Answering Your Questions: How Do I Make A House Feel Like a Home Without The Clutter?
“How do I make my house feel like a home without the clutter?” This is a question I received on Instagram and one I think many people have when they think about minimalism. They envision this house that doesn’t feel like a home because it’s void of all the things we enjoy.
To begin with, I think it is important that we talk again about what minimalism is and what it isn’t. Minimalism isn’t about only have a sparse number of things in your home. Minimalism IS about only having the things you need and enjoy in your home.
What can make our home cluttered? All the things we don’t need. So rather than look at all the things we don’t need in our home, let’s start with looking at what makes our house a home and what we need in our home.
I did a blog post about the living room HERE. What makes a homey and welcoming living room? A comfortable place for you, your friends, and loved ones to sit. This should include a comfortable place to put your feet and a few places to sit a cup of coffee. You can add some personal touches such as photo frames and coffee table books, but be sure it doesn’t overwhelm the space.
You can use these questions to address any room in your house.
What needs to be here to make this room comfortable and functional?
What does not belong here?
Take a minute to walk through with a basket and pick up everything that doesn’t belong in the room. If it goes to another room, relocate it. If it is something you can minimize, sell or donate it. You will quickly see that keeping the space clutter free adds to making it feel like a home you can relax and refresh in.
Each night I do a nightly pick up. You can read about my evening routine HERE. This is really important part of me keeping my home feeling peaceful. I address clutter on a daily basis to keep it at bay.
I think we can be afraid of minimalism by thinking that it will create a cold and unwelcoming home. I have found the opposite to be true. As I cleared my house of everything unnecessary it has made it easy to keep clean and a clean home feels so wonderful!
I encourage you to try these tips if you are on the edge about letting go of things. Start in just one room and see what a difference it can make!