Is This the Year of Minimalism?

With the influx of micro-unit condos in Toronto, the term “minimalism” often appears when discussing how to decorate and inhabit these new living spaces in the city. This term often conjures up images of modern furniture, clean lines, and stark white walls. However, what does this buzzword actually mean, and are we using it properly?

Minimalist living room - via cozyminimalist.blogspot.ca

I recently stumbled upon Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, two friends who run  theminimalists.com and recently published a book, Everything That Remains, dedicated to practicing a minimalist lifestyle. Joshua and Ryan began as two extremely successful young professionals from Dayton, Ohio. However, their six figure salaries, luxury cars, and ability to buy the latest gadgets only created the illusion of success. Joshua and Ryan realized that buying more status symbols didn’t contribute to a happier lifestyle, but only created more anxiety, fear, and debt. It was at this point that the friends discovered minimalism and the idea of living simply.

Jag Nagra's home - via designsponge.com

Joshua and Ryan used minimalism as a tool to simplify their lives by stripping away the excess stuff in order to focus on what is truly important. They advocate getting rid of superfluous clutter in different aspects of our life, in both a material and emotional sense. By getting rid of the junk that resides in our drawers and closets, as well as the emotional baggage we carry with us every day, we can make room for the most important aspects of life, including our health and relationships. The result of just letting things go is “a life with more time, more money, and more freedom to live a more meaningful life.”

Jag Nagra's home - via designsponge.com

Minimalist design in the home

Getting rid of excess clutter doesn’t mean that you must clear out your entire condo or resort to stark white walls and modern furniture. Rather, this form of design focuses on the value of objects, and strives to use the simplest and fewest number of elements to their maximum effect. This highly functional and uncluttered design (and lifestyle) choice can still be very colourful, expressive, and even cozy. Take for example Canadian graphic designer and illustrator Jag Nagra’s vibrant minimalist townhome, a cozy space designed to emphasize cooking and sharing with friends rather than storing unnecessary gadgets and excess junk.

Kyle Quilici’s living room - via designsponge.com

These design choices not only create a more spacious home for entertaining and living, but also a clearer mental state. New Minimalism is a website founded by friends Cary and Kyle, who developed a decluttering service that combines their interests in interior design, skills in home organization, and understanding of consumer behaviour. Their philosophy rests on the belief that external spaces reflect our internal states, and that a cluttered home is often symbolic of a chaotic lifestyle. By simplifying your inventory of belongings, New Minimalism uses physical space to facilitate a sense of inner calm. Cary and Kyle also focus on recycling, reusing, and reducing each client’s environmental footprint, ensuring that adopting a minimalist lifestyle has a positive effect on the environment. You can take a tour of New Minimalism founder Kyle Quilici’s 340 square foot apartment at Design Sponge. Her home is a great example of the New Minimalist style, “full of life and colour, but free of brain-draining clutter.”

Kyle Quilici’s bedroom - via designsponge.com

Converting to minimalism

If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of cutting down your list of possessions overnight, don’t fret -  you can ease into the minimalist lifestyle with Joshua and Ryan’s 30-day Minimalism Challenge. The basic premise of the challenge is to get rid of one item on the first day, two items on the second day, three items on the third day, and so on. Though it might seem easy at first, it will surely become more difficult by week two when you begin to relieve your home of over 12 items a day. If you’re committed to the challenge, this project will force you to seriously consider what items in your home have meaning and value, and which items are simply taking up space. Ideally, this exercise will also help you to stop and consider what items you really need to live a fulfilled life. If you haven’t decided on a New Year’s resolution yet, perhaps you can begin with the minimalist challenge and reduce the clutter in all aspects of your life.

Feature image via chictip.com