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Warm Minimalism: Less Stuff, More Soul · Seated with Furniture Row

0:00
Hi, and welcome to the Seated podcast with Furniture Row.
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I'm Jessa, creative director and design extraordinaire.
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And I'm Barb, interior designer and buyer.
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Welcome back to our cozy little space.
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Today we're talking about minimalism, which you might not
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be able to tell by looking at our set because, you know, we.
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We like stuff. We do like stuff.
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We're. Maximalist.
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We're not as minimalist, but we're gonna we're gonna talk
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about. We're gonna try to talk about
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minimalism, I think. We're qualified to talk about
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minimalism. We understand minimalism.
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We're gonna maybe walk you through the positives along with
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the negatives because right now it's gotten a lot of negative
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press minimalism. And we want you to know the true
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minimalism and how it can benefit your life, but also what
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a lot of people out there are saying about it and just having
1:01
a a well-rounded conversation about this controversial topic.
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Very controversial. We get into a lot of controversy
1:09
here. Yeah, over design.
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Yeah, we do. We do.
1:13
This is just funny. Most controversial I.
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Think so, yeah. For example, I wanted to start
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off by talking about the news and where minimalism has come
1:26
into the news most at the time that this is recorded.
1:32
Cracker Barrel is going through its whole rebrand journey.
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And have you? Ever eaten there?
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No, I haven't, so I I was just taken aback by the whole wave of
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conversation. But I totally understand why
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people would be upset at their logo rebrand because to me it's
1:57
devoid of character. Like it.
2:00
I get that it's clean, design wise, it looks nice, it looks
2:07
beautiful. But what it does is it really
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squarely, neatly fits into the modern design aesthetic and it
2:15
doesn't say anything about the brand of Cracker Barrel.
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And the people that love Cracker Barrel do not care about modern
2:26
design or graphic design even. Well, I the logo definitely is
2:34
very different than before. It's not my favorite rebrand for
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the logo. Now the inside, I, I don't mind
2:45
that at all. I think that looks quite nice.
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It's light and bright and airy. You feel like you're in a a barn
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or a farmhouse. The inside I think looks pretty
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nice. From a design perspective, I
3:00
agree with you. Yeah, From a nostalgic
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perspective, I like the old one. And I think you have to remember
3:07
who you are as a company when you're cracker.
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Barrel paint the barn. You got to paint the barn.
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You know the barn needs updated occasional.
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You do not want bright and airy though that are a Cracker Barrel
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customer. They don't want modern, you
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know, Joanna Gaines, Magnolia, homestyle furniture.
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They want old country living, I think.
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OK, so I have a different take on it, 'cause I look at the
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furniture in the new room there and it looks very country
3:40
cottagey looking. Yeah.
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Now, the white, you know, is very Joanna Gaines, I guess you
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could say, right farmhouse, But it just, it doesn't bother me.
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I think it looks really nice now.
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The old way looks nice too. I think there could have been a
3:58
way to infuse a little bit of both.
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Like I don't think everything had to go super bright and airy.
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They could have had pockets that were a little bit darker and
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warmer. The original Cracker Barrel is
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quite homey and warm. I I agree with you there.
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People want to be in a warmy, A warmy home.
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A warm, cozy home space though, and I will.
4:24
Say they took out all of the oak dining, and I mean, even though
4:30
I do like the new dining sets, they look great.
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I do love the oak. Well, it's such a it's just very
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nostalgic for sure. It's nostalgic and it's it's a
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good design element now. Like people are coming back to
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Oak because. It's substantial, it's
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substantial, it's beautiful. It is.
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Buy more oak it's. Actual wood furniture, in a time
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where there's so much manufactured wood furniture
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that's having an actual oak piece conveys quality.
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And so I think that's what people like about.
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It I did with all the oak. I don't know.
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Do you think they like donated? It shunned it away or threw.
5:09
It in the trash I hope if. I think they gave it.
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I think it's all at Goodwill. OK, we need a trip to Goodwill.
