I Want To Be A Minimalist
Ever since I posted my most recent dream house, I’ve seriously been wanting to get rid of everything and become a minimalist once and for all. And now I have even more reason. Take a gander at this house!
There was a time when I thought this kind of house was cold and uninviting. (“But where’s all their stuff?”)
But over the years, I’ve been won over. I think it would be so serene and tranquil to live without clutter and extraneous things.
I mentioned this to the husband to which he replied, “Then why do you keep buying all this stuff?”
Why? I’ll tell you why. Because there are days when I also love rooms like this:
That’s why. I just love all the layers, details, colors and . . . well, everything. Don’t even get me started on the striped chair!
Whenever my design identity crisis rears its ugly head like this, it throws me into a funk because I just don’t know what I want to do anymore. As I see it, the only real solution is two houses.
So, which camp are you in? Or do you have an identity crisis like me?
In addition to trying to snap myself out of this funk, I’ll be doing lots of tidying up around the house this weekend. We’ve got more guests arriving in the next couple of weeks (back to back!) so I need to get organized. Hope your weekend is a little more exciting than mine(!) See you all Monday!
(Photos: 1-5.via Plastolux 6.via All the Best)
The minimalist look is great for looking at but too so practical for living in…i prefer to live in a place that shows off the personality of its occupants.
I used to be like the top images. In fact I am sort of now. Not that stark but not many bits around. My husband has always called them "dust collectors" so I have a few out and most in glass cupboards where I can see them but don't have to clean them. Being a shopaholic means I do have things. However, since delving into blogland and seeing all the wonderful images with bits and bobs around the place, I'm changing. So at the moment I am happily entrenched with a foot in each camp.
.-= Jennifer´s last post ..Re Decorate =-.
Comments which just agree are a bit boring aren't they! But I do agree, I live in v minamalist house (half, other half is old) and I love it but you need storage and you must have art and a decent garden or view through all that glass.
.-= Jane´s last post ..A flowery chair for the Duchess of Devonshire =-.
I'm definitely leaning more towards the layered look. Minimalism has been HUGE here in Norway for so many years. What the challenge for me with minimalism is, is that you have to be super tidy. Everything has to be hidden or stacked away, and with kids, it's just going to look like an awful mess
AND I'm too hooked on patterns, antiques, fabrics… Minimalism with a modernist touch can look stunning though.
I do think it's ok to love both though. Just choose what fits your lifestyle!
.-= Dagny @ Beautiful Living´s last post ..Scandinavian interiors: Villa Skovstuen from 1872 =-.
I Love the photos above- the kitchen and bathroom are gorgeous! I don't want to sound like a broken record because you know how crazy I am for minimalist interiors. I do love a home with lots of glass, open spaces and little furniture. In the last few years I have really started to embrace a little color and some texture. Today, my favorite designer is Vicente Wolf. I just love everything he does.
.-= charlie´s last post ..Welcome To Helsinki =-.
Too funny! I also imagine myself as a minimalist when I buy my future home, but I love the intricacies of a well-furnished non-minimalist room. And I completely agree about the striped chair: it's fantastic!
t @ Now Craving
.-= t.´s last post ..Proverbial Fork =-.
Hi Alek,
Thanks you for visiting my blog ;O). I visit your blog every Day. But now I´m starting to comment.
Thank you for following me. I think that is possible you learn portughese. It´s easy. I put goole translation, I think that it could help english speakers and others languages … I would like to write in english, but I haven´time, it goes so fast…
About the minimalist…I LOVE minimalist style. The pics that you choose are amazing. I´m looking the pics and dreaming – I want one house like that! I want one house like that! I want one house like that! I want one house like that!
Have a nice weekend ;O)
i think mimimalism only works if you have a live in cleaner,
don't have any children and live on your own and you don't actually stay in the house but just use it for interior features in high brow design magazines :0)
give me a lived in space anyday…..
.-= elaine´s last post ..sculpture in context : Part 7 : The grand opening =-.
I am so a maximalist. And don't get me started on that striped chair, either!
.-= virginia @ where you hang your hat´s last post ..zen kitchen by heart of light. =-.
I love that you are always having guests, I know your friends must love coming to stay! Wait, Tim and I live in an 100 year old house decorated 'miniamalist' right now because we don't own anything! Not even a dining table yet! So mucy free, empty space. We had some friends over last night who were like, you can practice yoga here, you can do anything with all this room. I'm thinking, urgh, of course I want it 'finished' but Tim is definitely enjoying the freedom and openess that we have without stuff cluttering it all up!!
.-= Meg´s last post ..Decorating with Baskets =-.
So happy to know I am not the only freak on the block Alek. I am smitten with the minimalist lifestyle but I too worry that it isn't reality. I'd likely be running behind everyone with my shrill voice shouting, "pick that up!" I think that the rich have that wonderful opportunity to have many homes with many styles. To me, that's perfection. It feeds my multi-design personality soul! Happy long wkend to you!
.-= Deborah Milne´s last post ..Heavenly House Guests =-.
I admire clean modern spaces but I can't be a minimalist. Unless it's more like Belgian design which is a more modern and realistic minimalist. Thank you for your comment.
.-= julie at BV´s last post ..The Laundry Room =-.
Unfortunately I'm too much of a hoarder to be a minimalist, though it does look extremely appealing! Lee
.-= Lee´s last post ..Lush green gardens =-.
I really like that bedroom! I do like minimal bedrooms though, and keep our bedroom pretty tranquil. Otherwise, we just have too much stuff to carry out the minimal theme throughout the house!
.-= Courtney´s last post ..A Happy Mail Day =-.
I don't like to call it a crisis – though perhaps it is! I love minimalism but I recognize its limitations in the real world. I actually posted on that pool a couple of weeks ago – so you know I dig it! I do love clean, contemporary with a little edge of insanity. And it's more achievable with a kid and the urge to sink into comfortable furniture…
.-= K-Line´s last post ..In the Pink =-.
i like the idea of minimalism as a concept. a clutter free life sounds quite lovely, however, it's simply not practical for me. when i'm honest w/myself, i like the sentimentality that some objects bring. i like have lots of art around that tell me story. the layers, textiles, patters, even sometimes the "junk" are important for me. minimalist spaces are too sterile for me, and i think in the end, would be depressing.
.-= Down and Out Chic´s last post ..Giveaway: Pixel Wild Child =-.
Despite how appealing the minimalist look can be for me, I'm too much in love with textures, colors, patterns, do hickies, nick nacks and everything in-between to really have that look in my home. Plus I would never be able to deny that striped chair!!
.-= Brandie´s last post ..Paper Planes & Warm Heart of Africa =-.
I think I definetely prefer the last room! I need color and textures and chairs and lots of pillows around me
Have a great weekend
.-= ana´s last post ..Necesito un descanso… I need a break =-.
major indentity crisis here. for the exact reasons you claim. part of me is not so much drawn to the aesthetic of the minimal living but to the IDEA OF minimal living. no stuff. easy to clean. etc.. but i also know it's just not practical or realistic. so a while back i was in the same funk you speak of, just kind uninspired b/c all of it was too much to put my head around. then i decided that i was just going to enjoy looking at these minimal homes and stick with the style that is most comfortable and realistic to me. until i am able to own 2 homes that is.
.-= my favorite and my best´s last post ..groove to it =-.
Design Identity Crisis is my middle name
One moment, I want an all white, stripped down space, the next I yearn for the warmth of lots of fabrics and pillows and upholstered furniture. I think two homes is a great solution..or 3 or 5 
Happy organizing this weekend! I'll be doing the same
.-= Crystal @ Plush Palate´s last post ..It's all in the details… =-.
I definitely am familiar with this. I see a beautiful little thing in a store and I want it and it's under $50 so an easy impulse purchase… and then I get home and thin gah! what happened to my minimalism.
I recently boxed up a bunch of stuff and feel pretty good about storing it. Maybe when I have something bigger than a 1-bed, I'll spread it all out and they will be delightful accents in my minimalist space. But, for now, it feels like too much clutter and I need the space to breathe.
.-= Jane Flanagan´s last post ..Friday! =-.
I go back and forth too – I think it would be sweet to be minimalist but there are too many things I love that I want to buy and surround myself with!!!
