A Day in the Life: What's Inside My Minimalist Medicine Cabinet?

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Welcome to the first of "A Day in the Life" post, where we pull back the curtain on small habits, routines, and objects that make a New Minimalist's life go round.

The reason for "A Day in the Life" is simple: this is the information I wish were around when I was making my transition to a simplified lifestyle.   

Back in 2010 I was able to read some amazing books and websites on the reasons for going minimalist (time for your inner work, for your relationships, for your passions) and the biggest rewards of this lifestyle (lightness, ease, freedom, $$$).  But there were virtually no examples of what this life actually looks like, day-to-day.  

I had this longing to follow around a minimalist and learn the straight up details of this lifestyle I'd never witnessed in person.  

What's in your medicine cabinet?  How many pairs of socks do you own?  Do you have formal event wear?  Where do your guests sleep?  What do you clean your kitchen with?  

And while I used to think I was alone in this curiosity, the majority of questions we get on this site and from clients are about this exactly -- the small things.

So I'm pulling back the curtain and sharing these day-to-day experiences with you.  My life is not meant to be a rule of how you must do things if you want to be a minimalist.  Not at all.  But it's one version of New Minimalism and is full of little things that I've spent the majority of the past 5 years thinking about, researching, testing out and living with.  

So, much like how we feel about things, please take whatever is useful to you and leave the rest.

What's Inside My Minimalist Medicine Cabinet?

Cleanliness makes me happy.  I like visual order, I love crisp sheets, I wash my feet each night before going to sleep and I lose it a little when my husband puts something that goes on the ground outside (work bags, shoes, suitcases) on our the bed.  

But in the past few years as I've focused on creating simple routines and removing excessive/unwanted/duplicative objects from my life, toiletries and medicines were one of the biggest areas of change.

Inside our shower 


Hair

Conspicuously missing from our shower is one item: shampoo.  Both Cam (my better half) and I are 'Poo Free and I must say our hair has never looked better.  Turns out shampoo is full of harsh chemicals and detergents that clean dirt but also strip our hair and scalp of crucial natural oils.  Then we apply conditioner full of artificial oils and chemicals to deal with how dry and brittle we've made it.  And our scalps go crazy producing tons more oil that they would like to because we've dried them out so badly.  Then we need more shampoo...

Cam has been totally shampoo free for almost five years after reading one article about the benefits (though he occasionally uses traditional conditioner when his hair feels dry).  I didn't get on board until about 16 months ago when I started with the baking soda and vinegar routine (I just wasn't ready for a multi-week adjustment period that happens when you go cold turkey).  This left my hair still feeling dry and a little bit overly textured (though people swear by it).  

I began using Cleansing Creme by Purely Perfect at Kyle's recommendation 9 months ago, and guys, I am in love.  My whole life I've had dry, curly hair that errs on the side of serious frizz whenever there is moisture in the air.  Cleansing Creme has made my hair texture completely change: it's thicker, stronger, with softer waves, no oil and no friz.  

It's not cheap by any means at $40 a pop, but I only use 2.5 bottles a year (and find I can continue to use less and wash less often).  And my new frizz-free, crazy healthy hair makes me really happy.  Also, for those of us in this California drought, it's pretty great to only have one hair treatment rather than two!  

Behind our mirror: my stuff on the top shelf, Cam's on the bottom.

Face 

  • Activated charcoal cleansing bar: Much to my dismay, troubled skin seems to be in my DNA.  I've tried every product under the moon (including $100+ .5 oz serums and drying agents that made my skin flake off daily).  It still blows my mind, but the best product I've ever used is a bar soap containing activated charcoal.  Putting black suds on your face is weird at first, but activated charcoal is deeply purifying, all-natural and not drying at all.  Win-win-win.
  • Lotion: Before bed I like to put on a layer of a light, gentle lotion after washing.  The routine is pampering and it helps offset the drying effects of sun exposure and any spot treatments I might use.
  • Sunscreen: This is a must for both Cam and I since we're outside all year long.  He's cool with drugstore versions, I go for San Francisco's SkinSalvation brand for my sensitive skin.
  • Spot treatment: I use Murad's Acne Clearing Solution for any stubborn spots that pop up.  Shit worrrrrrks.