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Didn't they redo the one here in Colorado?
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I don't know. I haven't been there.
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We should check that out. If it was 1, I think it was a
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slow roll out. But the other thing that strikes
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me about the clean, airy interior that has less
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personality is I think that they're trying to now market
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more toward a younger generation, like millennials,
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for example. And I, as a millennial, am a
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little confused as to why companies think that we all want
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modern clean aesthetics. You know, like I think the
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between the millennial grey and this now this Cracker Barrel
5:56
rebrand, it's like, why do you think all millennials want
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things to be sanitized? I don't know.
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I don't know why they think that.
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And not everything has to be bright and airy because right
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now we're having a huge design moment of moodiness no matter
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the time of year. And people are embracing
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moodiness because it brings warmth into.
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A space it does, but I think you could have warmth and and bright
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and light and airy too. It just comes down to what you
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like. It's about balance.
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It is about balance. It will be interesting to see
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what happens with Cracker Barrel.
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I hope that they go back to their old logo because that
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really is. Yeah, that's the update, is that
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they apologized and they said that they made a mistake and
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they went back to their old logo, but the inside is still
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updated. But you know, I just think it's
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a lesson that erasing nostalgia and going to what's safe and
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fitting squarely into a modern design is that it can kill your
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warmth in everything that people love about you.
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And whether you're a person or a company or you're trying to
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design your space, you always have to remember what's true to.
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You true, I agree. I think the other thing if I'm
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not mistaken, you tell me, but I read this somewhere that they
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changed some of their core values too.
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They went from, I don't think they were serving alcohol before
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and then didn't they add alcohol to the menu?
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So some of the things they weren't doing, they changed to
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doing now. So it's not all paring down,
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there's some addition. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Who knows? Who knows?
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Good. Luck.
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Cracker Barrel, but. So what even constitutes
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minimalism? You know, let's just figure that
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out. What?
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What would you define minimalism as as a designer Barb?
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I would say it's very intentional design.
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It's simplicity. It's, you know, soft shapes,
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neutral color palettes, infusing a little bit of color, but very
8:10
intentional. It's, it's definitely less is
8:14
more theory and that you don't need all of the stuff around
8:19
you. So it's it's very simple, clean,
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intentional design. What do you think it is?
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Well, I think a lot of people think of minimalism as austere
8:32
and sterile, you know, but it. Can be, it can be.
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That's your style. But like history in history,
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minimalism, it can be traced back to Mediterranean
8:45
architecture and way back when you know?
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Well, I think we have to go there.
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We got to check. This out we got to go.
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So like for example, Santorini, that could be considered a
8:56
minimalist design because buildings, it was from a time
9:01
where buildings were designed with harmony with the
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surrounding environment using local materials in avoiding
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unnecessary decoration or complexity.
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Which if you think of Santorini or Mykonos, those Greek
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buildings really fit all of those definitions.
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They really fit into their surrounding environment.
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They're using that local stone material.
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They're. Occasional soft, soft shapes.
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Occasional soft shapes. A lot of the buildings focused
9:32
on white and simplistic buildings, which these
9:36
definitely do. It kind of is just a just a
9:42
comfort and an ease and just relaxation.
9:47
But then again, you know, like the blue roofs, that's like an
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intentional pop of color that, yeah, fits in with the natural
9:55
surroundings of the ocean. So it's like it's a design style
9:59
that enhances the natural landscape around it rather than,
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you know, it doesn't look, it's not competing with it, It's not
10:08
competing. With it.
10:09
Thank you. It's very intentional.
10:10
Yeah, yeah, I agree. Yeah.
10:15
So back in the day, architecture was designed to be useful and
10:19
comfortable, which automatically made it beautiful and minimal
10:25
and sick because it was all about like, what was going to be
10:28
most useful and necessary. Like buildings were built for
10:31
the climate that they're in and to, you know, a lot of these
10:38
Greek cities, for example, are built on hills.