.-= Amy´s last post ..More uses for cats… =-.
My name is Candi, and I have an identity crisis! =) I wish I could make up my mind!!!
totally off topic, but thanks so much for the recommendations in Seattle…I bought a fabulous antique french bottle dryer to grace the studio with at Red Ticking…the owner is lovely, and so is the shop…and the food at Umi was fabulous!
I dont think I could do it- I just LOVE the last picture too much- there is something about having lots of stuff I love around,it makes me happy
Have a good weekend!!
.-= LindsB´s last post ..A Total 360 =-.
hi alek… thank you so much for sending your fellow blogger friends in…they were delightful… i so appreciate your kindness…come in… we have to meet!
have a lovely weekend… x pam
the problem is that my second house at first was very minimalist then days after days it's less and less minimalist…to be then very crowded! And then I need a third house which is very minimalist at first…..and so on…
Have a nice week end too Alek.
A bientôt
christian
.-= le banc moussu´s last post ..Une rue sans queue ni tête, la rue de Viarmes Paris 1er. =-.
I love the simplicy of the all white home, but I just can't get my pack rat ways out of the way. Texture, colors, books, rugs, etc… I need them all to make my house a home.
Fabulous Finds Gal
.-= Fabulous Finds Gal´s last post ..You Can Leave Your Hat On… =-.
Design crisis fits me to a "T." I love the idea of minimalism, but the reality is that I'm a pack rat. I love stuff, cozy clutter and color and pattern and textiles, art, and in general, signs of life. See…CRISIS! But when I have to clean house, I curse all the stuff and dream of wide open spaces, expanses of glass, and simply furnished interiors. Sigh, that wasn't very helpful, was it. ;0)
Happy Holiday Weekend, girl!
.-= nkp´s last post ..Friday Fixation: attention to detail =-.
You are minimalistic – look at your blog banner! Tell your hubby that
I understand the urge to pare down, but there are just too many wonderful things in this world. I'll have to stick with that Kate Spade look.
.-= Sanity Fair´s last post ..What To Do This Weekend =-.
I love minimal and cozy at the same time, meaning like you say…, some layers, some colors, but definitely no clutter.
.-= Maya@Completely-Coastal´s last post ..Coastal Living Magazine Review =-.
as much as i respect a minimalist…i could never be one. i like the last room best but that's me, the clutter pack rat.
.-= bananas.´s last post ..tracy and ernie are getting married…woopadee doo! =-.
First off, thank you so much for your suggestions on restaurant locations and such. We actually ate at Umi, one of the sushi recommendations you had suggested. We were very pleased with the sushi and their service. It was hard to find great food in Seattle and without your help we would have never found this place.
Some beautiful spaces, as well
You are a mixed breed! The best kind! You get the best of both design worlds! I think going just one way – get's boring and predictable. And that my Dear you are not! Have a fun & lovely weekend with your guests!
.-= Splendid Willow´s last post ..Design Interview =-.
I'm afraid that the minimalist look is boring to me. I find it so uninspiring. I need to look at beautiful things…..although your images do look good. !!!!! XXXX
.-= Jacqueline´s last post ..CHAIR AFFAIR ….a love story…. =-.
Oh I'd LOVE to be a minimalist. But I have a maximalist approach to life… Sometimes good, sometimes not. The best solution — and my ongoing fantasy — would be to have a modern minimalist pied a terre in the city and a wonderfully cozy and collection-filled rambling country house. Perfect!
.-= susie Quillin´s last post ..I’m seeing greek key motifs. Everywhere. =-.
I like minimalism. However, I find that I feel more like myself when I can see my things around me: my old chair, crazy fabrics, funky wallpaper.. So I like looking at minimalism and admiring it, but I wouldn't want to live like that myself..
.-= Gintare´s last post ..Let There Be Light! =-.
Those minimalist homes have stuff but they are sitting in all the millwork that lines the walls. I prefer the layered, cozy luxurious look, over the straight lines and it would be nice to have both homes.
