In a minimalist's dwelling, you won't encounter the following seven items:
The lounge area is frequently the most versatile room in a residence. It's where we can congregate and interact with guests. It's a place for solitaire reading or TV viewing during a quiet evening in. Occasionally, it might even double as a home office. Because of its numerous roles, it can easily become disordered with leftover items that are carelessly stored there. This chaotic and overstuffed look can detract from the true intention of a lounge room—to be a soothing and inviting area. If you desire a more streamlined and purposeful appearance for your lounge room, adopt the minimalist philosophy. For advice on scaling down, we spoke with several professional organizers and designers about the items minimalists would never keep in a lounge room.
Numerous Framed Photos
While we wouldn't advise getting rid of your beloved family photos, a less cluttered appearance in the lounge room might be achieved by curating your collection.
"If you're a minimalist like me, all my living spaces are meticulously curated," says Ashley La Fond, founder of home organization company Of Space & Mind. "You won't find a multitude of photo frames."
Carol Appelbaum, founder of Luxury Pro Organizer, agrees that too many decorative picture frames on shelves and walls can make a room feel cluttered and distract from its main purpose. You don't have to discard all your cherished family photos, simply reduce your collection to showcase your favorites.
Mountains of Mail
"A minimalist lounge room should not be the repository for piles of mail or random clutter," says Jenny Dietsch, a certified professional organizer. To keep things tidy and stress-free, try to establish the habit of placing things away as soon as you enter the home with them.
"Open your mail, file it within a day, and place items like keys, glasses, and purses in their designated spot when you return home," Dietsch suggests. "It's so much easier to put away one thing now than handle a pile of stuff later."
Unnecessary Furniture
Think twice before adding extra furniture to your lounge room that doesn't have a clear purpose.
"Another no-no in a minimalist's lounge room is unnecessary furniture," says Isfira Jensen, CEO and principal interior designer at Jensen & Co. Interiors. "Furniture like extra side tables or ornamental stools that serve little to no functional purpose are often omitted."
Shirin Sarikhani, an interior designer and home stager, concurs, adding that a minimalist's lounge room is likely to lack oversized entertainment units or bulky furniture that take up an unnecessary amount of space.
Visible Cables and Wires
Visible cables and wires can make a room appear more cluttered and disordered. Sarikhani notes that cables and wires, including cell phone chargers and power strips, would not be seen in a minimalist lounge room. Cord storage boxes and cable clips can help.
Small Decorations and Trinkets
"As a general rule, minimalists tend to avoid items that will produce a lot of visual noise in a space," says David Hurless, director of operations at storage service Stor-It. Immediately, decorative trinkets come to mind.
If you aim for a more minimalistic appearance, Jensen explains that decorative accessories can be used with restraint. "A single book or vase on a coffee table can add visual interest to the space without creating visual clutter," she says.
Excessive Blankets and Pillows
Many cozy blankets and pillows can quickly add to the cluttered visual appearance of the room. "I'm all for being cozy, but too many [blankets and pillows] can make a space look untidy," La Fond says.
"We appreciate having cozy blankets and pillows in a lounge room, but it's essential that they have a home when they're not in use," she adds. "Add a basket to store blankets—they can make an attractive display, and this way, they're not always spread on the couch."
Items that Don't Belong in the Lounge Room
Another characteristic of a minimalist lounge room is that everything within it should make sense for the room itself. "You'll never find items in the lounge room that we don't require while we're in there," La Fond says. "I am very firm on items having a home where they make sense and where they will be used." This means that even if you have a roomy storage console in your lounge room, it's not the place to store seasonal decorations or extra office supplies. Instead, use it for books that you might read in the lounge room or remote controls and electronics that you utilize in that space.
In aligning with a minimalist approach, Ashley La Fond, the founder of home organization company Of Space & Mind, suggests minimizing the use of numerous framed photos in the living room to avoid a cluttered appearance. Instead of eliminating cherished memories, select a few favorites to showcase.
If you're striving for a minimalist lounge room, Jenny Dietsch, a certified professional organizer, encourages establishing the habit of placing items away immediately upon entering your home to avoid building up an unwanted pile of mail or other clutter.