10:40
So the streets and the buildings are built accordingly to to fit
10:46
that space. And now I think that buildings,
10:54
they're like these architectural masterpieces and but there's
10:59
like a lot of unintentional thought being put into the
11:03
design of them. And so then the modernist
11:08
aesthetic ends up looking a little bit more cold and like
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it's lacking soul when and a true minimalist design should be
11:16
a little bit more timeless and simplistic and beautiful.
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And it doesn't have to be sterile.
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It doesn't have to. Doesn't have.
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To look sterile, although some people do like that type of
11:31
minimalist approach and that's that's fine, but you can
11:34
definitely have a warmth to a minimalist design in your own.
11:37
Home, absolutely, yeah. But I mean, there's just a lot
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of people that are upset about minimalism.
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And there's, I mean, between the Cracker Barrel conversation and
11:51
just people being frustrated by, you know, these big townhouses
11:58
going into neighborhoods that had a lot of historic character.
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I mean, that's happening a lot in the neighborhoods of Denver.
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There's like all these 1920s brick homes, and they all have a
12:09
lot of beautiful character. And then a lot of townhouses are
12:13
going in. Yeah, they scrape them and they
12:15
put in this modern minimalist townhouse.
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And I think it would be fine if it were that here and there.
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But when it's like all new builds have like this modern
12:25
minimalist aesthetic, it's like not intentional about the
12:28
neighborhood it's being put in. It's not intentional about.
12:31
Well, and they all start looking the same.
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No matter if you're in one part of Denver or out towards the
12:37
West, you know they all look the same.
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So I don't really like that either because although, like in
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the interior, you can make comfortable or maybe the newness
12:45
of it inside is comfortable or sleek, You know, they're they're
12:49
are probably benefits, but it's not built with like a honor to
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the surrounding at all. And so that's where I think
12:57
people are getting upset. Like on Reddit, I have a story.
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Read your story, I want to hear this.
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Yeah, so this person says minimalism and interior design
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is the absolute worst. That's the that's the title.
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So we already know their thoughts, but they say that it
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has zero personality. It's sterile, it's boring, it's
13:21
cold, and it's faux erudite. So like, it's fake expensive, It
13:27
looks expensive. The minimalistic look.
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It genuinely feels like the opposite of what I'd expect any
13:35
space to look like. Like save laboratory or evil
13:40
corporate lair. I used to work as a chandelier
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and light fixture cleaner for a small company of two.
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Enriched people with gigantic mega mansions were obsessed with
13:52
this style. It was genuinely like a disease
13:56
that spread from mansion to mansion.
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I can't fathom why somebody would want to strip all the
14:02
personality out of their home and turn it into a cold Gray
14:05
white corporate render where all of their chairs look like
14:08
uncomfortable to sit in Apple products and all of their art is
14:15
looks like it was generated by a robot.
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And for what? Because it's fancy?
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Where's the color, the vibrancy, the things, the coziness of your
14:24
living room? It's like a soulless style for
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an out of touch group of terminally insecure rich trans
14:30
seekers who are afraid to be authentic and artistically
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messy, copied by the poor and middle class in an attempt to
14:37
feel affluent. So.
14:41
That is quite the opinion, which you know, that's fine,
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definitely have an opinion, but there's a lot of, you know,
14:51
people with means that you know, have beautiful homes that that
14:58
are are very simple and minimalist that aren't as
15:03
drastic. Right, so it was.
15:05
Described there. This person has a very good
15:09
vocabulary and is very good at the English language and they
15:15
have been in a lot of very sterile homes and I will say
15:18
when we tour houses for photo shoots, a lot of those new
15:21
builds are very sterile and like just.
15:27
Well, I think what happens like especially for the ones that
15:30
we're touring, they've come in and they've just neutralized
15:34
everything. White walls, beige walls, it's
15:37
just all very, very simple. They've taken all the
15:40
personality out of the homes with the accessories or they'll
15:43
have very minimal accessories. But it's, I think it's because
15:47
they're trying to appeal to a little bit of everyone.