Body

  • Glycerin bar soap (Whole Foods 365 Vegetable Glycerin Soap or Dr. Bronner's are my favorites): Glycerin soap is a great natural cleanser but also quite gentle and often scented with yummy essential oils.  
  • Coconut oil: Since I've made the switch to bar soaps with natural moisturizers (glycerin) and absent of harsh detergents (sodium lauryl sulfate) I really don't need to moisturize my skin.  And this is coming from a woman who used to do a head to toe lotioning routine after every shower. If my skin does happen to get dry for some reason, like we're visiting friends in really dry climates, long flights, a lot of time in the sun hiking or camping, I use coconut oil as a moisturizer.  The same coconut oil I cook with -- how awesome is that?  Side note: coconut oil is also an incredible makeup remover for your face/eyes and great for taming stray flyaway hairs.  
  • Deodorant: 'Cause, you know, stinkies.

 

Our medical stash.

Medicine

As for actual meds, we have very few.  Our real focus is on prevention: making sure we exercise and get out in nature, eating food our bodies like, reducing stress wherever possible.  If we ever start to feel crummy our go to is lots of sleep and tea with honey.  However, a few things are musts in our home:

  • Poison Oak Cream + Wash:  Cam and I love to hike and trail run.  Where we live in Northern California that simply means that we're consistently exposed to poison oak.  We keep Tecnu in our shower for washing off oils after being on the trails and a prescription steroid cream for the worst rashes.
  • Bandages:  Necessary for the cooking injuries, skinned knees, and scraped shins that all seem to be a weekly occurrence in our household.  
  • Pain Med:  My mom, sorry, I mean Santa, gives us the little mini travel bottles of Advil or Motrin in our stockings each Christmas and this stash of 20 pills lasts us all year.  

 

What's in your medicine cabinet?  Take stock of any areas where you have the following and see if you can do some clearing this weekend:

  • Multiple versions of the same type of product, like: four different types of conditioners or hair masks
  • Backstock of one item, e.g.: three Crest toothpaste tubes
  • Just in case items, for example: medicines you purchased or keep in fear that an illness might occur
  • Items consistently expiring before use, often things that fit into the categories above!
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BTR: A Tiny Bedroom in Alamo Square

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Welcome to the bedroom of client, "N".  Located in San Francisco's NOPA neighborhood, N has been living in the space for over 10 years (ahem, rent control).  She called New Minimalism because she was tired of feeling cramped, unorganized and overwhelmed by the things that had collected over the years in her tiny bedroom. Not to mention that N was recently engaged and was inspired to turn over a new leaf and refresh her space. 

The closet was a major source of frustration for N.  You can see in the before image (left) that it was pretty much unusable.  After 10 years of living a busy city lifestyle items had, well, accumulated.    Once the closet started to go down hill, the thought of cleaning it was too daunting for N and it quickly turned into a catch-all space.  In addition, the back of this closet has a deeper nook that, if you don't plan for, ends up becoming a trap for items to disappear... never to be found again (until we show up and start pulling everything out!).

The biggest design improvement here was removing the sliding doors (after: right image).  By doing so, we increased accessibility and unapologetically displayed the bright and beautiful clothes within. N has great taste and enjoys expressing herself through her fun wardrobe.  Granted the closet is small, yet we were able to hone down the clothing so that all of N's hanging garments had space in the closet while still making space for her fiance's coats.

Much of the contents that were hiding on the floor of the closet were donated, thereby opening up space to store shoes.  We carefully measured the space and included a tall and narrow shoe rack in the rear of the closet to store seasonal shoes (plus a pair of badass roller skates) in the nook.  The upper shelf became storage for R's work-related materials, N's winter accessories and purses.

Tip:  We start all NM projects by decluttering the wardrobe.  We love it so much, that we even created an Essential Wardrobe Decluttering Guide to share our process.

Above is a detail shot of the closet (left: before; right: after).  The top of the table kept N's makeup (silver box) and was a landing zone for work jackets (fuzzy draped sweater).  The shoes, not having space in the closet, gathered below the table. 

During the session, we learned that N has a very specific work wardrobe that is separate from her "play" wardrobe.  She has been working at her current job for six years and yet never carved out a space for her work-only clothing.  As such, it was easy for the work wardrobe to simply float about the room, getting lost or damaged in the process.  By removing the clothes N no longer used, we created space in four drawers of the dresser to contain all work clothing.  Now N knows exactly where her work clothes are, and if something is out of place, she knows where it should be. 

As for that silver makeup box, we decluttered the cosmetics that had expired, threw away the silver box which had seen better days, and repurposed the small 3-drawer stand as the new make-up holder.

 When we first came to N's room, various surface-level piles were the result of existing storage being over-stuffed and under-optimized.  The items N no longer needed crowded out the items that she used regularly.  By setting aside the time to declutter her clothing, N examined and shed the items that no longer served her in her current life and reclaimed the existing storage of her room.  

After two full-day sessions of decluttering, and the installation of some strategic hooks and shoe racks, we were able to transform N and her fiance's bedroom into a peaceful space; a space where they can come home after a busy day to rest and rejuvenate.

