Minimalist Me 46 Comments

minimalist
I saw a story recently on a TV about a high powered business man who bought a condo in New York City but was to busy to actually move in.

He hardly had any furniture in the apartment except a corner tables with lamps; no chairs, just one stool by the kitchen, apparently he doesn’t have time to sit.

The cement floors appear cold and empty glistening from the light the many windows shine and the fixtures and architecture looks like a dark futuristic contemporary with dark hard and flat surfaces.

By the time he was ready to go buy some furniture and fill the condo with junk, he didn’t want any. Now it has been years and the condo was recently featured on Architectural Digest and has been the envy of ‘ultra modern contemporary wannabes,’ like Sara here.

I recently told a girl that I put all furniture’s in the corners as I was describing my bedroom via phone conversation. Essentially all my life I have never put my bed in the middle of the room, it has to touch two walls so I can get what I call “the big empty space” in the middle of the room.

My living room also has the quoted space. Omitting a coffee table will ensure the availability of space both literally and emotionally. I generally do not put anything on the walls; I don’t want pictures want mirrors everywhere.

I want my living space to be empty and sterile. The mentioned article on the digest in which someone with high credibility on the topic said that my taste in interior design is essentially ‘fantastic’ is not only my vindication but also my validation.

I have had many arguments with my brother who I live with about throwing stuff out. Sports paraphernalia and old photos in frames have never been something I wanted to keep in plain site. Family photos in frames! hmm I really love you guys but I don’t want you to stare at me every time I take a bite on my Tuna sandwich.

I want to see my white empty wall all day. It relaxes me, gives me a free atmosphere.

Reemphasizing my taste as a cut above are the new industrial furniture designers as well as bathroom fixture designers. I am also seeing a big push from packaging designers to minimize styling’s on their products presentation.

If you don’t beleive me, just search here; its definetely in.

46 Responses to “Minimalist Me”


  1. 1 Dinich

    Kinda agree…..space is the most beautiful thing….nothing beats the beauty of a spacious place.

    I hate gardens crowded with a host of flowers and bushes….I like wide space with beautiful grass and minimal flowers and plants

  2. 2 tsedey

    i’m a minimalist too. but i love my paintings and art works in sight. There’s nothing boring and lifeless as an empty white wall. (no offense nolawi :) )

    you can conserve space by putting your bed in the middle of your bedroom too. it acually gives u more space to move around instead of getting crumped at the corner of the bedroom. it all depends on how u look at it and how u place your furniture.

    For me, natural light is a deal maker/breaker. I NEED natural light in all my rooms and NO clutter! I buy stuff when I need them not just because. and i get rid of stuff every now and then so that keeps my house clutter free.

  3. 3 Leo

    I myself don’t like too many stuff in the room (any room). My Aunt’s apartment is like art gallery, the apt itslef is so tiny and the stuff in it is like crazy. I just moved in my apt a couple month ago; i got everything i need but my is wall is empty. I’m looking for a couple of art that that attract me but so far i didn’t find any.

  4. 4 Nolawi

    hmm i just bought a painting… ena.. i was gonna include it in this article but i thought it needs its own… that post will come next week…

    empty walls are nice..

  5. 5 Leo

    so you not going to hang the painting?

  6. 6 Nolawi

    I am going to but lets not move the topic to the painting because i really want a shout out to the painter… minamin… leo…

  7. 7 Kok

    I always like a home that feels cozy, comfortable, & welcoming. I’m not sure what that entails but whenever someone comes into my home (when i lived alone) or office those are usually the words they use to describe the space. Minimalist spaces feel too sterile & hospital like to me (for the most part).

  8. 8 Winta

    I was expecting you’d say ‘ I don’t want you guys to stare at me whenever I brought my dates in the house……lol”

  9. 9 Winta

    Nolawi if you like your own space you are not a marrying type. Once you get married no space at all.

  10. 10 Leo

    He doesn’t want to get married so i guess this can work for him.
    I think people should decorate or not decorate their place the way they like it, it doesn’t really matter if other people like it or not because they are not going to live in it.

  11. 11 Nolawi

    what the heck.. I do want to get married… demo i am the compromising type.. she can take over the whole place.. as long as she doesnt touch the kitchen… and my big screen TV…

  12. 12 Sarah

    Nolawi so you are a cook huh my type of guy……..

  13. 13 Anonx

    Ere Nolawi, the sun hasn’t set over your remark that you don’t want to get married :) or was it that you felt not a marriage type–in the later case, irony or not, one can still want to get married. As one of your dedicated reader, I demand a serving of honesty… :)

  14. 14 Leo

    My bad Nolawi, but i thought i read somewhere that you said you don’t want to get married or have children. If i misread that i appologize……

  15. 15 SelamT

    The picture looks nice and clean with empty counter space. But is looks like an office than a home.

