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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}

Study: Experiences Bring More Happiness Than Stuff

If you asked me to name my favorite “purchases,” I’d be much more likely to rattle off vacations I’ve taken, operas and ballets I’ve seen, and nice dinners I’ve had — rather than any things that I’ve bought.

Well, it seems I’m not the only one. A new study shows that experience-related purchases, rather than material ones, bring more happiness to the consumer:

“The results show that people’s satisfaction with their life-experience purchases – anything from seeing a movie to going on a vacation – tends to start out high and go up over time. On the other hand, although they might be initially happy with that shiny new iPhone or the latest in fashion, their satisfaction with these items wanes with time.” Click here to read the entire article…

In short, the study explains that material purchases are easy to compare, and therefore more likely to lead to second-guessing and dissatisfaction.… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Aspiring Minimalist

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.

I don’t have anyone scheduled after today’s post, so I’d love to receive more stories. I know there are more Real Life Minimalists out there — don’t be shy! :-)

Today, Aspiring Minimalist shares her story with us, and explains why she has chosen to pursue a minimalist lifestyle; check out her blog to learn more!

Aspiring Minimalist writes:

Growing up, my family has always been frugal. My parents immigrated from Hong Kong in their late twenties, to start a new and better life in Canada.… {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}

Minimalist Philosophy: To Walk Away, Empty-Handed

Today I’d like to share one of my favorite quotes, from Henry Thoreau’s Walden:

“It is desirable that a man […] live in all respects so compactly and preparedly that, if an enemy take the town, he can, like the old philosopher, walk out the gate empty-handed without anxiety.”

I’ve often wondered, if the place I live was suddenly struck by political unrest or natural disaster, could I walk out the door and leave everything behind?

Ten years ago, I might have found this difficult. I was in a more “accumulative” phase of my life, building a household as a young adult.… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Fox

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.

I don’t have anyone scheduled after today’s post, so I’d love to receive more stories. I know there are more Real Life Minimalists out there — don’t be shy! :-)

This week, we have a wonderful contribution from Fox, who started on his minimalist journey just after college. I wish I’d been as wise at his age!

Fox writes:

I’m the author of The Tiny Ouroboros, a blog dedicated to living tiny, green, simple, and unconventional.… {Read more}

Minimalist Dilemma (or Blessing?)

It is 10:55pm here, I’m working on our tax return, and the ONE pencil we own has run out of lead.

Instead of staying up to the wee hours mired in the fascinating intricacies of the US tax code, I’m going to finish my glass of wine and go to bed.

Who says minimalism doesn’t have its perks? ;-)… {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}

Real Life Minimalists: Heather in Texas

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.

This week, I’m pleased to feature Heather in Texas, who has shared some wonderful simple living advice in her comments to my posts. I hope you enjoy her inspirational story!

Heather in Texas writes:

I am not the type of person who believes that your age, adulthood or job in life dictates a right of passage to acquiring a certain pre-existing list of expected accumulation…whether credit cards (with debt), materials items with the right labels, the right house filled with (insert big box store name here) or even trying to exude a certain lifestyle.… {Read more}