It is always important to me that my home is calm, peaceful and serene. You know that feeling when you walk into a spa? That's what I want my home to feel like every day. I want to feel calm and at peace, like I can relax and be centered whenever I am at home! Not bogged down by chores, clutter and disorganization!
So how can you achieve that?
Choose one room in the house and follow these steps!
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Declutter. Go through every basket, drawer, shelf and declutter. Shred paper you don't need, bag items that you no longer use and immediately put them in your car for donation, bag and discard any unwanted items. Empty EVERYTHING.
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Trash/Donate. Don't wait. Immediately once you have finished decluttering bag up the trash + box up the donations. Put them straight into the car. Don't wait, do put them aside and pack them away for another day. Put them straight into the car. Don't keep stagnant energy in your home!
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Remove any clutter magnets. This really is the key. The number one way to have a clutter free space, and a minimal aesthetic is to remove spaces for clutter to reside. That means getting rid of unnecessary shelves, bookshelves, desks, baskets, bins, bowls, boxes, end tables. Whatever it is that attracts clutter in the room get rid of it. In my house I don't have bookshelves other than in my kids closet because I know how easy it is to start shoving things on shelves. If you remove things that will draw clutter you will drastically reduce the clutter in your home. Why? Nature abhors a vacuum. It is scientific law that where there is space the universe (or humans) will seek to fill it. So just remove it. Then you can be INTENTIONAL about how you fill it. If you have existing shelves that you can't physically remove, add minima, simple aesthetically pleasing decor (hello plants and succulents!) but don't leave open spaces for clutter to form.
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Organize. This is the second key to maintaining a minimal space. Everything must have a designated place and everything must remain in it's place. It should take you less that ten minutes to tidy a room. Tidying is my thing! What looks like a home that is always spotless is just an home that has been designed intentionally for easy tidying. I like to reset my home every morning. I love that it is easy to reset if guests are dropping by at a moments notice. The key to do this is to designate a space for everything. If you often have blankets for watching tv have one basket just for that. If your kids have toys they like to bring out designate a bin for the toys for easy packing away. If you have a puppy, create a toy bin for their belongings. That way packing away and tidying is quick and resetting your space is easy to maintain!
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Lighten the room. There is something about light colors that brighten the mood for me. This may not be the case for you, and this is why minimalism is different for everyone. But for me, I aim to lighten the room, bring in as much natural light as possible and bring in neutral tones and textures. For me, those colors signify peace and balance. At the very least, try and get as much natural light to fill the room as possible. If you can't check out the light therapy lamps. I find my mood is affected by the weather and the seasons, so flooding in natural light or intentionally using light therapy when I can't get natural light helps my mood!
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Add life! I love to add fresh flowers or house plants to add life to a room. It brightens the room and brings renewed energy. I love filling a room with people I love, creating experiences and exchanging love. You get to choose how you fill a room and it doesn't have to be with STUFF!
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Respect your boundaries! Be conscious about what and who you bring into your space. You've done the work to create a calm space, reap the benefits and don't let anyone or anyTHING steal that from you!