Life (Goes On) Without Internet

Image // via

Image // via

Hello dear readers, Kyle, the other half of NM here.  I’ve been living internet-free for 18 months now and it’s time for a check-in.  Yep, that’s a year and a half without internet at home!  It’s gone by quickly and I must say that the pros strongly outweigh the cons.  There have been moments of falter and frustration, but overall, I am quite happy with the decision and do not think I could go back.

Since beginning this experiment of technological abstinence, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was not terribly difficult.  Leading up to this point, I had started to become more conscientious of my “screen time” and knew that I was more productive and emotionally grounded with less of it.  Was I going to pick up that book I’ve been meaning to read when I had the ability to fall deep into a warm and fuzzy Freaks & Geeks marathon?  I think not.  But now, without entertainment at my fingertips, in my moments of free time I find that I clean, I read, or I write a blog post, like this one.  These are all activities I enjoy and contribute to my overall well-being but I did not always set aside the time to do. 

There are a few reasons I can identify that have made this internet-free pursuit feasible for me: 

1.    I have regular internet access outside of my home: 

For three days each week I work in an office with quick and reliable internet access.  During this time at the office, while I am busy with other work, I still find time to answer emails and basically be “in-touch”. For these three days I am hyper efficient with my online time, because I know that if I do not use it wisely, I will have to find another way to access internet.

Do you have access to internet in your weekly routine?  If so, maybe going internet-free is the right challenge for you.

2.  I use a smart phone: 

If I need to look-up an address or read an email, I can use my phone.  Yes, I guess technically I have access to the World Wide Web.  But it’s not like I’m going to stare at my itty bitty phone for hours on end.  I would say I max out at about 20 minutes of Instagram perusing.   

3.  I have a “third place”: 

If I need to write a lengthy email with hyperlinks sourcing furniture, etc., I will walk the 3.5 blocks to my gym where they have a café with wifi.  This has been my other saving grace.  I have a “third-place” where I can casually pop in and have a concentrated hour of work.  Also what is great about this strategy is that it has the effect of feeling like you are in a foreign country using an internet café.  For some reason it’s like the little timer at the bottom of the screen is counting down fast and so I better finish this task, STAT.  Also, it would be weird if I were just hanging out at the gym cruising Facebook, right?     

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My moment of falter: 

At one point last winter I noticed that my boyfriend Johnnie was becoming frustrated with the internet runaround.  He is a full-time freelancer and does not have the three-day-a-week internet access that I do.  Feeling guilty for making him internet-less, while concurrently insisting that we stay at my house most nights (geez I’m demanding), I thought, maybe we should have internet.  Still basking in the glory of not paying $80 per month, I approached my neighbor to see if she would be interested in sharing her internet connection.  Being that our building is comprised of all studio apartments, how stringent could her internet demands be? 

Well, apparently this is not a normal thing to ask your neighbor.  She played it off as if she were open to the idea of cutting her bill in half.  But when we parted ways I suppose that she conjured up all the ways in which this seemingly innocuous union could go awry.  Maybe I was planning to download massive amounts of illegal content?  Maybe I would stream action movies day and night, and not only would she hear the intermittent explosions through her wall, but she would also have a slower connection as a result? 

I’m not sure of the reason.  But I do know that after asking twice, and never receiving the log-in information, I decided that Johnnie actually didn’t need internet at my house.  He could find a way around it, right?  And we’ve made it work. 

Try the internet-free life, even for short spurts.

So while there are minor inconveniences of living internet-free, overall it has been Amazing with a capital A.  And I urge you to try it!  You don’t have to cancel your subscription immediately, but try turning off your modem for an entire week, or month.  Convince your partner/children/roommates that it will be a fun experiment and see how it goes.  You might find that it’s not so hard after all.  

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Drastically Increase Your Standards

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Image via inside out magazine

The average American home has 300,000 items inside it.  Three hundred thousand things.  

How many of those things do we use in an average day?  Month?  Year?

How many of those things do we love?  How many "spark joy"?  How many support us in becoming our best and fullest selves?

My guess: very, very few.  

Clutter builds up when we stop making decisions about our stuff.  

Rather than choose which wrapping paper we like most, we buy all 13 rolls in a jumbo package. Rather than donate clothing that no longer fits, we hang it back up "in case I need it." Rather than recycle back issues of a magazine, we stick it on the shelf to read "later."

It's those items -- the ones that we don't use or love or need -- which slowly fill our closets and drawers, our garages and attics.  

Those are the items that make it hard to see the painting on the wall that you do love, hard to find your one snuggliest pair of ski socks, hard to clear off the table to share a meal with the people you love.