    I got rid of my coffee table 3 years ago. It was so liberating.
    Now: It’s nice that
    1.Have no place to put my junk, mail books, keys etc.
    2. I don’t keep bumping my legs on the table any more. (Those blue and black marks).
    3. Room with empty space looks bigger than it is, clean and simple looking. They say “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.
    4. I have decided to remove things that are not functional. If I don’t use something for a year, it can be a cooking pot, a glass or plates I get rid of them. I try.

    Next step:
    So my next BIG BIG STEP will be to get rid of my TV. I can’t wait for that day. I plan to try living with no TV for a few months and see how it feels.
    But art works on the wall is nice.

  16. 16 Nolawi

    Leo

    I think I said i dont want to have children but i don’t mind having a companion forlife… if that includes marriage then i do want to get married…

    my clock is not ticking like you ladies though… plus i want to get married for love… not for the sake of the right thing to do or social order of things… like u ladies..

    ————-

    hey hey hey SelamT
    Arif nuew no coffee table living… eko..

  17. 17 tsedey

    getting rid of a TV set sounds like a noble idea. Go for it, selamT! it’s all junk they show on tv anyway. and u can always get your news online. so there u go!

  18. 18 Leo

    I have to have my tv. but basic cable was enough but I went and got cable this past weekend and i’m already regretting it.

  19. 19 Dinich

    Tsedey,

    Getting rid of ur TV and getting your news on line can be like replacing cigarettes with nicotine patches. Today’s computer is TV…..

    SelamT should get rid of her TV and get a dog or soething….:)

  20. 20 tsedey

    Dinich,

    u tend to watch the annoying commercials and the reality gargbage when u have a tv where and it consumes ur time unncessarily… where as u can be selective of the news u want to watch/read online for a fraction of the time and more time for you to do ur own thing. now i don’t mean that there are no commercials online too. but atleast it’s better.

    comeon now dinich, u don’t expect SelamT to be cut off from news, now do you? or how do u propose she gets her news? :) unles u think a dog is good replacement for a news ?:)

  21. 21 SelamT

    “hey hey hey SelamT
    Arif nuew no coffee table living… eko..”

    HAY Nolawi for real, no table

    The only problem with no table is: No space for coffee table books (I like). So they sit on my wood floor. Nice.
    Tsedey, I will get me news on my way to work from the radio. NPR is the best.

    When I say End of TV, it means I plan to go step by step.SOON
    1. I know my TV will not work without my basic cable/dish so I will cancel that.SOON.

    2. I don’t need to watch news on line. I will listen to the radio.

    I know these older Abesha couple in my city, with no TV. They called me the other day and asked what’s on TV about the “Fire in California”. Is it over etc? I had to check for them.
    So I think if they can live without it I can. As long as I have music, books etc things will be GREAT!

    I like dogs but no thanks for now. NO CATS ever.

  22. 22 helen

    Hey Selam – I gave up my TV a little more than a couple of years ago. And it wasn’t bad … like Dinich said I replaced it with my computer. I can watch tv shows online, news etc… the olny difference is I get to chose what I want to watch and when.

    But the no coffee table stuff is just crazyness… where do you put your feet up when you are watching your tv? not to metion a plce to put your glass of wine or beverage of choice. :-D

  23. 23 tsedey

    ohhhh yeah i forgot abt npr. yeah that’s the best but a girl needs visual too ya know.. some ac 60…well atleast for me.. need a daily dose of my ac :)

  24. 24 Dinich

    Tsedey,

    Te problem these days is that computers are slowly but surely becoming a replacement of the TV and more….If one has the discipline to watch only news on line and nothing else, they might as well keep the TV just for news and turn it off….

  25. 25 tsedey

    dinich the problem with just watching tv for news and turning off applies for pple who live on their own. u know what i mean…;)

  26. 26 munit

    you guys must be kidding, living without TV? impossible

  27. 27 Anonx

    I am one of the few teeveeless. I miss the history channel documenaries but not much else. The Bar for game day and an old projector for movies….

  28. 28 Nolawi

    @ munit:
    i agree with munit!

  29. 29 SelamT

    <bhelen wrote:

    But the no coffee table stuff is just crazyness… where do you put your feet up when you are watching your tv? not to metion a plce to put your glass of wine or beverage of choice.

    Thanks, Tsedey, Anox, now you convinced me to just do it. no TV. I don’t watch much anyways.
    Don’t need to put my feet up when watching TV.
    I can hold my drinks hot or cold in my hands.

  30. 30 anonx

    SelamT– as with any addiction there is a lot of peer pressure to get on and stay on teevee, its the only form of entertainment for many; one drug many people find irresistable and will contantly remind that you are wierd for not consuming their drug of choice for mass manipulation :) . Some will ask you ‘what do you do with your spare time?’ And other will beg you to get one.

