I very much like the OP's photo that started this discussion, except that I would add a couple of pieces of art. We don't have much wall space in our home, since it's mostly taken up with bookcases, LOL. But the original art I do have are pieces I love.

We have been downsizing gradually, since this will probably be our last SFH. Hard because we have always been bookworms and there are many we find impossible to give up - old fiction that will never make it into e-book format, and large art/architecture/crafts books that are made to be held. But we are more ruthless now about what we keep in hard copy, so the local free library sees us regularly at the drop-off station!

We're contemporary, not minimalist. Clean lines, neutral colors except for our books and collection of hand-made rugs. Not a tassel or fringe to be seen (except on the edges of the rugs, now that I come to think about it!).

I think GQ on my post above said it best: "It has been said
that minimalism is not a style that precludes possession, but a style
that precludes careless possession."

To me that means having a painting or photo on the wall that isn't "careless" but means the world to the owner. It means not having lamps all over the place plus ceiling lights, sconces, pendants and under cabinet lighting. That is "careless". Having a dining room table seating for 8 when there is only 2 occupants of the house who don't entertain much is "careless" in the eye of the minimalist. One doesn't have to have sit down formal dining for entertaining!

My kitchen is working its way to minimalism but more moderate. My clothes closet is minimalism. My bedroom is moderate and so is my dining & living room. My office is a maximalist. My bath is minimalism. And my garage/workshop is over the top maximalism.

I certainly haven't gone bare bones, but I have eliminated a lot of surface and wall decor. I hate dusting, so I keep on display only those "things" with impact. I also think carefully before putting holes in my walls.

celestina, i hear what you are saying. i think it means too, let us not go out and buy matching things including books so our coffee table looks properly used, in a way that may have nothing to do with the way we live. along with so many other things that get bought, just for the sake of being in the proper design.

that's one way to look at it

another way-while we have houses with living and dining and sometimes offices and mostly garages, most people, they do not

so how about leaving them their lights and books you know?

maybe these fringes and tassels and baskets and embroidery and ceramic vases-maybe they help feed families somewhere. Actually I know they do. you know how painstaikingly long it takes, to make something like that by hand

maybe those books and art do mean a world to me, maybe they're the only thing I can take with me each time when I have to move yet another country and another city? maybe I want my kids to have some continuity in their lives?

maybe the people with bigger dining table have their children and grandchildren come for dinner every Friday?

generations of people allover the world went through wars disasters and catastrophes yet still persevered if survived and still wanted to have books and lights, in absence of other things.

was it a style question at all, or what was it about?

In our house, it's a bit of a compromise between me, who prefers a more streamlined look with a bit less "stuff" (but not a minimalist by any stretch), and my DH, who isn't exactly a hoarder but likes much more decorative stuff than I do. In our previous home (a 1BR apartment), there was very little room for anything other than necessities so it wasn't much of a problem. Now that we have upsized to a 4BR house with a large finished attic, we have much more space to fill and decorate, and it's a struggle to keep him from putting artwork on every inch of the walls or a decorative objet on every horizontal surface. Like some of the other posters on this thread, he grew up in abject poverty and never had the opportunity to buy stuff (much of the time he barely had a change of clothes to call his own), so now he overcompensates a bit IMO.

Luckily, I have convinced him that there is value in negative wall space - too much art, or art that fills a wall from side to side and top to bottom is hard to appreciate. My father is an artist so we are fortunate to have many wonderful pieces of artwork done by him and his colleagues, and he has learned that they look best when they have space to breathe. We have mostly come to a happy medium in the shared living areas and our bedroom, so I let him have free rein over the attic - he is a big horror movie fan, so that has become a repository for horror movie posters, masks, props, dolls, etc. Fortunately he has it meticulously organized and nicely arranged, but even so the shelves and walls are WAY too full for my taste.

Someday I'm sure we will downsize and much of this stuff will end up in a yard sale, but while we have the space, we enjoy the process of decorating it.

Minimalist does not translate to me as “sparse” at all. . It is a thought process; a way of life; a place for everything and everything in its place.

Clutter, is another story. It includes not only tangible stuff, but emotional clutter, as well. Too much debt; too much noise; missing appointments; always late; empty gas tank; dinner still in the freezer; just too busy; too many distractions.

You can have a large collection of tea cups. That’s not clutter. It is only until you never dust them, or use them, or even look at them; then it becomes clutter (mess).

.

Lack of clutter and a free soothing lifestyle is the purvey of only a few. I have a lot of clutter, but I use most of it and can't afford to not have it when I need it and just go out and buy and then discard something. In some cases, it takes a lot of buying and throwing out of "minimalist" junk to maintain the look. I do try to get rid of things I don't use, I really do. But I hate to send stuff to the landfill. So if anyone needs to make some sock puppets . . . I am here for you!!

