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Minimalist Decor: What’s in Your Tokonoma?

In traditional Japanese households, décor is kept to an absolute minimum. Usually, just one or two artistic items are displayed in a small alcove called a tokonoma.

The tokonoma generally holds a calligraphic scroll or painting, along with a bonsai or simple flower arrangement. The items are appropriate to the season (like fall foliage or spring blossoms), and are meant to evoke an appreciation for both art and nature.

Of course, you don’t need an actual tokonoma to put this concept into practice. In our former house, we had a small console cabinet in the corner of our living room. On it, I displayed various “treasures” from our backyard, such as fresh flowers from our garden or a branch from our cherry tree.… {Read more}

On Not Collecting

I often wonder if the urge to collect is hard-wired in the human race, or just something encouraged by our society.

When I was a child, I remember my friends building collections of dolls, coins, baseball cards, comic books, and pop culture/movie memorabilia. I always felt a little left out. I don’t know if it was due to a lack of interest, short attention span, or early minimalist tendencies, but I had zero desire to participate in the collecting trends that were popular at the time (I won’t date myself by naming them!).

When I was a young adult, however, I finally caved to the pressure.… {Read more}

Nothing to Steal

My husband and I travel a lot, and people sometimes ask us if we worry about our apartment while we’re gone. Our answer: not particularly. The reason: we have nothing to steal.

Sure, we have stuff—clothing, kitchenware, books, and a few pieces of furniture. However, I can’t imagine anyone wanting any of it. And if they need it so badly that they have to steal it, they probably need it more than we do.

Anything we have of value—like our iPods, cell phones, cash, and wedding rings—is almost always with us.

The only thing I’d even come close to “worrying about” is my laptop.… {Read more}

Spring Decluttering

So it’s finally here…spring. And you know what that means, don’t you? It’s time for some major decluttering!

I’ve always loved this time of year. The cherry trees will soon be in bloom, as well as the Bradford pears, magnolias, and dogwoods. The whole world seems fresh, new, and beautiful—and I want my home to be just as lovely!

After my major declutter for our UK move, I have significantly less to do this year. Instead of tackling a three bedroom house with a basement, attic, and garage, I’ll only be dealing with a two bedroom flat. Surprisingly enough, though—as minimally as we live—there’s still some work to be done.… {Read more}

Minimalist Flooring: Carpet Tiles

I love a bare floor as much as the next minimalist. However, sometimes an area rug is desirable — to delineate a section of a room, add a touch of color, or simply provide some warmth underfoot.

Anything larger than 6’ x 9’, however, can be awkward, heavy, and difficult to move.

In our former house, we found a great solution: carpet tiles, such as those made by FLOR. They’re 20” squares that come in a wide variety of colors, textures, and patterns that you can mix and match.

Here’s why they fit with our minimalist lifestyle:

They’re portable. Frequent movers will love them for this reason alone.… {Read more}

Minimalist Home: Naked Windows

When it comes to home décor, there are few things I love more than naked windows. In my book, they’re right up there with empty walls. :-)

Of course, I recognize that window treatments can be quite practical—and in many cases, quite necessary! We live in the city, in view of our neighbors across the street; therefore, leaving our bedroom windows bare is out of the question. Our living room, however, is on a corner; and even though it has large, floor-to-ceiling windows, it’s less directly “exposed” to nearby buildings. Furthermore, a large tree right next to it provides privacy three seasons of the year.… {Read more}

The Minimalist Linen Closet

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed that my subject matter drifts from the profound to the mundane, from the philosophical to the practical. In exploring (and celebrating) a minimalist lifestyle, some days I feel like pondering the meaning of life, and others just pondering how many shoes I own.

Today, I’ll tackle a matter of great significance: the sheets and towels in our linen closet. ;-) (Actually, we don’t really have a linen closet, but rather a container for such items in our coat closet; but “linen closet” sounds more elegant, and those of you blessed with more storage space may actually have one!)

When we decluttered before our big move, we found that we had somehow accumulated way too many sheets and towels for a household of two adults.… {Read more}

Minimalist Design, Danish Style

This past weekend my husband and I visited Copenhagen, an incredibly beautiful city. It was also incredibly cold, so in order to keep warm, we spent more time than usual going in and out of shops.

We had a wonderful time browsing the local housewares and furnishings stores. We’ve always been drawn to the Danish design aesthetic, as we find its clean lines and simple forms quite appealing. We’ve been using simple glass Bodum coffee mugs for years, and our former sofa (currently in storage back in the States) was made by a small Danish company.

What I particularly like about Danish design is that while it’s minimal, it would never be considered cold or sterile.… {Read more}

Minimalist Confession: I’m an Empty Space Junkie

This week the New York Post ran an article about a couple that lives in the city’s smallest apartment. Their “microstudio” measures a wee 175 square feet—only 10 feet wide, and just under 15 feet long. The kitchen is equipped with a mini-fridge and hot plate, but the couple never cooks; they use their cupboards for clothes storage instead of pots and pans. [See the photo gallery of the couple’s apartment here.]

Of course, such an extreme example of minimalism made me wonder if my husband and I could do the same. My first reaction was to laugh at the thought.… {Read more}

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:

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.… {Read more}