When less is more can enhance our sense of wellbeing

TWO weeks away in a 1976 VW campervan certainly teaches you a whole lot of lessons about the ‘bare necessities of life’. A place to sit and sleep, a facility to cook, a place to wash, the need for water and light. Perhaps most of all, the exacting use of available space for storage.

You become adept at the process of carefully putting things away, in an almost jigsaw-like fashion. You realise also how little you actually need, and it led me to think again, about how much clutter we collect in our own homes.

How many items have we hidden away in cupboards that we don’t use? Why do we keep them?

Possibly for sentimental reasons, but often they just occupy valuable space in our home that could be put to better use. Certainly though, storage is key to achieving a calm uncluttered environment. It was cathartic in the van, with everything neatly stored and then to enjoy the principal reason to be away, that of the location.

The choice of staying in a lovely part of the country, enjoying the view and the pleasure of being outside seeing the sunrise and the sunset. The simple pleasures of life, that we so easily discount in our closeted homes, with all mod cons. Clearly a balance to be had in our homes, but how pleasurable to throw open the windows and doors.

I say all this to re-evaluate the way we live. To think carefully about what we need to function through the day and to then have a good declutter. To create good storage space, so that utilitarian items can be hidden from view, and the resulting living spaces allowed to be themselves, and for us to then enjoy peace and tranquility.

Life does get busy and frenetic at times, and the feeling of living in a calm environment can clearly assist in our sense of wellbeing. The choices of furniture, of colour and texture when carefully chosen can enhance that sense of calm.

In choosing a place do think about the aspect from inside, so that you create views to the outside that are at one with the inside.

Think about the choice of paving and soft landscaping so that they are contiguous in feel with that of the interior.

Position trees and shrubs in ways that mask unsightly views. Do this to create a sense of Hygge, the Danish expression ‘a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or wellbeing’. It’s no wonder that Denmark and other Scandinavian countries are frequently top of the charts in terms of the happiest places to live. The sense of order and serenity they display in their homes and gardens, contribute significantly to their wellbeing.

Ask yourself when thinking about buying new things, is it really necessary? If it is, then choose it in a manner that suits the rest of your home – no matter how small the item. There’s always a temptation to want more, but perhaps the phrase ‘Less is more’ has more resonance. It’s an aphorism frequently attributed to the architect, Mies van der Rohe. It is, in fact, attributable to Peter Behrens, his mentor, but nevertheless it’s a compelling phrase to employ in the choices we make in our homes. Certainly, the experience of van life for two weeks, made me think deeply about this expression. Whether I can keep a hold of this mantra remains to be seen, but I’d encourage readers to experiment with this philosophy in their homes and gardens.