That’s not “clutter”. Definition for clutter is: mess. If you need it and use it, that’s necessity..

I did not intend to imply that “minimalist” results in a "soothing lifestyle” that only few could achieve. It is simply a way of life.

I looked up the antonym to minimalist. Here is what came up.

https://www.powerthesaurus.org/minimalist/antonyms

I have to be more of a minimalist than I used to be due to cats. They knock everything over. Further, I am messy and it is easier to have less to dust and clean. I also have very little clothing and/or shoes for the same reason. I just think less is more and easier to maintain.

Oh yes, I totally get what you are saying Judy. My dad is the opposite of "minimalist." He tends to clutter every surface and it is a reflection of the chaos that is going on in his mind. I was just commenting on what is sold as minimalism to the masses vs the wherewithall to have that as a philosophy and way of life. I've had a life of constant moving. About every two years. For a brief period of time I had my own house and during that time I started posting here, and I made a conscious effort to pare down my belongings to only those things that had a use or strong meaning for me. I got rid of a lot of things. But now, I can't even find my hairbrush and my house is full of boxes from my move and SO's and my mother's belongings that I still need to organize and pare down after her death. (I've already pared down a lot of it, but now that I've moved into the house, the meshing of the many things and the time it takes to do it is proving to be a real problem.) I don't even have the time to book a session with an organizer. I did one two weeks ago and we have yet to find a time for a follow up. I am a sandwicher and am working at a job, the house and caring for an elderly father and other family and community obligations. My life is not soothing and my space reflects that.

But as a decorating style, I have actually become more of a lover of things ornate and elaborate. The same thing happened to my mom. When I was growing up, our home was decorated with stuff she brought with her from her bayside apartment in San Francisco-- Asian but of the geometric minimalist version, natural materials, plain wood, a lot of black lacquer. We had a burnt orange silk covered couch with woven wood sides! But then in her 50's she went full on Victorian with pastel colors and blowsy florals and gilding and carved furniture. I like both looks . . .

i think as we age we have more appreciation for those things we thought were gaudy when we were younger, no?

@havingfun: Things I thought were gaudy when I was young, I still think they are gaudy." That includes jewelry, neon, bright colours, shiny metal and lots more. :) I did like my shiny red wagon and truck. Today I would prefer rusty red. LOL

well, i still would not wear gold or ssilver sandals. but, i no longer say no to diamonds or gold on my dishware.

I have always loved bright colors and hated muted and neutral colors. The all neutral rooms I see so often just make me so sad. I don’t have a pair of gold or silver sandals this year, but that wasn’t for lack of looking for just the right pair. This is my current favorite pair of shoes. I suspect my condo would horrify many on here.

not me! i love lots of color, i do not see that the same as gold on sandals. please do show us.

I've nothing against any sandals as long as they are comfortable and show my feet the best, My beloved pair is rich color and slightly jeweled and I wear it non stop 9 months a year since warm weather state. They're crazily comfy and look good morning or evening, dressed up or down

I do have a muted golden pair bur these are not as comfy to me(bought for an occasion), so I wore them twice several years ago and actually intend to donate them or sell them or something. They have very small heel, and I'm not a heel person unless the shoe designer is genius ..even then 3 inches is my very top I can occassionally handle

I do love black shoes. And I wear them a lot. My favorites remind of men shoes actually so totally different style, but very me.

I also have pink shoes that I love and they're very slightly sparkly. And I wear them a lot. And purple boots-this marsala color that wasn't as popular in interiors as they wanted it to be, is actually great on everything small and leather lol. And I have color block sandals and shoes(tan pus black, scarlet plus navy, brigh pink plus white..). And I love strangeshoes-something that reminds me of witches...older ones you know, not young and pretty:) And I love laces even though they can be a pain.

Same with interiors I guess. I rarely experience strong negative emotions like hatred regarding..well almost everything. If I do will be about big issues like people. I tend to choose more muted colors(but all of them lol) for myself, if I think about it even my blacks and whites are warm because of their mediums probably..but I enjoy seeing a lot of different colors and styles. I like seeing also how locations and traditions reflect themselves in different styles, how history-general and personal-changes them..so to me that's one of the best parts, that actually keeps me hooked on that topic.

I also happened to see really horrifying houses with very sad or very different, and sometimes very sick people inside who had nowhere to go except some institution or refused to leave even if house was condemned and really was crumbling already, so it's extremely unlikely that interior of somebody who just decorates to his tastes will horrify me.