.-= Maria Killam´s last post ..Customer Service via Email; Rate yourself here =-.
nooo, no minimalism for us Alek! we are collectors, we need the striped chairs and masses of beautiful shoes everywhere! for minimalism we check in to cool hotels and lounge on white leather Barcelona chairs (well, THAT baby is very welcomed to my collection!), right?
have a wonderful weekend!
.-= tiina´s last post ..scandinavian design fair: Formex =-.
It's such a dilemma! In Marrakech our house was minimalist and as we had turned up with naught but two suitcases, it worked out quite well. But my natural habitat is crowded, if not cluttered. Well no, it's cluttered, but I'm trying to change that. Operation Oxford Declutter is well under way…
.-= Passementerie´s last post ..Because it's so very simple =-.
haha I couldn't be minimalist… maybe half minimalist, does it even exist??
.-= Bochenko Artdeco´s last post ..City House by Black&Spiro =-.
Hi Alek…I love your blog. Great minimalist house in those pics! I noticed you checked out my blog? that is fun…or am I trippin? Did you check it out? If so, How did you know my blog address? Keep up the great pics coming! see yah later! : )
.-= audrey crisp´s last post ..Carlyle =-.
charlie: He's my favorite too! And maybe that's why. He's sort of the best of both worlds.
Simone: I don't know about that but I'd sure like to try!
elaine: That sounds pretty good to me(!)
Meg: It's been crazy this year. First no one visits us then all of a sudden, everyone decides to show up. It is fun though!
my favorite and my best: You hit the nail on the head. It's the idea of living simply that is so appealing.
Jacquelyn and Sarah: You're welcome! I'm so glad you liked the rec's!
pam: You're welcome! I know I need to come in myself!
le banc moussu: I thought a second house would do the trick but I bet I would have the same problem. A second would lead to a third and on and on!
Sanity Fair: That's true!
Splendid Willow: A mixed breed! That's it! Now I know my identity.
Deb, susie, Devon: That's what I'm working on. One of these days, it's actually going to happen.
tiina: You're right, I don't know who I think I'm kidding. And yes, I'l take a Barcelona chair any time.
audrey: I found you via your link to me. Thank you!
I feel the same, I like many different styles and minimalism is really nice… but I 've realized that homes and interiors that are personal and cosy are the most attractive.
.-= Mia´s last post ..Danish delight =-.
Loving all beautiful things can't be minimalist, U think so? Well, U can still have beautiful things around although in minimal figures.
Ahh.. you really rocks by sharing us these lovely inspirational things. Makes me drool…
Happy Sunday!
.-= Chie´s last post ..RELAXING on my SSS #38 =-.
i'm torn too!!! so i think i end up somewhere in between… sometimes in the fall i find myself adding lots more things to my rooms to cozy up to!!
i'm so backed up & reading so i'm going to go through a tons of your posts right now but wno't be commenting since my comp is for some reason slow on your comment sites…. I have some time though & am so excited to catch up!!!!
xoxoxo
.-= Lauren Liess´s last post ..My Chinoiserie Mirror & Entry =-.
I have the same problem. In general though, I seem to prefer minimalism at home and layers in my imagination. But then my other personality takes over. And then they argue with each other and throw pillows.
.-= Bromeliad´s last post ..More ways with paper and maps =-.
count me in on joining the crisis. and WOW… way to conjure up the comments! i loved reading everyone's reactions. while i couldn't be a TOTAL minimalist, i do so hate clutter – especially when there's so much going on that there's no focus to a room.
.-= cassandra @ cocokelley´s last post ..Happpy (Sweet) Weekend… =-.
I absolutely love the minimalist house. When you have views like that, who needs stuff to look at? I would find it difficult to live this way though. Perhaps if I could still have my stuff and just hide it away in closets. Yes, that's the ticket.
.-= Marsi @ The Cottage Cheese´s last post ..This Puppy Looks like Orson Welles =-.
Ha ha, I always wanted to be a minimalist but I just have to accept that I'm a maximalist at heart, besides I just don't have enough storage for the former!
.-= Paula´s last post ..I want… =-.
My wife and I love living minimally. But we also have a six year old. We’ve found that hidden storage is a wonderful compromise.
.-= jacobW´s last post ..Avatar – worldwide sensation hitting $1.022B worldwide and climbing =-.