Simple & Beautiful

Simple decoration for my Home. Roses from the Garden.

My House is not All White & Minimalist

I wish it was!

I'm working on it - as one box leaves the house each week...one box of unused things. Things that others can use. Things that I don't need to hold on to indefinitely.

Husband is always saying to me, "Watch out, people will come over and look at our place and say, 'This is not Minimalist!'"

Very true. We have our messes and piles. A few...or six.

The next few projects are:

1. Desk

2. Kids play area - this is almost untameable!!!

3. Photos & Negatives

4. Camping gear

I've tackled the filing cabinet and I am proud to say that I was not defeated! :) I am now giving it away to a friend. I've transferred all our papers into folders. Not exactly minimalist (as I have ten (!)), but definitely less bulky than a filing cabinet. And easier to file and access. They are also lime green, which is a very attractive colour.

No TV

We don't have a TV. It's something we often "brag" about. ;)

See link here to the onion article: (Thanks BB).

When we got married ten years ago, we didn't buy a TV straight away because we wanted to "just talk" and "focus on our relationship". It lasted six months (!)

Ten years on, and we don't have a TV again...mostly because we bought a new (second-hand) lounge and it was a tad big for our tiny living room. It is a modular corner lounge, and it covered the TV socket on the wall. So for a few days, the TV kind of just hung around, getting in the way, not plugged in...and then the light went on. Why keep it? Why not get rid of it?

Now, we quite enjoy not having one.

Here are some of my reasons why:

More time - For me, it was such a time-waster. I would watch at least one show every night. Sometimes even two. It was becoming a very bad habit - of thinking I could only unwind and relax in front of the TV.

More fun stuff - With the "spare" time, we've now started doing some fun stuff. Husband has taken up a new hobby - guitar - and is even getting lessons. I read a lot more, listen to music, and have started some serious decluttering! (and writing about it on this blog).

Good for the kids - It's less "just-sitting-there" activity, less advertising, and less fighting over what to watch (with the big age gap & gender difference, my kids watch different things). More time for them to just be, play, and make things. I am very lucky to have a massive backyard...so I just lock them out there for the afternoon.

Less furniture - I've only got a lounge & a sideboard in my living room. I don't need another bulky piece of furniture to house the TV, DVD player and remotes.

Less dusting - as above.

Less electricity - I hear that the flat screens are huge energy suckers.

Less worry - if I spent a fair bit of money on a nice flat screen, I would worry about the kids damaging it, or it being stolen. But with less stuff, there's not much you would steal here. ;)

Miss Minimalist talks about no TV here
The Minimalists talk about it too here

Linen Cupboards

I have two linen cupboards. Tall. Skinny. White. I quite like the smell of them. They are old. Like the house.

One side, I keep bed linen.

The other side, I keep towels.

I am trying to work out how many I actually need for my little family of 4. Do I need 4 beach towels? or 8? or 12 just in case friends need them too?

I am trying to work out how many I actually need rather than "just in case", and how many I need so that I am not washing every day. I think Miss Minimalist's One is a bit extreme! ;) (Awesome blog!)

Miss Minimalist

And what about bath towels? I think I could cope with two.

At the end of the day, no matter what the number, it is about editing. For the first time in my life, I had a linen cupboard - at my last rental place - and it got crammed full of stuff. Mostly stuff that we've been given. I think at last count, I had 26 beach towels???? I've now donated most of them, and own 8.

Minimalist Living Room

My living room is the most minimal room in the house. The kids' bedrooms and the play room are a different matter. But for now, I will enjoy my living room!

It gives me great satisfaction that the room only takes 2 seconds to tidy, and that I don't feel like I need to add anything else to it. I don't need a TV. I don't need 6 more cushions. I don't need 16 more photo frames.

I have Enough Stuff.

Items:

1 modular corner lounge
2 cushions
1 rug
2 small side tables
1 sideboard
1 floor lamp
1 Marantz sound system
1 photo frame
1 antique camera
1 Union Jack teatowel

And that's all folks!