Minimalism & the English Country Style
In our culture today the idea of minimalism brings up images of nearly empty rooms without personality, decor, or color, but this is a rather narrow definition. Minimalism is simply intentionally choosing only the things you really use and truly enjoy. On the opposite side of the coin, there is another myth that the English country style requires an abundance of items to be charming. The English country style can feel full and inviting without being cluttered.
Practical Tips for Moving Towards Minimalism
Start by Purging. This quote by Shannon Acheson “You can’t organize clutter, and you can’t decorate clutter.” is very true. The best (and only way) to move towards a simplified home is to declutter. I’ve noticed as we’ve moved through the last year decluttering our home that I’ve done it three different ways depending on the time and inclination available in the season. I hope one of these methods resonates with you!
- More time & motivation: Target areas that are causing the greatest bottleneck in the flow of your home. This is a more aggressive head-on approach that yields the greatest progress. I would apply this method when I had bigger chunks of time and an area that was driving me crazy. This spot in our home was what we’ve called “the big room.” This room was the (poorly) done garage conversion. It was not heated or cooled and therefore unusable for most of the year. My goal in decluttering our home began as a reaction to this unusable space!
- Some time & motivation: This approach I call the “skim as you go” technique. As I am cleaning or doing routine chores around the house I pull out the obvious things that we aren’t using, that are broken, or that are duplicates.
- Little time & motivation: This is great for working in an out-of-the-way place where you can make progress in small chunks of time (5 to 15 minutes) and can make progress without disturbing the flow of the home.
Cozy Minimalism
I am fully convinced that you can have the warm and welcoming home you’ve always wanted that is comfortable and layered ~ without being cluttered and hard to clean! For example here in our living room, we have a very cushy sofa that beckons you to curl up with a good book and cup of hot tea. Everything you need to relax and be comfortable is here. The throw pillows, soft blanket, warm glow of lamplight… But the side tables are almost completely clear, the floor is clear. In fact, the floor is a key to having a home that is easy to clean. The less you have on the floor the easier it is to vacuum/mop. For this reason, I tend to choose furniture that is up on legs.
In short, if you were to list the things in this photograph there aren’t that many, but it still feels cozy! Besides the textiles, using color and lighting are the best ways to add cottage charm without the clutter. Layer textures and patterns to create a warm atmosphere, to this, add some glowing lamplight and you have a charming, cozy home!
Minimalism in My Own Home
Once I began seeing serious results from decluttering, the momentum continued to build, and making purging decisions became easier and easier. It became easier to avoid impulse buys and become even more intentional with new purchases. There is no way I’m going to sabotage all the hard work we’ve done in clearing out by buying a lot of new stuff! The space we’ve gained in getting rid of the clutter is allowing the nice things we have to really shine. This has the ripple effect of spurring me to focus even more on quality pieces by choosing well-made furniture and timeless decor items in the English country style.
In our hall bath, we have some of those English country layers that make the space feel room-like and cozy, while the highly simplified storage means I can clean this bathroom in about 10 minutes if I get an unexpected call that company is coming!
The Benefits of Minimalism in English Country Style
The most unexpected benefit we gained from clearing out our home was hope. With my home lighter and easier to clean and manage I was beginning to get to items on my to-do list that had previously been buried. I could see where this path could mean getting things done sooner, faster, and having time to do things I’ve really been wanting to get to. I hope this post and video will bring you hope as well that you can have the home you’ve always wanted starting today!
Until next time, take care,
Rachel
