How to Choose and Simplify your style at home

While trying to find out which style you want to live in, many of our homes become cluttered with projects started, but never completed, and styles experimented with and then abandoned. What should be a place for a comfortable escape becomes overwhelmed with items not needed and pieces that don’t compliment each other. 

To avoid this hot mess from happening, or if you want to get rid of the hot mess you have already made, there are three simple principles to go by.

1.) Go Back to the Drawing Board
It is worth finding out exactly where you stand stylistically. Go back to step one and make a collage board containing pictures of inspiration for your taste. Try to focus on things like color, texture, and overall feel, rather than images of specific items. Keep this step very simple by limiting yourself to 5-7 pictures so your board doesn’t become a giant aesthetic mashup that doesn’t work.

2.) Identify What you Really Need
One day, when you are feeling brave and confident, go through your home and identify what you need and what you can let go of. Start with the big items and work down to the small stuff. Each item ask yourself “Would this item mesh well with my collage board?” Have a strong, refined vision of how you want your home to look and weed out the stuff not needed. Definitely reuse appropriate items, but don’t be afraid to tell yourself you can find something better.

3.) This is a Timely Process
This isn’t going to happen overnight and once you achieve what you want, it doesn’t mean it will automatically stay like that forever. Be patient when putting together a room you stylistically like. The goal is to create a room you don’t have to change every month, so take your time in choosing what you will like long term. Though, styles do change and new ideas come about very often in the world of design. So, be vigilant about clutter and your personal style. Schedule a de-cluttering session every so often to exfoliate items from your home to keep up with new desired trends.

A minimalist home doesn’t need to be white walls and sleek furniture, it can be any style you desire. Minimalism within your home is more about creating a place that has everything you need, without weighing you down.