15:50
And so if, you know, they left everyone's pictures up and
15:56
their, you know, photographs, their family photographs and
15:59
their books and, you know, all of their things, it would feel
16:02
very much like, oh, I'm walking into someone else's house versus
16:06
trying to visualize, oh, what could this home mean to me or be
16:11
for me? You know, is this a home for me?
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So or for you. So I think that's why a lot of
16:18
the homes, when they stage them, they just simplify everything
16:22
down and usually paint a lot of white.
16:25
But from like a builder perspective to like, there's
16:29
always the phrase they don't build them like this anymore.
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You know when you're walking through an older house because
16:33
all the builders now, there's no like personality, not all, but
16:38
like a lot of the builders now, they lack personality in the
16:42
finishes of the home and the. They lack the funds too,
16:46
probably because it costs more to, you know, add crown molding
16:51
and all of the little details that make the home feel more
16:55
quality. And you know that even their
16:57
solid surface countertops are not, you know, the most
17:01
expensive nicest. It's just serving a purpose.
17:06
It gets you know you through and so if they spent a little more
17:11
it might feel more quality. I think so too.
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And I think the perception is that they are, they don't lack
17:20
the funds. They're trying to get a larger
17:22
margin. That's true too, So.
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That's where people are frustrated because it's like,
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invest in the community you're building in.
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Don't just like, make money. Yeah, that's true.
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I shouldn't have said they lack the funds, but.
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Well, who knows? You know, you are, you're
17:38
looking, you're giving them the benefit of the doubt.
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We don't know what these companies are doing, but it's
17:43
just like the amount of houses that are going in that look the
17:47
same. I get why this guy is
17:49
frustrated. Well, and it's that I'll go back
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to that metal railing that you see.
17:55
It is everywhere. Outside and inside it's the.
17:58
Indoor metal railing it's. Like, did we get a deal on this?
18:02
Because that's what we're putting everywhere.
18:04
We're going to put it outside. We're going to put it inside,
18:06
We're going to put it everywhere.
18:07
It's this black railing. I just do not like all the
18:10
houses we tour. Like it's really hard to get
18:13
away from. And it's just like these, this
18:16
lined railing. Like.
18:18
Four to six tiers of just metal. Black metal bars as the
18:23
staircase. It's not good.
18:25
It's not. Good.
18:27
And it's, it's like, it would be fine again, if it were like, you
18:32
know, this is my design style and I lean toward industrial
18:35
minimalism or whatever it is. But to just like slap it at any
18:40
house like everywhere here. And it was cheap, you know, so
18:44
let's put it here too. And it's like, well, this is a
18:46
$4 billion house, you know, why are you just, like,
18:50
unintentionally slapping in the same design fixtures is every
18:56
other house? Like I feel like.
18:57
Every case I think it's just cheap.
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I think it's cheap and it's lazy.
19:01
Well. Exactly.
19:02
And it it does cost more to come in and do you know a wood
19:07
railing that has a continuous line on it versus a post with a
19:13
horrible or, you know, whatever on top.
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You know it cost more to do a nice handrail on your stairs.
19:20
Well, and then also I think people would need to customize
19:24
that to their own taste as well. But I just think that builder
19:28
grade needs especially at that price.
19:30
Yeah, seems. To like, go the extra mile.
19:33
Yeah, we can help them. Yeah, I I don't know that they
19:36
want help. I think they knew they do need
19:39
some help. See you're the call list here
19:42
call list. 1800 Designer. Yeah.
19:45
And then, yeah, 1800 designer. That's I.
19:48
Don't know that that may be a number or not you.
19:50
Might end up calling like Jim Bob from exactly we don't know
19:54
you know we don't know who has that number but but we're here
19:59
to help is what is what we're saying yeah and then I think
20:04
beyond just the neighborhoods people are upset about other
20:08
cultural. People are just upset.
20:10
The people are upset. Right.
20:12
Now they need to be out in nature.
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You know, just. I have a little bit.
20:16
More well and minimalism can be done in a way that brings nature
20:20
in and really glorifies nature. But then there's other houses
20:23
like the Kim Kardashian and Kanye West house redesign that
20:28
really got people afraid as far as like is this what high end
20:34
design is now? Just like nothingness.
20:38
So the, if you're watching, we're looking at the before and
20:42
afters of their house. The before's are at the top of
20:46
the screen and The Afters are at the bottom.
20:48
And it is just, it's a little terrifyingly minimalist.
20:54
It's very minimalist, but that hallway, the one on the bottom,
20:59
I guess the top one is before, which I like both of them, but
21:03
the one on the bottom, I mean it just, it's so to me, I'm like,
21:09
oh, that's so nice and calm. I might add a piece of art here
21:12
and there, but I don't mind it. I don't think it's an art piece
21:17
in itself, that whole space, and it's meant to calm you when
21:22
you're in that space. There's an entire house looked
21:27
like that hallway. I mean, their entire house is
21:31
very minimal, but it doesn't look like that hallway.
21:33
But I think that hallway is actually beautiful.
21:35
Like if that were in a hotel, people would want to visit the
21:42
hotel and take. Yeah, I don't.
21:44
I don't mind at all. The minimalism is a design
21:48
statement in itself. The living room maybe adds some
21:52
throw pillows, maybe a blanket. The living room doesn't look
21:55
comfortable but the hallway doesn't need to be comfortable.
21:57
The living room is where I like. I just think it's boring because
22:00
all the walls are white and like they could at least be a stone
22:05
or the whitestone I don't know they could just be something
22:08
else. I think you could still be
22:11
minimal and and add a few extra layering pieces to that living
22:16
room. It's I don't, it doesn't bother
22:19
me as much, but I I would want a couple more things in there.
22:23
Personally, like I like the first living room a little bit
22:25
better. Yeah, but even that one, let's
22:29
take that one for example. A lot of people love the style.
22:32
I love the style. You could easily remove some of
22:37
the objects in that room, not even the furniture, but like
22:40
some of the plants or some of the accessories, and it would be
22:44
more minimalist. So it doesn't have to be super
22:50
modern to be a little bit more minimalist.
22:53
We can all be a little bit more minimalist in our own home.
22:56
You can start with a countertop like in your kitchen or you
23:00
know, a dresser and a bedroom and just start removing some of
23:03
the unnecessary pieces or just remove everything and only put
23:07
back exactly what you need. So like on a night stand.
23:13
I looked at mine the other day and I'm like, I might have a
23:16
little bit too much stuff on there, like my little jewelry
23:18
holder and, you know, a little drink holder and things like
23:22
that. So I took everything off,
23:23
cleaned it and just put back the things that I actually 100%
23:28
needed. And that was my lamp.
23:30
Yeah. And then a little coaster for my
23:32
drink. Well, you know what I wonder?
23:34
I know you're really busy right now.
23:36
And I wonder if a lot of minimalist and decluttering in
23:44
people's homes comes from them just being in a chaotic time and
23:49
living too much of A chaotic life and needing to just
23:51
simplify their space. So at least somewhere there's a
23:55
breath of fresh air. Because interior design is one
23:58
of the places where you can, you do have the control to make your
24:02
space perfect to the way that you want it, and it can reflect
24:05
what you need at that time. And that's the beauty of it.
24:07
Yeah. And so, you know, knowing Kim
24:10
and Kanye, they probably live a very chaotic life.
24:12
Oh, yes. And so when they designed this
24:14
house, they were like we need. Calm, yes.
24:18
So. So yeah.
24:19
So that works for them. And yeah, I don't know, do they?
24:23
They don't both live in this house now, do they?
24:25
Or. I don't think so.
24:26
OK, things are confusing there now with their relationship, but
24:30
weren't they just back to get they got divorced and then I
24:32
thought they got back together. Yeah.
