Ever wonder what a minimalist home looks like? Or what a minimalist apartment looks like? Obliviously, it wouldn’t look like a hoarder’s house. Nevertheless, there is no one fixed model of what it should look like. It depends on each person on an individual basis.
I will use my own dwelling as one of countless examples. So, below is one example of a Minimalist Apartment (with pictures).
What is minimalism? Often called “simple living”, minimalism is choosing to live with less in order to maximize things we value the most. Thus, minimalism is different for each person and there exists of spectrum of ranging from extreme to moderate forms.
My Experience with Clutter
I do find that when in comes to your home, less is better. For most of my life, I lived in a home cluttered with too much stuff. In the two-bedroom apartment I grew up in with my mother and brother, we just had too much stuff.
Up until I was 26 years old, we had accumulated 26 years of my stuff alone. There was just a sentimental attachment to much of our stuff. Today, I would say it was an unhealthy attachment.
In fact, we ended up having to purchase a storage unit to hold more of our stuff. Therefore, having another unnecessary bill to pay every 6 months.
We didn’t need all that stuff. Most was stuff we had not seen or used in years. Every corner didn’t need a piece of furniture just to “look nice”. We didn’t need all that furniture, which inevitably became shelves for more stuff. There was just not enough room.
Then the worse happened. At 26 years old, I lost my mother and then we had to sell our apartment. That meant throwing away nearly all of our stuff. Stuff we had for all our lives. And it hurt a lot. It added more pain to an already painful event.
After we sold our two-bedroom apartment, we lived for the next three years with my aunt and grandfather in their house.
Now that looked more like a hoarder’s house! Unlike our old two-bedroom apartment, this house had generations of accumulated stuff. It was packed to the brim with unorganized stuff. Boxes of stuff to the ceiling and old furniture pieces against every wall packed with stuff on top of them.
Coming of that backdrop, in like a baptism by fire, I was reborn as a minimalist. Living with less stuff is better. I wanted to live clutter free!
My Minimalist Apartment
Obviously, from the pictures below you can tell I live in a studio apartment. A studio is probably one of the most minimalistic of all apartment types. My studio is 450 square feet and that is all I need.
And that is all there is to it! In my little base of command, I have all that I need to get through day-to-day life. I don’t need a house, one of those Mcmansions, or even a one bedroom.
I have a roof over my head when it rains. A warm place to sleep in the winter. A cool place to chill in the summer. Simple is quite livable.
And all around, there is something great about owning your own place and have that autonomy. Some may downsize further to a simple room in a household with roommates, but that is not for me.
When some people think of minimalist dwellings, they picture an empty room with maybe a chair, a sleeping bag, maybe a laptop on the floor plugged into a wall, and that’s it.
While you can certainly go that route, that is not 100% accurate representation of minimalism which encompasses a spectrum of living assortments.
I have a bed to sleep in, a couch to sit on, a dresser for my clothes, a desk to do work, two LED light posts, an exercise matt plus weights, a TV/stand (which I may get rid of since I don’t really watch TV all that much), and two pictures. That is my living room/ bed room.
My kitchen area is small but sufficient with a sink, microwave, cabinets, and stove. (No, I don’t own a toaster) I have a mini-fridge that has enough space for all my food for the week. To the right there is a closet with some of my work clothes, a few coats, an umbrella, and some footwear.
Next, there is a small hallway with two closets. The first closet contains a vacuum, bath towels, and some bathroom supplies. The second closet contains my beach chair, beach umbrella, a suitcase for traveling, and a laptop carrying bag.
The bathroom is pretty simple. A shower, a sink (with a medicine cabinet), and a toilet. I also have a tiny garbage can in there as well.
I have everything I need as a single 34-year-old man.
A Minimalist Apartment – Less is Happiness
One of the misconceptions of minimalist living is that you have to deprive yourself of any luxury other then what you need to survive. This is not true.
For example, I have my beach chair and umbrella in my closet taking up space. Do I need a beach chair and umbrella? Is going to the beach necessary for my survival? No. I just like to do it. It makes me happy.
This isn’t going monk and depriving your life of enjoyment for some supposed reward in the next life. You should strive to enjoy your life here on this earth.
I could throw away my couch and get a small chair. Or throw away my bed and get a sleeping bag. But would that make me happier? No. I am happy with what I have right now. This isn’t minimalism for the sake of minimalism. Rather, it is having less to maximize things of greater value to you.
I happily have a home that is clutter free.
Living in a home with too much clutter has been shown by research to have negative effects on mental and physical health.
This is where minimalism comes into play as a benefit to both your mind and body. Living with less clutter will help you determine what is most important to you and thus, free your mind itself from unneeded clutter.
Do you have an old toaster that you never use? Get rid of it. Do you have clothes that you haven’t worn in years? Get rid of them. Do your kids have toys they haven’t played with in years? Donate them.
A Minimalist Apartment – Conclusion
Finally, of course (as this is a finance blog), there is the fact that living a minimalist life means less expenses.
I pay $614 in monthly rent ($507 when I first moved in). For New York City, where the average rent for a one bed room apartment is over $3,500 per month, I am doing pretty darn good in terms of keeping my housing costs low. Less saves more!
I would be paying much more if I bought a one-bedroom apartment. Forget about a house.
Saving all the extra money has allowed me to build up a six-figure portfolio of dividend stocks that pay me dividend income each month. Passive income is key to financial independence and living a financially free life.
And there is one example of a minimalist apartment (with pictures).
Everyone can benefit from minimalism, from single individuals to entire families. Minimalism benefits the mind, body, and wallet.
So, what do you all think of this post? Do you consider yourself a minimalist? Also, do you believe less is more when it comes to housing and accumulating things? Let me know in the comments below!
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