When we work with our clients, the first thing we do is touch each and every item to decide what stays and what goes.  

The end result is a simple, easy to maintain, spacious and inspiring home.  

But make no mistake, it's real work to make a decade's worth of decisions about your wardrobe (or kitchen or living space) in one morning.   

And unfortunately, things don't stop trying to enter our homes after these purges.  Birthdays, holidays, malls, sales, heirloom items -- these occasions for clutter to re-enter your home will continue to occur.

The easiest way to ensure that you're not sorting another 300,000 items in 10 years?  

Nip the clutter in the bud by having extremely high standards for what you allow into your home.

 

3 ways to be radically more selective about what you allow into your space:

1) Say "Thank you, no."  

Gifts, hand-me-downs, goodie bags and freebies are among the most pernicious items that continually attempt to enter our homes.  Acknowledge the kindness of whoever is attempting to give you that corporate logo-filled mug or give your child a plastic bag full of small plastic things.  Then warmly say "Thank you, but I actually don't need any ____ today!" and continue on with your clutter-free day.

2) Shop mindfully.  

Stores are designed to make us pick up last minute items.  Brilliant folks with PhD's have spent decades learning about how to appeal to our senses and override our natural decision making process so that we leave the store with a dozen extra items never knew we "needed" until right now.  

Be prepared: have a list, know exactly what you are looking for, and create a budget for non-necessary items.

3) Always remember your big goals, hopes and dreams.  

When you are faced with having a new item brought into your space, determine right away if the object supports the greater lifestyle that you are creating for yourself.  If it's a no, immediately into the donation bin it goes!

 

Unplugged: Life Lessons from 5 Days Without a Cell Phone

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image // via

Earlier this month I took a quick to Chicago to help my parents get their home of 30 years ready to sell (it didn't hurt that this happened while I was there:).  

And in the chaos of airport security at 10pm on a Saturday night and my excitement over being midwest bound, I forgot my phone.  

Must have left it right on the conveyor belt where it fell out of my bag and I didn't notice it's absence until I trudged all the way to my gate at the end of the International Terminal.  

The Search.

I'm trying to text my dad that I'm getting ready to board and the flight is on time when I realize it's missing.

Start moving things around my purse.  Check the pocket my phone is normally in.  Pat down my pants and jacket pocket.  Re-check purse, vigorously pushing books and eye masks side-to-side.  Nervously pat down all parts of my clothes that could possibly contain a phone (sweater sleeve, anyone?).  Re-check purse pockets.  Open up books.  

And finally, pull out each item one at a time checking to see if my wallet or Lara Bar mysteriously ate or absorbed my phone.

Real life.  No cell phone.  5 days.  

Now don't get me wrong, I love to leave my phone off on weekends in the country.  I relish campsites with no service.  A week on the beach is best spent without internet.  Unplugging on a vacation is the only type of vacation for me.

But this was different guys.  I had to live my real life -- work, emails, calls that expect return, weekdays, news apps that need to be read -- without my electronic pacifier.  For 5 days.

My gut reaction when I realized I didn't have my phone?  

To sprint back through two terminals, likely missing my flight and the one time I've ever sat first class* in my entire life because I hoped my cell was at security.  

My second reaction?  To text Cam and tell him I lost my cell.  

My third?  This is so boring, I should check Instagram.  

My fourth?  I should respond to those emails before they close the doors.

And so on until at about option 20 when I --gasp-- struck up a conversation with my seatmate.  

He shared a few funny stories about his reunion weekend he'd just been at and showed me photos of his adorable daughter. Then I read briefly, then I fell into blissful sleep (for the 3 remaining hours of the flight).

It was weird to wake up on the other side of my brief redeye flight and not know if my dad was coming to pick me up.  It was a little stressful when the free O'Hare cab phone didn't seem to be in service.  It felt strange to not tell Cam I'd landed safely.  

Slowly, I got used to it.  

I watched the sunrise over the old familiar landscape as the cab floated down the highway home. Cam and I reverted back to the philosophy my parents and I used in my year living in Phnom Penh and my subsequent months of traveling solo: no news is good news.

And then, by day two or three (after the withdrawal symptoms had faded) it was suddenly easy.  

I looked up directions before I left for an errand.  I got used to the boredom and frustration of sitting in standstill traffic and waiting in lines without my phone to distract me.  I set aside time for things I would normally do throughout the day: check email, text, read news.  

Then all of the sudden it was amazing.  Liberating.  Spacious.  Free.  

And that list above?  It's full of my heavy-hitting, most desired feelings.  Which got me thinking that this cell-free thing would be nice to integrate into my regular life.