I have, clutter really bothers me. However, I have a few things I'm hanging on too that I don't use. We don't do formal entertaining anymore. The house I'm in now has a huge kitchen island in an open plan where everyone lands. If not there, this house is designed to open into the outdoor space which is under roof and next to the pool so that is another landing spot. The whole back is sliders, eleven sections in all. I have used my dining room once in almost four years. Needless to say in that time I have never used my linen tablecloths or my beautiful Villeroy Boch large basket plates and have only used the simple black and white Royal Worcester's a half a handful of times. The off white everyday dishes do get lots of use. I need to eliminate the Villeroys but can't seem to pull the trigger. I must eliminate the many table cloths that don't even fit the indoor table I have now. Need to just keep those that fit the outdoor tables.

The area I am now living is more casual to upscale casual and is much more about outside dining, grilling etc.

So, although I live semi minimal I'm having a hard time parting with I guess some of the memories. The strange part is that as I have gotten rid of many other dining things it would be hard for me to pull off a full formal dinner party if I wanted to.

Note to self: clean out the linen drawers.

@justerrilynn: This is what helped a friend of mine to find new homes for dishes and other things that she has held onto from her grandmother. Her adult children do not want them. She simply found out the value of all those items including service ware, linens, artwork, furniture and other things handed down to her. She has absolutely no use for them anymore but hated to part with them since as she told me " My family trusted me with the heirlooms."

Upon my advice, she began to find out the value of all those items. Most weren't worth much other than stick them up on ebay or some other garage sale auction. So she decided to donate them for resale to help her favorite charities. She did keep a few items for display and for HER MEMORIES, not because of hope that perhaps her grandkids would want them. The items that were worth money - she kept a few and contacted a reputable auction house. The money from those went into a college fund for each of her grandchildren.

She feels a lot better today and her house looks a lot better in that it isn't cluttered with stuff she doesn't use. She has even convinced her hubby it's time to let go and he is now sorting through all his "stuff."

As to holding formal dinner parties if you want to do so - rent some beautiful service ware and have fun! I mean, how many times is it likely you will hold such a dinner? Even if it's once a year, it is well worth it. You can even hire servers to go along with it.

Celestina, I think I'll do it! I'm going to start by posting the big VB basket charger plates on my my local Facebook online garage sale sites. I looked on eBay completed items for a realistic selling price. If no bites I'll go the eBay route.

Yes, a bit, but really I have become more edited than minimalist. After moving twice in the last year, I have pared down substantially and pared more even after the move, but I still have too much stuff especially china, silver, linens, crystal that I will still use occasionally (well probably not all of the linens, but a special few. Fortunately, we have good storage. We are for the most part clutter free, except for occasional papers that take a day or two to either trash or file away in the office.

"Have you become more minimalist over time?"

Yes, my one clock only has an hour hand.

too cute mark, i believe mine has a once a month alarm.

Minimalism or bankruptcy...?

Prison?

minimalist after we flooded for sure. building a house instead of repairing the old. We will have a beautiful house, but no $$ for furniture or belongings! lol.

I like the comment about editing. While not as sparse as the OP's original photo, I've always liked clean surfaces. Cluttered rooms make me uncomfortable. I always like a place for everything and everything in its place. However, in the past, it meant having lots of things on hand but stored neatly. Since downsizing I did a lot of editing of possessions, and I love the results.

Another consideration is that we consider our house the home in which we will age in place. Even though I would hope it's a long time in the future, I would like to make it as easy as possible for our children to clear out our house when the time comes. I have done that for my in-laws and have helped friends do so after their parents' deaths. It is a daunting task, at best, and horrendous at worst (helped a friend whose mother was a hoarder). So I have that incentive, along with my own personal preferences to keep things edited.

Agreed about the expectation that parents have for the kids taking their stuff. I have a house completely furnished with everything I need, and more. It's not a large house, just under 2000 sf. My parents home is close to 3000 sf, and somehow she thinks I am going to be able to absorb all her beautiful "things" after she is gone. My sister and I were just discussing this, and we decided we'll just tell her "Yes" when she asks if we plan on taking the stuff. We don't of course, and we can't - we simply haven't the room. It's a shame, as she has some of the most beautiful furnishings and crystal and silver, and rugs....but damn. I can't build an addition just to house my parents accumulated stuff. I already have my own, and I love what I have.

Yes. When I think of minimalist it is not necessarily sparse - more about only keeping what brings me joy (or has a purposeful function, as an iron will never bring me joy!). Like some other posters, clearing out the belongings of late parents etc was also a bit of an eye opener and incentive to edit.

As for minimalist design, I also don’t like a lot of detailed elements in my home. I find that this is something that has really increased for me over time, to point now I see more traditional elements as visually cluttered.

I can appreciate detailed elements of design in other people’s homes still (be it traditional, or craftsman, or farmhouse), but where *I* feel relaxed is in a space with clean lines, smooth white or light walls, one striking artwork versus a gallery wall of photos and word art. I like wall space to to act as negative space for that art, rather than to fill it with art, photos, built ins, furniture, etc.

I also like smaller (not tiny, but “right sized”) open spaces. It is just my husband and I, and perhaps I would feel differently if we had children, but for me and him, it feels right to live in an open space with minimal walls - like a larger loft apartment. If I lived in a big city again actually I would love to live in a modern high rise downtown loft again.

I don’t want any extra square footage or “formal” rooms that would be underutilized in my own life and just a place for “excess”: excess furniture, excess square footage, excess plans about entertaining I will never do! For the same reason we don’t have fancy service ware, linens, etc.

I like my bedroom to contain nothing except my bed and maybe a couple nightstands. A calming artwork across the wall at foot of my bed (no TV). I don’t mind the OP photo at all though I would add some art - I find that a bedroom without a lot in it is peaceful and restful.

I also don’t find that minimalism means “uncozy” or lacking personality, rather it is an emphasis for me on peaceful comfortable spaces, and a way to emphasize the personality - that artwork that stands out more in contrast to the bare walls than it does lost amidst a cluttered wall.

Things don't have to pass from parents to children; they can skip a generation or go diagonally to a niece or great niece/nephew.

Of course they can. My point was, our mother (and many others like her) wants US to want her stuff.

"Minimalism or bankruptcy...?"

Voidism

avoidism?

All mass and no voids...

It had to be said...!

I'd paint Virgil's blank statement house with bright red, hot pink, orange and green, make it a rose house with beautiful blooms all over! And potted MAC roses every 6', line up with the walls.......with a lot of solar string lights. It's time for a tea party! :-)

Sounds pretty good to me...I'll bring the Black Jack.

I think there are extremes of both, neither that I would fit into; overall I am paring down some, more judicious I guess, but certainly there is a large range of minimalism depending on where you are starting from I'd say, and like ninigret, I am "seasonal" :)

Architectural style and lifestyle aren't necessarily the same things. Nor, as the "minimalists" always imply, clear thinking vs. mental miasma.

One of the most perspicacious columnists at Canada's premier business publication was noted for a desk piled high with old newspapers and assorted rubbish and the pervading odour of Galouis cigarettes. (This was the '70s.) I don't know where he lived.

This may be inspirational to some - Swedish Death Cleaning

So I've been "death cleaning", i.e., decluttering, for more than half a century!

My biggest final bequest will be the last seven years of business records required by our tax masters. The vehicles will sell fast--even though I'm no Bill Harrah.

Death cleaning? Egads.

No thanks.

I like stuff.

I am getting rid of lots of stuff as I move.

I am even sending some potentially valuable things to my brother, since he has offspring and I do not. (My mother potentially risked her life getting presidential signatures at the Kentucky Derby one day in the early 70s. She gave them to me in the 80's. I found them, and shipped them off to my brother.)

I'm probably not great at downsizing, but any downsizing and minimalizing I can do... the better. I'm 64, and I have no kids. I'd like my brother to decide which, if either, of his kids would appreciate some of these things. As for other things... the guy who I hired to help me load up a Budget van's worth of stuff to move... he got my parents' dining room furniture set just gratis, because he indicated his mother could use it.

Way to far to ship from CT to Florida or Illinois in any other case, anyway. And way too formal for my own new home.

I've started decluttering once a month, sometimes once every two months if I get really busy. I give away loads each time so I know things aren't going to waste. In terms of design, I tend to prefer monochrome colors so most of my furniture is black, white, grey or navy.

I've started decluttering once a month, sometimes once every two months if I get really busy. I give away loads each time so I know things aren't going to waste. In terms of design, I tend to prefer monochrome colors so most of my furniture is black, white, grey or navy.

Definitely minimalist. Not for any virtuous reason, either. I just don't like to clean.

Never have enough shoes, clothes, purses........and roses, scooters, cars.......

One life on earth you got to have fun and be happy! :-)

summers, that one is now dear to my heart. i can always have more roses, let that be my gift to the neighborhood when i leave. I like that idea.

So long as everything is neatly put away, easy to access and getting used, I don’t care how much stuff I have. If the closet gets overtly full, and I can’t find things when I need them, then it’s past time to purge.