This popular design trend is the secret to creating a happy (and chic) home
There’s a reason the minimalist trend has been so popular among interior designers and design enthusiasts alike for so long. Yes, minimal interiors are aesthetically pleasing (not to mention seriously pinnable), but beyond their good looks, they have major benefits on our health and happiness, too. (Science has proven that physical clutter can lead to stress and depression, especially in women.) There is something calming about a strippedback space, which is why former magazine editor and author Natalie Walton wrote “This Is Home,” an entire book dedicated to the art of simple living.
“For me, simple living is about focusing on what is important in my life at this point in time,” Walton tells Mydomaine. “It’s about quieting the noise of the world and being authentic to my journey and my story. Right now, it’s about focusing on my family’s needs.”
It’s also important to Walton that they have both a tidy home and one that’s free from “too much stuff.” She continues, “Partly, this is for environmental reasons, but also the less we have, the more we can focus on what’s really important, and the easier it is to tidy up too — essential for a family of six.” Ahead, Walton outlines some of the key reasons we’re seeing a cultural shift toward the “lessis-more” lifestyle, along with some key tips on how to create the streamlined look at home. CONSIDER EVERYTHING
THAT COMES IN After many years working as a deputy editor on an interiors magazine, Walton started to feel “exhausted by stuff.”
The takeaway: Really consider every single piece that comes into your home. If you don’t love it, don’t let it in. Or you could apply the one in, one out rule: For any one item that comes in, one has to go out. FOCUS ON WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT If you’re really serious about creating a simpler, minimal home (and life), then Walton says you need to get back to basics and focus on “what’s really important in your life.”
The takeaway: Every piece in your home should have value and meaning. “I keep coming back to designer Dieter Rams’s words: ‘less but better,’” says Walton. MAKE IT MEANINGFUL If there’s one thing that will make any home a happier one, it’s meaning. Don’t forget the power of sentimentality and how simple objects of value can add context, tone, and connection to a space. That energy cannot be bought. But how do you develop a sense of style to create a meaningful home? “True style comes from an authentic place,” says Walton. “It is not created, but rather it evolves. This applies equally to personal style as style at home.”
TELL A STORY According to Walton, the story of our home starts when we look around at our surroundings. “There is a reason we choose to live in a city, on the coast, or in the countryside,” she says.
The takeaway: Walton believes with each piece we add to our home, we should ask ourselves: Does it align with our values? Is it enhancing our experience of day-to-day living? “Through this process, a story will emerge — our own,” she says.
IDENTIFY THE ‘NONESSENTIALS’ AND
PASS THEM ON To create a streamlined, simple environment, you need to identify what the nonessentials are and then pass them on. But how do you develop this eye? “Live in a caravan for 10 days with your family, as I did recently, and you soon have a clear idea of what are nonessentials,” she laughs.
The takeaway: If you’re struggling to identify the essentials from the nonessentials, ask yourself these questions: Is it useful? Does it provide pleasure? If not, it’s time to pass on to someone else who might enjoy it more.
CREATE A SPACE THAT NURTURES, REVIVES AND
RESTORES Through writing this book, Walton discovered we often focus a lot of time and effort and expend many resources on designing and decorating a home at the start of the journey.
The takeaway: Don’t just decorate your house, invest some personal time and energy into the overall design and aesthetic so it goes beyond a space and becomes a home.