Cozy Minimalist Home: My Thoughts

A few years ago, I read and loved The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith.  When I heard she had a new book coming out last year, I knew I’d buy it, just because I loved her first book so much.  Then I heard that the new book was called Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff, and I KNEW THIS WAS THE BOOK FOR ME.  She completely summed up my wanna-be-home decor style in that title.  Something I’ve been trying to accomplish on my own and didn’t know it had a name.  Well, it has a name.  And this book completely lives up to it’s title.

Plus – she’s stinking hilarious.  I *may* have snorted a few times while reading.

If you’re longing for a simplified decor style and want someone to give you permission to get rid of all the random home decor items you’re holding on to to use “someday” and instead invest in a few statement pieces that you LOVE, check this book out.

Her photographs – BEAUTIFUL.

Her tips – TOTALLY DOABLE.  Even for home decor challenged people such as myself.  There is nothing overwhelming about this book.

The Nester (her online nickname) combines styling know-how with the practical, such as how high above the windows your curtain rods should be.  And she tells you to ABSOLUTELY use fun throw pillows or have a kitschy flower pot on your bookshelf if you want to, even if everyone else in your life thinks you’re nuts.  But the key to having the fun decor stuff is balance.  Don’t go overboard and use ALL your favorites at once.

Here’s a look at how this book is already helping me.  Since we have a small house, there’s not a ton of room to have unnecessary furniture or decor.  I try to be intentional about what we have on display in our home because it can go from feeling cozy to cluttered really fast.

In chapter three, Myquillyn suggests “quieting” your room, which simply means removing EVERYTHING except those large pieces, like sofas and tv cabinets, and letting it be plain for a while.

Why bother with this? Well, no matter the size of your living space, things manage to creep in.  Walls get clogged with pictures and signs.  A few knick-knacks might show up.  Shelves start overflowing.  And since these things happen slowly, it’s hard to notice that it’s all taking up precious real estate.  The more there is, the harder it is to focus on (and enjoy) any of it.

So, I took her advice and quieted our living room.  Well, kind of.  I didn’t remove all of the furniture because there’s just no where else for it to go.  WE LIVE IN A TINY HOUSE.  I did take down all the pictures off of the walls and clear the surfaces.  And you know what? I didn’t hate it.  At all.  Huh.  Who’d have thought?

I had this opinion going in that our living area would be so plain and cold and lifeless without all the filler stuff, and the opposite happened.  It felt super GOOD to have empty wall space.  So guess what?  The walls are still empty.  (Except for Jon’s deer antlers.  Because I don’t want to get divorced, lol.) And I am loving it.

And I was able to identify a few changes I’d like to make, ways of adding in some extra color without cluttering the room back up.   This is a quote from the book that I love:

When you have the right rug filling a room, you suddenly need a lot less stuff.

At her suggestion, I found a rug I loved (it was in my budget at $35 from Amazon – woot!), and the pop of color and life it brings to the room is so much more impacting than my messy attempts at a gallery wall (because I really stink at putting those together).  Now, the rug may be a tiny bit too small for our area, but I loved it and it’s what I could afford.  This rug is US.   Having it makes the room feel complete without having lots of other stuff competing for attention.  Love love love.

Anyway.  This book is a big winner.  If you’re looking for tips on how to simplify and focus your decor without sacrificing warmth and coziness, for sure check this one out.

What would you say your decor style is?