how do i get the minamilist look

[seaborn]

I'm a single and live alone in a really nice one bed flat with great views of the countryside. Only problem is, i've recently moved from a much bigger 2 bed house (long story). I have to admit i am a bit of a horder of clutter - esp. old books, mags, papers, records, cd's etc... and also love to cook, so have all the big pots & pans etc, but a small kitchen. I love the minimalist look, but really don't know where to start or how to get it. Also every time I try to throw stuff away, I find an excuse to keep it.

Any Ideas? Also any web sites/books i should be looking at for insperation?? (i suppose buying books for insperation is defeating the object though!!)

[hugoboss]

I know it's hard trying to throw things away, but I always find this works; ask yourself 2 questions "Do I use it?" and "Do I need it?" If the answer is "no", then bin it.
Would it make you feel better to donate some of your old stuff to charity, or give to a friend/family member, recycle etc?

Best place to start is just cutting back on the volume of stuff you have. Then finding good storage solutions to get the stuff you are keeping out of the way.

Nice clean colours and simple furniture will help.

Good luck!

[B00]

Lots and lots of storage boxes!

You can now buy really funky ones to match your decor, for example, leather suade, basket....etc.

Also if you're re-decorating, stick to one or two basic colours, for example cream and brown.

[hammerman]

I'm exactly the same....i've got cr@p in my shed and wardrobes that i've had for years.

You have to be very ruthless. Say to yourself that on the next bank holiday weekend, you're just going to throw all the rubbish away....and i mean all of it. It hurts for a few minutes but you soon forget about it and boy does it feel good to have the space.

Good luck

[parkesquay]

In the last year we have moved from a 4 bed/3 bath town house down to a 3 bed/2 1/2 bath semi to a 2 bed/1bath flat. I think that this establishes my bona fides to be able to comment.

We are a throw-away society so join in. Not literally of course because charity shops and car boot sales are always good places to get rid of stuff. BE RUTHLESS WITH YOURSELF IN YOUR ATTITUDE TO POSSESSIONS THAT HAVE NOT SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY FOR MANY A YEAR.

Do you need that old 3piece suite plus pouffe - I think not. Places like Furniture Village et all have some great displays and ideas. If your king size bed takes up space then get a 4' 6" divan(it will have storage underneath). Now something that we did was to sell off our 32" CRT TV and get a Plasma. Yes it cost more but the space saving is fantastic - and a wall mounted TV is as minimalist as you can get.

Get rid of that old large fire and surround and get a wall mounted unit. Why do you need 10 thousand books and associated storage when there is probably a good library down the road?

Minimalist doesn't have to be white walls and black furniture it can have colour such as a red 2 piece suite. Why do you need that old 6' 8 place dining table that is used once a year. Those boxes of old family photos/slides can be scanned and put on disk.

Just ideas of course but I hope this helps.

[nuoyg]

I love minimal! It's so clean and tidy. I'm all wooden floored up and all the colours in my abode are neutral - and painted walls not wallpapered. My walls are just one colour in each room (although some of my friends choose a second colour for one wall), and the sofas are leather and match the dining chairs...all the wood matches too. I think that's a good place to start. Also I don't have any ornaments out (dust collectors), but so it doesn't look cold I have some nice trendy prints, some nice rugs and the odd family photo. I think if you don't want to throw things away then you'll either have to get some good storage (I have lots of built in cupboards) which are tidy and trendy looking. Generally if you haven't used something in six months to a year, it's probabaly slightly unlikely you'll us it again. I have got some really good stacking boxes to put in cupboards too.

For magazines and papers, unless they're worth alot, bin them!