Now don't get me wrong, my cell phone is my lifeline between me and my family.  Facetime is the only reason I can stand living 3 time zones from my nephews and niece.  Being able to take high quality photographs and respond to emails while on a quick break from working with a client -- they help our business go 'round.

But I use my phone for so much more than that.  To pass the time, distract myself.  To feel very important.  To structure my time (reactively).  In doing so I miss the people and experiences around me.  Boring, amazing, and everything in between.

And let's face it, most of life happens in between.

 

Could you go cell-free?

Join me in spending just an hour or two tonight with your cell phone on airplane mode.  Or try making your commute to work on Tuesday with your cell phone off.  Or even go to dinner with a loved one and leave your phone at home (!).

Share your cell free experiences in the comments below or on Facebook!

*The top reason for last minute travel?  First class tickets for redeye flights from SFO-ORD (11pm PST - 4:15am CST) are the same number of miles as coach.  #BALLER

We Didn't Buy a House, But We Found Our Home.

Not the house, but man would I love to live there.

I fell in love with a house. 

A cottage really.  Nestled in an adorable neighborhood.  Perfect yard.  A five minute walk to library, groceries, restaurants, bars with live music.  Funky town.  Great public schools (we don't have kids yet, but houses come with a million year mortgage, guys).

It all felt so easy at first.  First house we ever looked at.  Offer accepted (after a mini bid-off).  Inspections are good for the most part.  A few problems, but manageable.  Then there is a lot-line issue.  Then there is an appraisal issue.  Which triggers a bank issue.  And then another.  

It stopped feeling good.  At all.

Over two weeks I was consistently the most stressed out I’ve ever been.  I recognize what a total and complete privilege home ownership is, so it's not that I’m looking for pity but I acknowledge that the most stressful event in my life is one that I had control over, that I chose for myself.

And then there was a fear of having gone too far and having dragged others along with me.  But it couldn't touch the fear of knowing that my gut had started shouting “no” and if I didn't listen I would have to live with that regret.

The American dream is still alive and well.  Just this past week we worked with a crazy talented, smart woman who just paid off her mortgage.  And on the Peninsula nonetheless!  For some people, it's perfect, the undeniably best route.  

But we're all different, and I spend my days preaching from my little soapbox about how we ought to embrace our differences and preferences and make our own version of our perfect life.

In my perfect life, home ownership is about lazy Saturday mornings in bed.  About memorizing the trees on your property, the names of your neighbors pets, about having an open door policy where you just might arrive home to see a gaggle of friends already inside waiting for you.

This home was going to mean a double commute living 35 minutes from our closest friends.  It meant him leaving for work and hour earlier each weekday and me leaving at the crack of dawn on the weekends for clients in Palo Alto.  It meant no lazy mornings or friends.  It also felt really tight, a little lonely, pretty scary.  

Then to top it all off, Kyle and I had a photo shoot of my apartment.  The weather was perfect.  The 75 degree air made the linen sheers dance as the soft breeze came in the window.  The apartment was freshly cleaned, we picked a bowl of lemons of the meyer tree in our yard. 

I looked around our apartment and thought “Shit, I already am home.”

At home in our lovely apartment.  Photo by Ryan.

It was deep and profound and true.  And therefore, just a few hours before removing contingencies, we decided to keep our rental and our life as is.  

I feel: liberated, light, abundant.  I feel like Cam and I received an incredible education in our finances, our shared values, our long term dreams, and how we each handle hard situations...  It brought us together and it rocked us to the core with gratitude for this life that we currently are living.  It just so happens that for Cam and me, that perfect life doesn't include owning a home.  At least not yet.

So we're staying in our apartment. 

Maybe for a just a little, maybe for a long while.  And even though it is “just a rental,” I know now for sure that it is also home, and I'm doubling down on creating my perfect life within these walls.

So I've ordered some fabric to make the shower curtain of my dreams.  I bought a wall mount for my ukulele so I can put it next to my bed.  I found the sweetest print in the world from my favorite Hawaiian artist to close it all out.  I’m in the market for the credenza of my dreams.  I’m going to tend to this space and specify it love it the way I like. 

And then I'll call the landlord when the sink clogs or the disposal breaks, and I'll be eternally thankful for our five years and counting in our current home.

 

PS- If you're in the Bay Area and looking for a realtor, I could not possibly recommend Matt Hughes more highly.  He went above and beyond for us every step of the way, was always looking out for us, always available to us, an amazing communicator, and, more than anything, he was totally supportive when we decided not to buy (even after he'd put hours upon hours of work into our deal).  Seriously, he's one of the good ones:)

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The Bedroom, Aptly Named

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Image // via

Image // via

Ah, the bedroom.  What’s not to love?  Sleep, sex, getting lost in a book, snuggling in clouds of cozy fabrics.  

All these activities rate pretty high in the book of Why It’s Nice to Be Alive.  But in these days of compact city living and wireless access to...everything, we find more and more that clients are using their bedrooms for far too many activities, rendering the bedroom a jack-­of-­all trades and master of none.

At New Minimalism, we say let your bedroom do what it does best – contain a bed.  

Each week, we sleep for an average of 53.9 hours!  That’s a lot!  We know how important sleep is for optimal brain function, muscle recovery and even maintaining a healthy weight.  As such, you want to ensure that your space prioritizes this important function for a balanced life.

With this in mind, we think it is fitting to remind you what a bedroom is not:  

  • A bedroom is not an office.  

  • It is not a dining room.  

  • It is not a movie theater.  

  • Nor an arcade.

See what we’re doing here?  We are pointing out all the activities that often sully your poor, helpless, bedroom.  

How would you feel if you were asked to do a million things at once?  You would probably end up performing all those things at a less­ than ­excellent rate, and then you would feel bad about yourself.  Well that’s how your bedroom feels.  

For bedroom décor we say, “keep it simple.”  

Actually, we say that a lot, but this is especially true for your sleeping quarters.  Make sure the head of your bed gets the wall it deserves (and yes, this still rings true for studio apartments).  

Consider your view from lying in bed.  Is it pleasant and calming?  Or is it chaotic?  Maybe you should replace that bulletin board of outdated college photos with a picture of a landscape.  There is a reason all those medical offices have calendars photos of pretty vistas with inspirational quotes. 

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Image // via

Simple space = good sleep.

Do you want to go to bed worried about what you have to do the next day?  Neither do we.  When you do activities that require active brain work in the bed, eventually you associate being in bed with working.  And that can lead to a fitful night’s rest.  

To avoid this association, remove all reminders of waking life from the bedroom.  Laptop usage is reserved for the couch/desk/dining table/kitchen counter, basically any place but the bed.  Charge your phone overnight in another room.  If you “need” to sleep with your phone nearby, at least put it on airplane mode.  You can wait until tomorrow to read what your grandma posted to your Facebook wall.  Plus, this will reduce your exposure to electromagnetic activity and your alarm will still work on airplane mode.  

Create a going ­to ­bed routine that begins to calm your mind.  

Lower the lights, keep a novel by your bedside.  Light a candle while you wash your face and brush your teeth.  Once you train your body to relax with these activities, pretty soon you will drift into sleep as soon as you open your book.

Here’s to sleeping well and waking up ready to take over the world!

New Minimalism's 11 Principles

Make-up free, slightly sweaty shot of Kyle (L) + me (R) in my living room.  Photo: Ryan.  Triptych: Cam.

Make-up free, slightly sweaty shot of Kyle (L) + me (R) in my living room.  Photo: Ryan.  Triptych: Cam.

What defines the New Minimalism lifestyle?

It’s not a number of things, nor a living situation.  It’s not about how often you practice yoga or how infrequently you need to empty your waste bin (though those things are often correlated).

It’s a mind set.  A way of being.  

New Minimalism believes that our external space reflects our internal state and vice versa. 

We choose to surround ourselves with things that inspire and delight us, to err on the side of donating, to choose lightness, freedom, focus, and experience over stuff.

So who are our followers?

Some live in tiny studios, others are preparing three bedroom homes for a second child. 

Some quit their day jobs and rent out their homes to travel the world .  Others find new energy to recommit to their current work, to dive deeper into their lives. 

And while each person is unique, they all honor the same principles. 

We recently clarified this list of principles and wanted to share it with you (because we are so grateful you're here and we have a feeling you might be/becoming one yourself), below:

New Minimalism's 11 Principles

  1. Be present.  You allow your current situation (home size, body size, income, location, etc.) to dictate your items.  You trust that you’ll continue to have what you need when you need it.

  2. Choose mastery.  You prefer to hone your skills rather than spread yourself too thin.  You know when to outsource.

  3. You have the power over your stuff.  While you respect your things, you are the one in control.  

  4. Embrace open space and blank walls.  Redefine your definition of “full”. 

  5. Our things are not our experiences/relationships.  A memory and an object are two separate things.  Letting go of one doesn’t mean you’ll lose the other.

  6. Allow one to stand for many.  You value quality over quantity.  You know, for example, that one beautiful photo can represent your love of travel. 

  7. Move past the myth of choice.  Excessive choices can leave us paralyzed or dissatisfied.  You understand that creativity flourishes within constraint.