24:34
Very, very. OK, well, so anyway, it sounds
24:42
like things aren't they're not together in this house.
24:46
I currently comment, though, about how it depends on where
24:50
you are in your life. And like, if things are, if
24:53
you're super busy, you know, it is nice to come home to just
24:57
super relax. I feel that way.
25:00
You know, if you've ever gotten into a Tesla and there's nothing
25:04
in it except like the steering wheel and the screen.
25:08
Yeah, it does give you a sense of calm when you sit in one of.
25:12
Those simplicity. Yeah.
25:14
The space. Yeah, I know for me just
25:17
clearing off some areas in my own home did did help because it
25:23
does get. Really busy when I get stressed,
25:25
I find that cleaning and decluttering is very therapeutic
25:28
for me too because of I think it, it's physically getting rid
25:34
of the clutter that's in your mind.
25:36
Like it's a physical representation of taking away a
25:39
clutter. So like, and this is an example
25:41
of the same Kim Kanye dining room or I honestly don't know
25:47
what room that is, but it has a table and I think it is maybe a
25:52
dining room and then on the right their kitchen and.
25:56
See, I love that kitchen. I would love to have that.
25:59
It is a breath of fresh air. Yeah, and they brought in the
26:03
pompous grass. Yeah, I mean it it it does
26:06
definitely comment on the surrounding nature.
26:09
Yeah, it does a whole lot, and I love the big window.
26:12
That's another thing too, is natural light and windows in
26:15
minimalist design. It's playing on light coming
26:19
through these windows and just the space, how it illuminates
26:23
the space. It's accentuating nature.
26:27
Yeah, Yeah. And that's I think what a really
26:32
good example of worm minimalism could be, is something that like
26:36
the space itself doesn't say much so that the nature can
26:39
really speak most. And I see that a lot in like
26:43
forested designs or like a frame designs when I look at
26:48
architecture online, the big floor to ceiling windows.
26:53
So do you like their kitchen? I think I would like it for a
26:58
short amount of time, like if I needed a retreat potentially and
27:03
to meditate if I needed a full on mind clear.
27:07
But I think living with that everyday would be a little tough
27:10
for me. I think I would need to bring in
27:13
more potentially. So one thing I'm noticing like
27:18
with their cabinets compared to the cabinets above and that was
27:21
the same. Space before, right?
27:22
Yeah. That's wild.
27:25
Yeah, it's wild that they took out the vaulted ceiling.
27:30
Yeah, and there's the vaulted ceilings in the before and then
27:34
after. It's like a low ceiling.
27:35
So that is, it's interesting. It is interesting, but the
27:40
designer that designed these spaces isn't known as like a
27:44
austere minimalist designer. He, I think, has designed some
27:48
more innate ornate spaces and so this was very intentional.
27:53
Yeah, can do just about anything.
27:56
But like what I was going to comment on the cabinets, like
27:59
the cabinet fronts from the top, you know that top picture to the
28:03
bottom 1 is it's so sleek, like there's not anything on the
28:08
fronts of those cabinets. As far as hardware.
28:11
Well, and and it's just a simple, you know, flat front
28:16
where and it's a seamless design where the one above it is it's.
28:20
Like a light blue. A lot of molding, yeah, the blue
28:23
one and then the little round handles and then the other types
28:27
of handles. So, you know, if you're thinking
28:29
about a furniture piece in your own home or if you want to
28:34
change your cabinets in your kitchen, if you want to go more
28:37
minimalist, think about what the fronts of those look like.
28:40
So you could just do a a simple flat fronted cabinet right in
28:46
your bedroom dining room and it would give off that same
28:49
appearance of being more minimalist, right?
28:53
So I think, you know, as we talk about this, we're getting a more
28:59
full understanding of the benefit of minimalism and we've
29:06
kind of touched on some of the things that are good about it
29:09
already. But I want to reiterate, you
29:12
know that I think it is a habit of thoughtfulness, like you
29:18
said. It's intentional design and
29:21
it's, you know, quality over quantity.
