The environment has a huge impact on our mindset and outlook in life, so your home should be organized and tidy for optimal wellbeing. I think most of us have experienced that one or maybe two areas or more in our home that wreaks havoc, may it be the junk drawer or perhaps the closet of doom. Just the thought of that area makes you cringe when you think about cleaning it out or organizing it. The hardest part and battle is the first step to just doing it. If you are anything like me with a tad bit of OCD the thought of an unorganized area feels like a heavyweight on your back. As soon as that one area gets revamped and cleaned up, it’s the best feeling. That feeling helps you take on the day and stay motivated, it really does. Look at each object and ask yourself, “Does this bring me joy?” If not get rid of it!
When you live in a studio, minimalism is a must!! It’s so easy to keep buying things and before you know it, you are living in a mountain of stuff. Martin and I established a boundary of buy an object give an object away to charity or goodwill. That way you have more room for meaningful objects and creative energy. I’m sure most of you have heard the term, feng shui. Feng shui, also known as Chinese geomancy, is a traditional practice originating from ancient China, which claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term feng shui literally translates as "wind-water" in English. Now, we by no means practice the art of feng shui strictly, but we do use the flow of what it represents in de-cluttering and keeping minimal objects. I like to think of feng shui as a way energy flows throughout a space, whether it is your home, office, or even car. If we feel harmony and space open up, we clear out a lot of clutter and distraction from our minds.
One thing that we have a lot of in our studio is books, so we have them organized and placed on two wall bookshelves above the desk aka office area of our studio. We also have a bookshelf side table by our television for an easy read grab and our dining table which is a bar converted bookshelf/dinner table. Having these set places for the books in an organized manner not only helps to know where each book is but also esthetically looks much better than having them all placed in one area.
The kitchen is very tiny as it once was a closet so literally every square inch matters. Our coffee cups hang above the sink where Martin put in hooks to hold them up, so that helps with cabinet space. We decided to have four of everything, plates, bowls, forks, spoons, knives, and glasses. For cooking and baking, we have just a few high-quality Keurig pots and pans and our favorite go-to cooking tool, The Dutch Oven. We cook everything in that thing and it’s perfect for stews and soups which we eat a lot of. We keep the keurig and blender up on the top shelf above the cabinets to keep the counter clear. The kitchen gets A LOT of use so it’s important to be functional and kempt.
Martin and I do not buy a lot of clothing, but when we do whether it’s a pair of new sneakers or a belt, we make sure to give up an article of clothing and give it away. In the studio, we have a portable zip up a closet that we both share, with my clothes on top and Martin’s on the bottom. This closet is only for delicates and dress ware, our two dresser drawers are for most of our clothing, t-shirts, jeans, socks, and underwear. So with that being said, we don’t go clothes shopping too much as space is very limited and there’s nothing worse than an overstuffed drawer.
Studio living requires storage in every possible area of your nest. One of the best places is under the bed. You can buy storage containers that are narrow and place dress shoes in there or any other personal belongings to keep safe. Under the bed is a great place to store holiday decorations from every season in these containers as well, so you know exactly where everything is.
I hope these minimalist tips have been helpful for you and your nest and will keep your place tidy and your mind sharp and productive!
-Keep the Nest Blessed