  31. 31 Kok

    I haven’t had cable for 2 years. Funny thing – my roommate has this really nice flat screen that’s mounted above our fire place…without cable…

    We now just stream netflix onto it from our laptops. It’s really a sweet situation – i’m in control of my schedule, not the tv networks.

    Though – i’m always out of the loop at the watercooler talk at the office…as an example, i’m just catching on to californication.

  32. 32 Leo

    @Selamt
    Do you have a dining table? or you put your plate on you lap? i’m just corious!

  33. 33 SelamT

    I do have a dining table and I do use it.

  34. 34 Helen

    There is nothing like being a minimalist. I have once tried it after being inspired by an author. In his book he explianed that having material wants limits our ability to reconnect with our surrounding. He suggested the ultimate happniess comes from dettaching oneself from material wants and learning how to be a minimalist. Thanks for the post.

  35. 35 tsedey

    Scandinavians are better at this than Americans.. less is more baby!

  36. 36 helen

    @ Helen:

    I dont think there is enough room for both of us.

    helen :-)

  37. 37 hilarious

    Seinfeld coffee table episode deja vu all over again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KuDPfTfw6w

  38. 38 shtoni

    @ nolawi,

    your idea of an aesthetically pleasing home is my definition of visual pain. minimalism is overrated and i think it’s popularity is simply due to the ‘herd mentatlity’ amongst interior designers. personally, i love homes that have character, homes in which you can see the owner’s individuality. i love colors, i love furniture with detail and good craft, art pieces, nooks with books, mats, quirky sculptures, old family pics in a complimenting frames, the austier facing the gregarious, neutral tones supplementing prime colors, soft chairs, floor seating, etc….this is my home not a museum exhibition so naturally it should reflect the many sides of it’s owner.

  39. 39 Nolawi

    @ shtoni:
    qiraqinboyism is not character..

  40. 40 Mamitu

    I said that I was going to keep quiet but I could hardly resist commenting on my favorite subject.. Building or living space design.

    I think the argument between “less is more” and “less is a bore” has been around since the Architects Mies van der Rohe and Robert Venturi coined the terms. IMHO design is personal taste and to each his own.

    Here is a blog that kind of is in line with Venturi’s less is a bore idea and is based on reflecting black(African) culture (for those who enjoy looking at such things).
    http://patternandtexturebyessence.blogspot.com/

  41. 41 Mina

    I completely agree with Mamitu. design is very subjective.I’m more of a neutral kind I love a good design but good desin is not a clutter nor it is an empty space which by the way is a good excuse for a lazy ass desiner (just like an abstract).

    minimalizm is harder to design than those of traditional designs. and it’s my guess that although Mies van der Rohe and others made a revolution on modern design with ‘less is more’, those who preceeded them made it an excuse to sit back and do nothing and call it ‘less is more’.beware of those kinds.Nolawi I hope you’re not one of these.

    but as a personal taste, I love straight lines or perfect curves,good workmanship, and easy to understand form and like somebody said to me once ‘do not design the space to be occupied, design the empty spaces there is where u will live’

  42. 42 Anonymous

    Hello, I want to subscribe for this weblog to get most
    recent updates, so where can i do it please help.

  43. 43 2023??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

    ?????
    ????????????
    ???????
    ???????????
    ???????
    ?????
    ??????????.
    ??????????????
    2023?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? https://www.tentenok.com/product-12173.html

  44. 44 ???? ??? 50

    ???????????1? ?????

    ???????????????????????????????!
    ???????????????????????????
    ?????????????????!
    ?????????????? ??????
    ?? ???????????
    ?????????!
    ????? ????? ???? ?????
    100%???? 100%???? ????
    ??????????????????????????????????????????
    ?????????????!

    ??????,?????????????
    ????????????????!??(??)

    ???? ?????????N??1?
    ?????????????24???????????
    ???? ??? 50 https://www.taka78.com/products-1080.html

  45. 45 ??????? ??????

    ??????????? N??
    2024?????-??!??? ???
    ?????? ?N?????????
    ????? ?????????????????????
    100%????!????!??????100%!
    ?????????????24???????????
    ??????? ?????? https://www.bbagok.com/watch/omega/sea/7fb3fca03ea5e74f.html

  46. 46 ?? ???? ???? ????

    ?????????????????
    ?????????????????
    ??????????????OK ???? ?????? ??? ??????????????????????? F52205 ??? ??? ?????? ??? ? ? ? ????? ?? ???
    ????????????
    ?????????????
    ???????????????
    ?? ???? ???? ???? https://www.jpcopy2021.com/product/detail-14577.html

Leave a Reply