29:26
It's just using pieces that they have a purpose.
29:30
Right, which I think can be good for people.
29:35
You know, there's some theories that say a mess can be healthy,
29:43
and then there's others that say that, you know, a clean space
29:48
can be healthy. And really what it comes down to
29:51
is like how do you function best?
29:53
Like if you need your space to be like have a little bit of
29:58
clutter to feel safe and homey, then that's your style.
30:02
But if you feel like you need a, a retreat and you feel like
30:06
there's just clutter all the time that you're just struggling
30:09
to put away and like deal with and clutter takes time, you
30:14
know? It does.
30:15
It takes time to clean and organize, and it can be
30:18
overwhelming. It truly can.
30:20
And so so there's a lot of movements toward minimalism
30:24
being a solution for just making your life simpler and making
30:31
your clean up time less and making, you know, the things
30:36
that you bring into your home less.
30:39
So that way you have less to deal with.
30:41
You don't need to pay for as much storage space.
30:43
You don't need to pay for as many items.
30:45
Like, it's a consumerist theory in some ways.
30:50
You know, like you don't have to buy so many things you can to
30:55
fill a space. You can be just really
30:57
intentional about the things that you do buy.
30:59
Really be intentional, more so about it than before.
31:03
Absolutely. And I think too, it depends on
31:05
where you are in your life. I know like and you tell me, but
31:10
like my early 20s I didn't have anything.
31:14
Yeah, you know I don't either. I think I went like 5 years
31:18
without hardly any furniture in my place.
31:20
Yeah, and now I have too much and I need to get rid of it,
31:24
right. So I would like to be more
31:26
minimalist in in what I have. What about you?
31:30
I am in the same boat, same story, but I I think that
31:36
minimalism in that time period of your life could be embraced
31:42
to just focus on accentuating what you do have and
31:45
appreciating what you do have and just designing very
31:48
thoughtfully around it. And it doesn't mean that you
31:51
have to go buy expensive individual pieces to put in the
31:55
minimalist space. Again, minimalism doesn't have
31:58
to mean expensive or modern even.
32:02
You can go to the thrift store and find like a couple pieces
32:06
that you're like, wow, that's really cool.
32:08
Whether that's like hand thrown pottery or or you know, some
32:14
picture frames to put photos that really matter to you in the
32:17
space. Like you can really be
32:19
intentional about each little piece that you put in a space
32:23
and still make it minimalist. Sure.
32:26
Or and make it minimalist, yes. And and then it's affordable and
32:31
you're not, you're not over consuming.
32:33
So in that vein, do you think that minimalism is good for the
32:37
environment? That's a good question.
32:42
It it can be if it if it's if it's done with that in mind,
32:50
yeah. I mean, because you could, you
32:55
could be minimalist or have that minimalist approach, but really
32:59
damage the environment. Yeah.
33:01
With how you're going about it? Yeah, how you're purchasing and
33:05
then like you get all the minimalist stuff and you decide
33:08
you want to refresh next year. Like that's not good for the
33:11
environment. But I think if you're following
33:14
the concept of like just trying to consume only when it's
33:19
something that's really important to you and not just
33:21
because you're like, yeah, that's cool.
33:22
You know, I think that is good for the environment and only
33:27
having what you need and really enjoy.
33:30
Yeah. So I guess it's about what your
33:32
intention. Yeah, is, yeah, so true.
33:35
Because again, if you're looking at it from like, oh, I just want
33:39
to like keep up with modern styles and I want to go
33:42
minimalist this year. And the next year, you're going
33:44
to be over it and get rid of the minimalist, expensive stuff you
33:48
bought that's not typically very good for the environment.
33:53
But yeah, I think minimalism came out of the need to reduce
34:01
the amount that people bought. Like initially and after the
34:05
Great Depression, minimalism was popular because people just
34:10
didn't have a ton or, you know, kind of during the Great
34:13
Depression. And so it was.