  8. End the cycle of busy.  You take control of your to-do list.  

  9. Have extremely high standards.  Specifically about what is allowed past the threshold of your house.  No more “Oh, this is kinda neat!” or “I can always use another tank top.”  You are supremely selective, a connoisseur of your belongings.

  10. Exercise gratitude. You know that your basic needs are taken care of and you are eternally grateful for that.  

  11. Honor the planet.  You know that we live in a closed-loop system.  Our actions have a ripple effect in our communities and environment, and you use your powers for good. 

Are you a New Minimalist in the making?

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you might notice that you already live by several of these principles.  Or, if you’re just getting started, try adopting just one of the principles, perhaps the one that feels the most prickly and challenging to you.  

Even Kyle and I don't have all this down perfectly.  

But perfect isn't the point.  It's about continual movement in the direction that feels best.

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BTR: Creating a Home Retreat for a Traveling Professional

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Room: Wardrobe (all clothing) and Bedroom

Hours to Complete: 10.5

Main Objective:  To open up floor space and lighten the feeling of the cramped room by removing duplicative furniture and clothing the client no longer inspired creativity or joy.

The Details:  Client K approached us to redesign her bedroom.  As with all bedrooms, we start with clothing.  Its a crucial first step because it illustrates how much actual storage a room needs, rather than what might appear necessary while the wardrobe is bloated with outdated and underused clothing.  

Thankfully, K already had plenty of practice creating what we call an Essential Wardrobe.  For work, K often travels to Europe for weeks at a time.  In living out of a carry-on suitcase, she was forced to distill to her most practical, versatile, and loved pieces.  Yet while she was able to travel with a select capsule, K's wardrobe at home still had an abundance of clothing that she was not longer using or inspired by.

In the before image, you can see that there are two large dressers in the room.  There is one on the left of the frame, and one near the windows.  We determined that it would be best for flow and the limited floor space to reduce the clothing so that we could remove one of these dressers.  Not all pieces of clothing can be hung or folded, and we knew that by removing one of these pieces, we would need to create drawer space elsewhere.  In the after photo, you can see how much bigger the room feels with one less piece of furniture.  Now K can easily access her windows and city views!

Above is a photo of one of the two armoires in the bedroom.  We decided to make up for the lost drawer space by adding a free standing set of Elfa drawers here.  Now workout clothing and undergarments have clear homes, extra linens are stored above, bags and scarves to the side.  

K placed two armoires flanking the head of her bed.  We all agreed the armoires added nice definition to the space and K liked the cozy sleeping nook they created.  However there were a few design and feng shui elements we needed to remedy.  

If you look closely in the before image, you can see that the bed was not pushed against the wall but instead had several suitcases and a full but unusable bedside table behind the headboard.  This ate into the already-tight floor space and not being against a wall creates a slight sense of unease while lying in bed.  We decluttered all the items under and behind the bed, finding new homes in the hall closet and in the newly decluttered dresser for the small group of keeps. 

For a finishing touch, we added custom cabinet pulls to the drawers.  This small detail had a huge impact of tying the armoires into the rest of the décor.

By thoughtfully editing her gorgeous shoe collection, we were able to easily fit all of K's shoes on her rack or neatly tucked in the base of the closet (rather than in a large pile like before).  The biggest difference to notice here is that all of K’s winter coats and long dresses now live here in a neat and orderly fashion.  By relocating her long hanging items to this closet, we freed space in one of the armoires to make space for a new shelving unit.  Plus, having her jackets close to entrance of the space makes for an easier transition out the door. 

This shot looks towards the entrance of the bedroom.  You can see the second dresser before was cluttered with daily-used items, and the back of the door was full of jackets and scarves.  We completely emptied this dresser and removed a the majority of makeup (which was expired or out-of-date) and donated a bag of costume jewelry and accessories.  Afterwards, this piece of furniture neatly housed all makeup, non-bathroom toiletries,and office-related materials. With the mirror now, the countertop is clear and able to serve as a proper vanity.

A final look at the beautiful space!

Mini-Minimalists: 11 Ways to Cultivate Clutter-Free Kids

Image // via

Image // via

As a woman of "a certain age," my life is rapidly transitioning from bottomless mimosa brunches and birthday weekends in wine country to baby showers and 1st birthday parties.  

And while I'm not yet a parent myself, it's been impossible not to notice all the products targeted at and constantly given to new parents and kids.  

In the world of families, the proposed "solution" to problems is almost always more/bigger/fancier (crib, stroller, house, toys, etc.).  And of course kids are so darn cute that we are all more than willing them 10x the things they would ever need.  Heck, I've seen babies in utero who already have more possessions than the average adult and houses where every room is brimming with toys. 

