Creating a Minimalist Apartment

By Danielle Wirsansky on January 30, 2021

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Many college students do not put too much thought into their décor style. Often, their décor is dictated by budget rather than taste. Hand me downs matched with thrift store and garage sale finds and paired with clearance sale items, the style is usually rather eclectic and chaotic than anything else. However, minimalist design is something that more and more college students are embracing, and for good reason.

When minimalism comes to mind, many think of emptiness, white, sparsity, a definite dearth of things. But minimalism does not mean that your home has to be empty and bland or that you cannot own any possessions. London-based interior stylist Cate St Hill said it best, in an interview with House Beautiful, “Minimalist design is all about living with less, but living with better. It’s a ‘less is more’ approach—being mindful of how furniture is placed in a room, where it comes from, and how it’s made.”

Clearing your home of clutter, chaos, and distractions is something that most college students could use. Keeping and holding onto the things that you really need and that “spark joy” for you (as Marie Kondo would say) can help you lead a happier, healthier, and more productive life. Now that you are on board with minimalist design though, how do you go about it? Read on to learn some strategies to help you create a minimalist apartment.

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Pare Down

The first step to creating a minimalist apartment is to pare down your belongings. It is definitely possible to have too many things. Most college apartments or dorms are pretty cramped, small, and tight as it is. If you feel like you have so much stuff that there is not a place to put it or that your room and stuff are exploding everywhere, you might very well have too much stuff.

It is not as obvious, but sometimes having too much stuff can be pretty stressful. And a college student’s life is already pretty stressful. Do you really need two different kinds of coffee makers or will just one suffice? Do you really need so many different kinds of hair or facial products just sitting on your counter? Do you really wear all of that clothing on a regular basis? The answer is probably not.

This is not to say get rid of things that you really love or need. But the other objects taking up space in your home but not in your life can probably take a hike. Use the university Facebook groups to sell your stuff and make some quick cash or be a good Samaritan and donate it to someone less fortunate than you.

Organize

Once you have pared down your belongings, the next step is to organize what you do plan to keep. You want to make everything really efficient, so looking for things or pulling things out and putting them away does not take up all of your time. It can also be stressful to not know where your belongings are and constantly have to search for them. This can happen often if your items do not have a set place to be.

Make sure you know where everything needs to go and that every item has a specific place to go. Baskets, drawer units, bookcases, and more can be really helpful and cheap items you can utilize to make sure everything has a place so you can have a clean, uncluttered, and minimalist apartment.

One Room at a Time

It might feel overwhelming to scale back, pare down, and reorganize. A way to make it more manageable is to minimalize your space one room at a time. This gives you time to process and get done the necessary tasks every college student needs to do, like go to class and do homework. Set aside a little bit of time to work on minimizing what you have every day so that you can get it done slowly rather than making a drastic change, which can also be stressful.

Think of the time you set aside to do this like meditation. Use the time you work on your space to get yourself in a good headspace. Make a plan for yourself and keep yourself accountable. When one room is done, move to the next. Eventually, you will make it through the whole apartment and that sense of accomplishment will have room to permeate in your minimalist apartment, now that you have made room for it.

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Especially if you feel anxiety from being home, having to do chores, or the sheer amount of your belongings, do not be afraid to give minimalist design a try. Creating a minimalist apartment is easier than it seems, and when done with the right convictions, can heal you and help you lead a happier and healthier life.

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