Magic
In the six years that Liz has been my friend, I've seen her live in five different places. One even landed on Apartment Therapy. But it doesn't matter where she resides - it always feels like home. She carries with her, from place to place, mid-century modern furniture, a couple cozy throws and white dishes - from a little grey house in Oklahoma City to a little yellow duplex in Durham, North Carolina. But I've said it before - and I'll say it again - what Liz really takes with her is that minimal magic. It's like everything she touches is reduced down to it's most simplistic essence. She finds the kernel of truth in her things and is able to get rid of all the excess. Maybe it's that magic of hers that has cast a spell on me because since I've known Liz I've been completely smitten with her badass-meets-minimalist style.
That same style permeates her being - from her clothes to her food to her attitude towards yearbooks and Facebook (in a recent fit of minimalism Liz threw away her yearbooks and more recently decided Facebook was cluttering up her life too). I admire her. Clearly.
So here's what. Over the next few months I'm going to go through each room of my house with Jeremy, one at a time, and touch every single thing I own. I'm going to ask myself "Self, what would Liz do?" Her voice will go through my mind and say "Is it useful? Is it beautiful?" If the answer to both are no I will toss or donate. Then I'm going to light some candles and breathe deep knowing that my space is clean - it's going to be magical.
Related:
• Liz's Flickr Stream
• The Accidental Minimalist
• Liz's OKC house is still for sale! You should buy it.
I've actually been doing the same thing -- I mean, I don't know Liz, so I'm not asking what she would do -- but I've been going room by room, figuring out what I still need. My boyfriend and I moved in together a year ago, and we got rid of a lot of stuff then, as we combined houses, but now that we're at the year mark I'm itchy to do it again.
We've actually gone through most rooms now, and gotten rid of less than I expected -- we are using most of our stuff! Of course, I've left the worst space (bedroom closet) for last, and have been dragging my feet on starting there.
Allison - That's awesome! I have to ask myself "What Liz Would Do" because I know she would challenge me if I found something to be sort of useful or sort of beautiful but not really... She would raise her eyebrow at me and tell me to toss it if I haven't used or looked at said item in a year.
seriously, your post on her house the other day made me add 'fall clean up' to my weekend to-do list. i cannot wait to declutter my life.
Love this reminder - I'm in need of an apartment purge myself, clutter free feels so good. (and I also recently took the facebook plunge, oh what a feeling!)
I love to do this. My biggest problem is getting stuck on the "I might need this later" factor. Then it goes in a box and piles up with the rest. I'm not sure how to get over that one.
I do a monthly purge, and I'm always amazed that I have something to throw away or donate each time. With the exception of seasonal items, I ask myself if I've used it in the last 30 days, or anticipate using it in the next 30 days.. and if the answer if no, I don't keep it. I haven't ever wished I had not gotten rid of something.
This sounds like something I should do, and it's the perfect timing as we are moving the first weekend of November. It would be perfect to go into the new house feeling revitalized because of de-cluttering.
I like your plan, I want to do it too. If only my hubs could let me get in the garage and have at it!
My husband and I are planning on moving from Texas to Oregon for an adventure. And I've planned to whittle down our massive collection of crap. You've just given me my guidelines: "Is it useful? Is it beautiful?" LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing!!
My home has been completely torn apart recently; at least the kitchen and living room due to events beyond our control.
It should be an opportunity to purge… but I find myself overwhelmed by the sheer IDEA of the task and find myself channeling Ms. O'Hara. After all, tomorrow is another day.
So, I envy you and your, "What would Liz do" mentality. Do you think I could hire her to help me minimalize my home? :o)
I've been doing that for the past few weeks and I think I'll need to go back over the whole list again when I'm done. Instead of rooms I started with things like bedroom closet & drawers, linen closet, bathroom cabinets & drawers... you get the picture. Getting rid of the little junk first then on to the big stuff. Good luck with your simplifying!
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