an Englishwoman – I’ve tried the mattress-on-the-floor thing, but just check that its not growing damp and mouldy underneath. Thats the real reason for bed bases. The UK has a damp cool climate, ideal for mould! Might not happen if you live in a very well heated space, but then maybe you would have to ask yourself if you really need your space as hot as it was back home
Okay- so I’m really working at being more mindful in my life- and home. So im a bit embarassed to say that we unloaded a storage unit that was filled with a bed,’dresser, 2 folding bookcases & a coffee table. Oh- and 2 lamps. We needed to rent a 16′foot uhaul to move.
Right.
What the HECK have we been storing?!
We have lots of books and PAPER! Old business receipts, tax stuff etc.
I would greatly appreciate suggestions on what to do with these documents. Books- I know we could donate…or open up a Healing Bookstore!
Thanks!
I love planning my minimalist home choices [i'm at University in a furnished student house at the moment] and already hope to be matress-on-the-floor sleeper and forgo a sofa but I did wonder what you do about clothing – do you have hooks or a cupboard/drawers for storing clothing?
Rose
[...] Minimalist has a post on Minimalist Furniture: The Bare Essentials. I’m definitely not there. But I get the idea that it is easier to move and make life [...]
I love this post. I too have begun the journey to a minimalist lifestyle. After clearing out a two car garage full of stuff I got rid of the bedroom furniture and put the matress on the ground. It wasn’t too long later that I got rid of the matress and bought a Mayan hammock and I am even happier and I also sleep better.
please tell us if we can get the cube beds in the US. that is the perfect solution to our (becoming) minimalist home!
Love this blog, but just thought I’d point out that keeping your mattress on the floor can provide easy access for bed bugs. (Might have been brought up in the comment already)
I’ve just moved into a much smaller space and had to leave most of my furniture behind. I now have a wardrobe, a bed, a set of drawers, and a desk and chair for my computer/office area.
I’ve found it amazingly uplifting, and seem to have lost a lot of the mental baggage along with the material.
I’m shocked that I’m so much happier with so much less. Why can’t the rest of society see this?!
{sigh}
Ben.
P.s. Many thanks for the read. As for those chairs…they are amazingly comfy, arn’t they
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I am not quite a minimals, but that is in the future. I am so tired of cleaning up clutter. I have gotten rid of so many things as i moved several times. Yet, it still feels like I need to get rid of more “stuff”. I really do hate nik naks, and things. My daughter is now in her teen years and everywhere i look i see her hairclips, makeup, clothes, haircare products, blah blah blah. If i ask her to clean her room she says, “I like it like that.” I noticed that there are things that have absolutely no purpose in my home. I can’t take this type of lifestyle. It clutters my home, mind, and spirit. I plan to truely conform to minimalism. I am tired of being a slave to useless, endless “things”.
I’ve just started reading your site and am obviously looking through the archives right now!
We also moved overseas and were quite spare about furnishing our apartment. Like you, we bought our furnishings at Ikea, for ease of re-sale and so we wouldn’t want to ship them back. What I don’t like is that I find this wasteful too – supporting a mass-consumer entity like Ikea, living with furniture made out of cardboard, turning over our furniture instead of keeping it forever, etc.
We’ve come to see that living overseas has its compromises, especially in terms of waste. Having moved coast to coast in the US, and then across the ocean, I do think moving is almost anti-minimalist. It helps me keep my “stuff” to a minimum, but I do end up re-buying the necessities and often from places like Ikea.
We did try to find as much as we could second hand, through the ex-pat community, so that was helpful. Interestingly, we were content to have a mattress on the floor, but ended up getting a second hand mattress with the bed tossed into the deal. We’re currently dealing with a very bad mold problem and are quite glad that our mattress was raised up from the floor. A lesson learned, I guess!
I love the idea of sleeping on just a mattress on the floor. I’d also like to live without chairs in the future, and a short legged table seems like a bit of a necessity. Your concept of using a coffee table for multiple purposes seems like a great idea. After all, they are short legged and should work for sitting net to without a chair.
I feel affirmed–I’ve been eating off my coffee table for over a decade! I had a table and four chairs at one point, gave them to a friend when I moved out of state, and just never felt compelled to replace them. As an apartment dweller I actually like that open space better than a set of furniture that would be a pain to move, and which I’d probably never use.
My furniture consists of a bed, dresser, night table, bookcase, couch, three lamps, coffee table, tv, DVD player, and tv stand (still a lot more than you!). I can’t let go of the tube and DVDs just yet, but I’m tentatively considering it…funny how radical that decision can seem…
I don’t know if they technically count as furniture, but I do have two 50-gallon fish tanks with matching stands and canopies in my living room, which are still awaiting inhabitants. They might actually help me to let go of the tv, since I tend to watch my aquariums more than the television when they’re filled!