I used to never edit.  I’d only add, rarely subtract.  And now I’ve learned it’s one of the secrets to a good room.  I like to ask myself, what’s the least amount of stuff I can have in a room and it still look like home, be useful and beautiful?  That amount of stuff is different for me than it will be for you but it’s a good challenge.

I try to quiet my house a few times a year.  Just gather up every tchotchke, small, geegaw, little junk and pile it all someplace out of the room where it can sit for a day or two.

cozy minimalist

Sometimes I remove the lamps, sometimes I don’t.  But you want to give your room a day or so to breathe.  I was shocked at how full our room was without any little junk.  The gallery wall adds so much to the room that we hardly need anything else.

edit your space

About 90% of that stuff ended back in the room.  That doesn’t mean the exercise was a failure, it just means that I’m getting better at removing stuff we don’t use as we go.  But I was able to get rid of some books and a quilted blanket we never use and a few little tchotchkes that don’t get the attention they deserve.  I gave the blanket to my mom and I’m hoping to sell some of the other stuff we no longer use.

Half of creating a meaningful, beautiful home is simply taking out what isn’t helping–it’s free, fun and will give immediate results.

“It is vain to do with more what can be done with less”

–William of Occam

Related Posts:

How to Edit a Room (step by step)

More With Less : I Got Rid of Little Junk

Did you quiet your house and realize that you hate all of your main pieces?  Read this:: Sick of Your Stuff? How to Change Everything.