If I could live in an almost empty room, I WOULD. AND, I would be happy.

That second sentence is more important than the first. Living minimally makes me happy. I don’t have paper clutter, a large wardrobe, lots of house decor, pictures on every end table or in some cases, even an end table. 😁 But I DO have furniture. Whenever we realized we didn’t need a piece of furniture, Joe insisted we store it in the basement because we might need it at another time. Only once did we bring a dresser back up from the basement, just to bring it down again about a month later because one of our children changed their mind.

How much furniture do we really need?

A table or a desk and a chair to eat at or write on? A comfortable chair to relax in? A bed to sleep on? If you were to really think about the bare minimum needs for yourself when it came to furniture, what does that look like for you? For me, it’s definitely a lot less than what I have right now but that’s because I live with a lot of other humans. 😍 So if it was just me, I would have a bed, a desk and a chair. That’s all. 😊

What about guests?

My answer: What about guests? Why should we spend thousands of dollars (or hundreds of dollars if buying used) on a sofa set because of guests? Many cultures have their guests sit on the floor when they visit. Others use temporary seating like folding chairs or folding cots. I remember the first time Joe and I bought a sofa set because I specifically asked him, “Why do we need a love seat?” He didn’t know why either but that’s how furniture stores sell the sets: a sofa, love seat and a chair. Joe still does the sofa buying so yes, we have them all. 😁

Build your own?

In the past two years, I have built two twin-sized beds, two toddler beds, an office desk, a computer desk, a kitchen table, a coffee table, a garbage can, installed kitchen cabinets and shelving and a sandbox. I am not a carpenter nor am I trained in woodworking. I built this furniture out of a need for it and the desire to keep it minimal and practical. If you too challenge yourself to keep items in your house minimal, you may discover a skill you didn’t know you had either. ❤️

Where are you currently at in your minimal journey?