Given that parents are pretty much the busiest folks on the planet, it can feel miraculous to keep their own bedroom and adult spaces clean, forget the time or bandwidth to constantly do battle with their children's clutter.  

But what if, rather than being producers of continual clutter, your kids helped keep your home tidy and clear?   

The thing about kids is that they would often rather play with a wooden spoon or the box a toy came in.  Sometimes they open one present and play with it for weeks, ignoring the 20 other wrapped gifts in the corner.  Children know and are totally comfortable expressing their preferences (just ask a group of 4 year olds their thoughts on school/airplanes/music/broccoli if you don't believe me).  They are sensitive, empathic, generous and are excited by giving to others in need.   

Kids already have the hearts and minds of minimalists, they just need some help gathering tools. 

11 Tools for Cultivating Clutter-Free Kids:

 

1. Lead by example.  

You don't need to be Martha Stewart or a perfect minimalist to model good behavior for your child.  If you struggle with clutter yourself, take a few minutes to let your children know that you are focusing on honing down your things.  Let them watch you as you process and declutter some of your own items.  Share with them the benefits of having the house being clutter-free: it's easier to maintain, you'll have more time for spending with them, you can try out new hobbies together, the mornings before school will be smoother, etc.   If you're a tidy parent with messy kids?  All the more reason to talk with them so they can understand the intentionality behind your simple space.  

 

2. Let their room be their own. 

It's important to give your kids a feeling of ownership and mastery over their space.  When they know that their space is their own, they're empowered to make meaningful decisions and keep only what inspires and delights them.

 

3. Make it a game. 

Set a timer for 5 minutes and see if they can declutter a toy bin.  Or make a chart where they get a sticker for each small bag of toys they donate.  Whatever you decide works best for your kids, just keep it light and make it fun!

 

4. Designate a home for everything.

 Decide where the things that your kids do love and want to keep will be permanently stored.  It's helpful to place things in containers, e.g.: all legos in a certain bin, all animals in another.  This makes clean up very clear for kids to do on their own as well as signaling to the child when it's time to declutter again because the bin is too full.

 

5. Release your own biases.  

Children will surprise you with their clear preferences and natural penchant for simple living.  Often its actually the parent who struggles when the child clears.  For example, we worked with a parent-child duo and found that for nearly every toy or garment the child wanted to donate, the parent had a reason to keep it, such as: "You love this!  It was your favorite toy for all of kindergarten!"  "But you brought this with you everywhere last year!"  "Not this one, it was a gift from your grandma."  It's crucial if you are going to involve your kids that you honor their decisions.  Just do your best to be aware when these thoughts arise and try not place them on your kids.

 

6. Involve your children in the donation process.  

Bring them with you to donate items to Goodwill, a shelter or a higher-need school.  Let your child see how their generosity positively impacts others.

 

7. Be ready to be very impressed.  

Kids as young as 3 really do understand the idea of letting go of things "for the other kids who don't have as many toys."  Starting at 7, some kids can do an excellent job of decluttering their room on their own.  No matter what age, if you assist your child in the decluttering process, you'll get to hear their thought processes and learn about their value systems as they decide what stays and goes.  Their depth and self-awareness will blow you away.  And you can be damn proud for raising such a thoughtful child!

 

8. Encourage mindful consumption. 

The best way to keep order is to be far more selective about what you allow into a space to begin with.  Teach your child how to politely refuse items they don't care for by doing so yourself.  Show them how you care for and maintain items that are important to you encourage longevity.  Encourage them to invest in things they care about (whether this is their allowance or their Christmas list) and shift focus from quantity to quality.  

 

9) Use birthdays and holidays to your advantage. 

There tend to be a few times a year when children are inundated with new belongings.  Solution: declutter in advance.  The night before Santa comes or the weekend before a birthday party, sit down with your child and ask them, in light of the new things that will be coming into their lives, what they're ready to part with?

 

10) Change the way your family celebrates, aka: stop clutter before it enters the home.  

Bea Johnson of Zero Waste Home does a remarkable job of this with her two sons.  She throws them parties but asks guests to give her sons experiences rather than "things."  Start this in your own home and then encourage others to get involved.

 

11) Solidify the habit.  

Create a donation area somewhere in your home that your kids all have access to.  Encourage them to place items they no longer want or use in the bin.  Let them know that it's natural for them to evolve and outgrow certain things.  Once the bin is full, you can bring it to your chosen charity together.

 

What has worked for you and your family?  How do you maintain your home with kids?  What are tools you've come up with to keep clutter at bay?  Where do you wish you had more help?  

Please share in the comments below!