Something that has been playing on my mind the last few months is how much STUFF I have. As my husband said

‘if you were to draw our house as a cartoon, it would be bursting at the seams.’ Husband

He is right. For having a small house, every drawer, cupboard and shelf is crammed! Normally with my stuff, rather than his to be fair.

It was shortly after this we came across a Documentary called ‘the mininalists’ http://www.theminalists.com , who have began to live simpler and strangely more fulfilled lives, as they realised that consuming more and more stuff…wasn’t making them happy…..strange thought eh.

Heres a quote from the documentary…

So things I “need” for my new place. You know, the basics: food, hygiene products, a shower curtain, towels, a bed, and umm … oh, I need a couch and a matching leather chair and a love seat and a lamp and a desk and desk chair and another lamp for over there, and oh yeah don’t forget the sideboard that matches the desk and a dresser for the bedroom and oh I need a coffee table and a couple end tables and a TV-stand for the TV I still need to buy, and don’t these look nice, whadda you call ’em, throat pillows? Oh, throw pillows. Well that makes more sense. And now that I think about it I’m going to want my apartment to be “my style,” you know: my own motif, so I need certain decoratives to spruce up the decor, but wait, what is my style exactly, and do these stainless-steel picture frames embody that particular style? Does this replica Matisse sketch accurately capture my edgy-but-professional vibe? Exactly how “edgy” am I? What espresso maker defines me as a man? Does the fact that I’m even asking these questions mean I lack the dangling brass pendulum that’d make me a “man’s man”? How many plates/cups/bowls/spoons should a man own? I guess I need a diningroom table too, right? And a rug for the entryway and bathroom rugs (bath mats?) and what about that one thing, that thing that’s like a rug but longer? Yeah, a runner; I need one of those, and I’m also going to need…”
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

it totally blew my mind….being an interior designer…I feel guilty for inflicting this type of mad thought process on society.

However living like the minimalists doesn’t mean just sitting in a room with nothing around you…it’s about assessing what you consume….what you need!!

Do I really need 5 pairs of converse?….no….

Do I need 6  Cath Kidson bags in my wardrobe?….definitely not.

Do I need 3 cheese graters?…are you crazy….no.

Its all about taking a step back, and realising stuff doesn’t make us happy, experiences and family make us happy.

So as I sit in my livingroom, clearing out drawers, cupboards, coffee table boxes, surrounded by STUFF…I think to myself…did all this make me a happier person…

“Love people, use things . The opposite doesn’t work.”
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists