Interior Design and Minimalism

Often, I talk about minimalism pertaining to clothing, but so much of our lives take place outside of the wardrobe. We live in our homes, not our closets, and we spend much of it in the family room and kitchen. Those are the areas that need the minimalistic touch as well.

Having a minimalistic home doesn't mean sparsity, or only using two colors. Of course, if that's the look you're going for, then great. If you're looking for a clean simple look, having a couple of colors does the trick. 

But minimalism can also mean bright colors and bold furniture, it just means less of the little stuff we don't love, and more of the pieces we love. My sister, who's an interior designer, has a myriad of clients who love both the busy and minimalistic look. She works for both kinds. So, it's not the "stuff" or lack of stuff necessarily that creates a minimalist lifestyle.

Minimalism can also mean art on the walls and plants in the kitchen. It can also mean lots of things you love around you. What minimalism is truly about is getting rid of the things that aren't you and don't make you happy to make room for what does make you happy.

Here are three questions I asked myself about my home's decor. 

1. Do I love it? 

Like won't cut it. We like a lot of things. I like coffee mugs, but do I really love the 25 I have? (Yes, I have 25 - one of the few items I haven't minimized because I adore vintage coffee mugs. I know I have a few I don't love and those need to go.) But that's what's filling up our homes. Liking something is almost common. You don't want common. You want sincere love. Do you love that recliner? Do you love that work of art? Does that centerpiece make you swoon? If not, let it go and pare down to what you love.

2. Do I need it? 

I know decor is decor is decor. It makes it look like we live in a homey, fun, well-loved place. But, what about only choosing the decor that is needed? I love plants. I had dozens of them in and around my kitchen at one point. But, I found (for myself) that I was becoming overwhelmed with plants. I gave away some, moved some to different parts of the house that needed greenery, and cleaned off the kitchen counter. Turns out I kept a lot of them, but I didn't need all of them. It feels and looks so much better.

3. Is this my style?

This really opened up my eyes. I have a relaxed almost southwestern vibe to my family room, but I didn't know it until I began to take out the things that didn't fit with this style. I got rid of a hand-made wooden whale I thrifted a while ago which was beautiful. But it didn't go with my room's theme. I took it out. Also, I had pillows I thought worked, but they ended up distracting from the room's look. I got rid of them and it looks so much better (and having fewer pillows on the sofa actually allows us to use the sofa!) Find a unifying theme and style for each room and stick with it for a cohesive, minimalistic look.

Just recently, I was honored to be a part of a blog post written by Pablo Alvarez for the Redfin Blog. 

Titled "How to Design a Stylish Minimalist Home: Interior Design Ideas for Simple Living," it takes a complete look at what minimalism for the home can look like. It's a detailed and fun read that outlines ten simple ways to create a simple, minimalistic home that's perfect for you. Read the full article right here.

Remember, pare down to love in everything in your life and watch it become the most enchanted it's ever been. These three questions have made my home a home I love coming back to.

The Minimalist Wardrobe and Athleisure Wear

Most articles and books - (Courtney Carver comes to mind) I've read about minimalism and clothing say that athletic wear, or the more modern term "athleisure" wear, doesn't count towards having a minimalistic closet. Which I understand. It's a separate part of our closet, really. And there can be quite a few pieces that go into having an athleisure/ athletic wardrobe.

These articles state that you should feel free to make your closet minimal, but when it comes to having all the sportswear, well, don't worry about it. It doesn't count.

But in actuality, it does count.

There's an obvious reason why that athletic drawer counts: there's a lot of stuff in there!

I just went through my drawer of athletic wear a few days ago. This drawer - a very over-stuffed drawer - is filled with clothing for golf, pickleball, running, gym, and yoga. That's a lot of clothing for a lot of different sports!

Now, I can combine some sportswear and wear the same thing for several (like golf and pickleball, or gym and yoga), but at the end of the day, that drawer is so full of clothing, I can't even find what I'm looking for.

So I decided I wanted the overflowing drawer of athletic wear to actually be a drawer that I liked to open (and didn’t dread having to close, which was always difficult with clothes spilling out of it) and shrunk the number of pieces I owned.

It's nice to have several outfits to wear for any of these activities, but I didn't need ten pairs of yoga pants. I tended to only wear four or five of them regularly (because I liked how they fit or didn't sag or pull where I didn't want them to) which left me to ponder: Why do I have the rest of these in here?

I repeatedly wear a favorite hoodie as a sweatshirt. Then why did I own five other sweatshirts if I never wore them? 

It felt like I owned as much in my athletic clothing drawer as I did in my regular clothes closet. Which was odd considering I spent only a fraction of my time in them. So, my goal was to lessen the amount of clothing I owned for a part of my life that I didn't do all day.

Pro tip: If you don't like your athletic wear and know they don't fit right, don't feel bad about starting over. After going through my yoga wear, I ended up donating a pile of stuff I didn't wear (hated the color, didn't fit right, etc.) and still ended up buying a new top and pants set. These were ones that fit right and I knew I would wear them.

Side note and side rant:

I have this thing about women wearing athleisure wear in public. And it's not a positive one.

While I'm not saying one should never do this (I mean, even I have hopped into the store after yoga), I find that it's mere laziness - more than anything - for women to continually do this. The only time I strive to wear yoga pants out in public is... when I'm going to yoga. 

I realize some of you don't care. You want to be comfortable. Great! Be comfortable. But for those of you who live in athleisure wear, why? Are you working out all day? I don't get it.

I think because I've sold vintage clothing for so many years and because I find value in owning and wearing quality clothing, my biggest question is this: Why would you let an opportunity to dress nicely evaporate because you'd rather be comfortable? There are plenty of comfortable clothing pieces you can wear that don’t consist of a sweatshirt and yoga pants.

Here's another big question: How often have you run into people you know looking just a bit shabbier than you wished? Were you wearing clothing that came straight from the gym?

Something to think about  

Okay, this post isn't about whether or not it's right or wrong to wear athleisure out. That's up to you (it just happens to be a pet peeve of mine).

But this post is about this: That drawer of soft, comfy, gym-worthy, or court-worthy clothes doesn't do you any good if you're not wearing them (or you have too many to wear like I did.) So pare down to love and keep only what you truly like and what you actually wear.

If you're like me, go through that drawer like you mean business. Maybe these clothes don’t count in the actual number of items in your closet, but my gosh. If you can't close the drawer, or you dread opening it (like I did), something is off... especially for a minimalist.

Make owning your athletic wear a better fit for you, literally and figuratively. Make that drawer (or section in your closet) of athleisure wear count. Really love it, really like it, and really make it count for taking space. 

-Heather

Paring Down to Love - Business Edition

How Minimalism Took Over My Work and I've Never Been More Successful (and Happy)

2025 marks the fifteenth year I've been selling vintage clothing online. And while I love it more now than when I first began selling vintage (which is amazing), I've recently changed how I do this vintage gig. And it all has to do with the joy of minimalism.

At the start of my vintage-selling career, it was a matter of learning how to find the vintage items I wanted, add those pieces to my shop, and gradually increase the number of items to sell more things.

After all, if I have more things, I'll sell more things. These laws of business are basic but true and they take place in every consumer goods store, whether at a brick-and-mortar store or online shop.

But midway through my vintage career, I became a minimalist and if you really let minimalism have its way with you, you begin to see the error of your ways not just in your wardrobe and home but your work life. 

I indeed sold more when I had more items. It also meant more money which meant a paid mortgage and my kids' private tuition taken care of.

But, there were negatives to having so many items too. It wasn't all dollar signs and joy. I had to deal with more stuff. I literally had things falling out of closets, cupboards, bins, and drawers. I lost things and I forgot I had certain items. It was a mess, at times.

The increase in sales also meant an increase in customer complaints, lost packages, and negative feedback. With more responsibility comes ... more responsibility. And I had spread myself too thin. I had lost my joy for vintage. Things came to a head this last November. My work needed a change.   

I needed a change.

At the highest point, I had almost 800 items in my shop. That's a good amount and I sold many things. But having that many things meant overwhelm. Did I need to make my shop more minimal? My wardrobe was great, my home was great, and I had pared down to love; everything I owned and used I loved. So, why wasn't I doing this for my own business? 

I knew why: the bottom line. 

Yet, that quest for money - because I did need it - had created burnout. Instead of enjoying the profit, I was annoyed at all the stuff I had in my shop, having to constantly take care of it, field questions from customers, and make sure I had more new stuff coming in.  

I've been into minimalism for the last seven years or so. Obviously, because the minimalist lifestyle has only been positive for me, I knew it would be a wonderful change. But, I knew if I combined it with the fifteen years of vintage, things were going to change big time.

I just wasn't sure I was going to make any money. I'd been doing "Have More, Make More" for my shop all these years. How was a smaller amount of items going to make me anything? 

But, I knew something had to give and decided I would rather give up making more money to get my mind back. I'd rather give up having 800 items and instead only have about 250 amazing items. If it meant less money, fine. It also meant less of a headache.

Once I made up my mind I was going back to just the basics -- good stuff, but less stuff -- for my shop I began to stop relisting items I didn't like. I gave away a ton of stuff to friends and family, even giving some vintage items as Christmas gifts. 

I donated bags of vintage things I didn't want in my shop to my local thrift shop (I think I went about five times in five weeks) and changed my business tenet from "Have More, Make More" to "Less But Better."

That means I may pay a little more for better items, but it means fewer items to take care of. 

Since I began this shift in November, I've sold, given away, and donated about 400 items. Gone. Poof. Out of there. Was it hard to give away items I once liked and paid money for? Yes. That always hurts.

But here's the kicker: All of the items I once loved, I gave back to the thrift shops (I source most of my vintage from thrift stores and estate sales) and I don't even miss them! Because the calm and clarity of my business superseded any loss, it's as if they never existed. (This is the same method as going through your closet and getting rid of clothing you bought but never wore. It hurts to know you paid for something you didn't wear, but it feels worse to hold onto it.)

Today, I'm grateful to have a simplified, beautiful, quality vintage shop and to have my mind in order.

I'll find out how well this strategy works as the year progresses. But if December sales are any indicator, the "less is more" concept is going to work brilliantly for my shop. December 2024 sales were in the top five sales months of all time for my shop. Top five in fifteen years! January is already starting out strong too. I'm in awe. 

Maybe you have a business that is more chaos than calm. Perhaps minimalism may be what you need to start this year with a fresh start and a new mindset. 

Minimalism has infected all facets of my life and I'm now living a chaos-free, happy, and fulfilling life (and business) because of it. 

Pare down to love and bring calm back to your wardrobe, home, and business. It's worth it.

Doing Without │ The Art of Choosing Not to Buy Anything New For a Year

Just reading the title of this post makes me squirm, or rather, it did.

How does one not buy anything new for an entire year? Is it possible to live a year with only the things I already own? Can people do this? Is this logical? Why would I do this? 

On January 1st, last year, I asked myself all those questions and decided to dive in and do it anyway.

I tried this "No Buy" thing for a year which meant I didn't buy anything new to add to my wardrobe, my house, or anywhere else (of course, I purchased food and basic necessities). Instead, it was just me and my favorites tied together by a mutual love of each other. And guess what? It was the best "non-consuming" year of my life.

Here's how I did it, why I'm doing it again, and why you should try this too.

We don't need what we think we need

Let's be honest: We want because we want and are used to getting what we want, particularly if it's cheap. Think Target, Amazon, and the like. That's why our houses and closets look like they do. We're so used to consuming and justifying the purchases because they're inexpensive. Now we have more than we need, living chaotic lives surrounded by the very stuff we thought we needed - that we don't use. I try not to buy off of Amazon if I can help it. It's maybe once a month, and it's usually home essentials I can't find anywhere else (like specific vitamins or organic dryer sheets). But occasionally, something else random will hop into my cart, like a t-shirt or a cute pair of sandals.

But during this year of not buying anything extra, I may have put those things in my cart, only to take them out when I realized how easily I fell into my old ways. It was hard, but also very eye-opening to see how normal it was to buy extra little things. And it is a powerful thing to go without. Instead, I used the t-shirts I already had and wore the sandals (seven pairs!) sitting in my closet.

We have everything we already need.

If you've minimized your closet, you know this to be true. My closet is very minimal (minus shoes, ha!) A great idea that many minimalists talk about at the start of the new year is turning all of your hangers around to see what you do and don't wear. When you wear something, turn the hanger back the right way. By the end of the year - or really, in just a few months - you know exactly what you wear (and what you don't) by how the hangers sit.

Now, clothing wears out. I had to replace two tops with two new ones because they had holes. I also had to replace one pair of shoes. I also added one pair of jeans, but that's because I donated one pair. So if I did buy something new, it was only to replace an unwearable piece or an item I didn't want to wear anymore. I also purchased two new purses but got rid of two that I never used or had wear beyond repair. I only replaced six or seven items in my closet for the year. 

Honest moment: I thrifted one sweater to wear for Christmas last month and then donated it back to the thrift shop when it was over. I believe that was the only "unnecessary" purchase I made, and I gave it right back to where it came from.

But for the rest of the year, clearly, I had everything I needed to wear, and believe it or not, I've pared down my closet just a couple items more over this last year. 

As for the house? I didn't purchase anything the entire year except for one small vase - a vintage, thrifted vase. Nothing else. No artwork, no dinnerware for the kitchen, no utensils, and no throw pillows. In fact, I gave away some throw pillows that I wasn't using. So, over the course of the year, I actually ended up with negative household goods.

It's empowering to choose not to consume

Choosing not to consume is like going to the gym: It's hard, and I don't want to do it. But when I find myself choosing not to buy (and using what I already have and love), and I do this day after day - by focusing not on what I want on a whim, but rather being intentional with what I already have - it's not just freeing but empowering. It makes me feel like I can do anything! It gets easier to say no with every day that passes when I don't give in to consuming needlessly.

Of course, there will be emergencies and special occasions when we need to buy something extra. My son is getting married this spring so I had to buy a dress and jewelry for that occasion. Yes, it's only for that one occasion, but it's also a momentous and very special event! Those purchases (to me) don't count for the non-consuming year I had undertaken. And the dress I bought I will be able to wear again. 

I also had a birthday and celebrated Christmas, so I still got things I wasn't planning on adding to my life, and I'm grateful for them. We get - and consume - so much more than we realize. So the reality of not buying anything for a year was doable, challenging, and rewarding.

What do you have to lose? A cleaner closet? A more organized house? Money in the bank? These are all gains and choosing not to buy anything for a year can reveal where each of our consuming weaknesses hide. Remember to ask yourself with every purchase: Is this a need or a want? Do I already have something that will work? You can do this "No Buy" year and you can do it better than you think.

The start of this new year means I'm trying this challenge again. I may add one or two items to my wardrobe. But judging by the way I've been handling my minimalist closet for the last seven years, I will probably add that item, only to remove something else I don't wear.

I'm in love with having less because it's freeing.

Give this "No Buy" challenge a try. Maybe you do great for a month and fall off the buying wagon the next month. That's okay. Get yourself back up and focus on the whole reason for this: You want freedom. And the freedom not to buy is a superpower. Imagine that? We have a superpower that benefits our lives all because we learn to live with fewer things.

Doing without has never been more satisfying because when you do life with less you realize how much you already have. 

Some Simple Christmas Ideas

Simplify Magazine, a wonderful quarterly magazine directly connected to the world of minimalist Joshua Becker and his fantastic website, posted this little photo with the perfect words. It was this:

This list is essentially what I strive to become a little more of every year. 

And this year, I'm giving three (or four) different vintage gifts to family members, that were very much thrifted! They're secondhand gifts, but there is nothing second about them. 

When it comes to unique gift-giving, give thrift stores a good look (you will need to go many different times, not just one time, as new merchandise comes in daily to these shops). 

It takes time to find "that perfect" secondhand hand gift, but trust me, visit thrift stores often enough, and you will find what you're looking for. There is something out there for everyone on your list and you don't have to spend a fortune.

Baking is one of the best things about the Christmas season. I hope to make a couple of special treats and give them as gifts and offer them at our Christmas Eve dinner.

If you're looking for experiences of the season that are free, take a walk in your neighborhood and look at Christmas lights, go to a craft fair, or make desserts, and give them to your neighbors.

Have a simple, real, secondhand, homemade, local Christmas this year. Forget the malls, forget the Christmas sales, forget brand new merchandise that will be old a few weeks from now.

Focus on family, togetherness, and making the very most of what you already have. The value of that is beyond what money can buy. The value of those gifts revolves around love. And love, well, that lasts forever.

Merry Christmas, my minimalist friends.