34:14
Also, you know, to go back to how do I say this, it was very
34:22
ornate design before and so it was the opposite of that.
34:27
It was a movement to get away from that ornate and then you
34:32
know it is what it is today. I feel like that just keeps
34:35
happening throughout history, like the pendulum swing of like
34:40
we're just going to fill the space with tchotchkes and Tuscan
34:45
style. And then and now we're going
34:47
millennial grey, you know, because we can't handle the
34:51
sponge painting of the early 2000s.
34:56
And then, you know, the 1920s were like, you know, richness
35:02
and luxury. And then the 30s were like
35:05
austere, you know, so we're in 40s.
35:08
So it's there's just been a lot of a pendulum swing.
35:13
And for sure, yeah. Yeah.
35:16
But I also wanted to make the point that you can have a
35:22
minimalist style within any design style that you have.
35:26
Like, you could have Western minimalism, you could have, you
35:30
know, there's a lot of different types of minimalism out there,
35:35
coastal minimalism. Yeah.
35:38
Again, it's just about, you know, if you like those other
35:41
designs, other design styles, then look at your space.
35:46
So if your space is traditional, typically there's more things in
35:49
a traditional space, but just don't go overboard with the
35:53
things in your space. But you can still lean
35:56
traditional or you can lean contemporary or cottage.
36:00
That is a lot of stuff. That's what tripped me up.
36:03
I was going to say cottage and I was like, oh, maybe.
36:05
Maybe it'd be. Harder you could, but it would
36:08
just. Again, it would take some time
36:10
to just be very intentional. And just not a lot of clutter.
36:14
I think it's just clearing the clutter.
36:16
And, you know, instead of five picture frames on a shelf, maybe
36:20
it's 1. So within any design style that
36:24
you love, just, you know, go through and just pair it back,
36:29
edit it. It's kind of like when you put
36:31
your outfit on, you know, you're putting on your jewelry, your
36:34
belt, your shoes. Look at yourself in the mirror.
36:37
Remove one item, you know, not your clothing item.
36:39
But unless it's you, it could be a jacket.
36:42
If you have a jacket with a, you know, shirt with a sweater, you
36:45
know, maybe take the sweater off.
36:47
Yeah. Yeah.
36:48
So it just. Usually, like, you put all the
36:50
jewelry you want on and you take off one or two pieces, so it's
36:54
like you pare it back, You know, I feel like that's a Coco Chanel
36:57
thing. It is.
36:58
I always say that to the lady that we work with for props on
37:02
shoots. So I'll be like Coco Chanel this
37:04
room, All right? Yeah.
37:06
And she that's what I mean, because it's like, put all the
37:10
props that we could want in there that would go with this
37:13
room and then we're gonna pair it back.
37:15
Yeah, we're gonna edit it. And you can always do that
37:18
before you buy too. Sure.
37:20
You know, you can put it in like a Canva workspace or something
37:25
like that where all the pieces that you think you'd like in the
37:28
space are together on the page and then you compare back
37:31
digitally and. Sometimes, though, it is nice to
37:34
see it in person. That's.
37:35
True if you already have it, particularly.
37:37
If you already have it, but a lot of us are already living in
37:43
our spaces with our things. So, you know, if you're trying
37:46
to go more minimalist or more thoughtful approach, just start
37:50
pulling things out. Have a yard sale, Donate it.
37:53
You know, somebody else may want your things, may need your
37:58
things. That's a very environmentally
38:00
friendly thing to do as well, making sure that you're rehoming
38:04
the things that you don't want through, Yeah, donating it or
38:07
having a garage sale or something.
38:09
Because then the people buying it or getting a deal and they're
38:15
getting something new without having to buy something brand
38:18
newly made and there's less going in the landfills.
38:21
That's true, yeah. So that that part of it's good,
38:24
but I feel like a lot of the designs we end up putting
38:27
together with our furniture and photography, Speaking of which
38:30
is a good mix of warmth and minimalism together.
38:36
And, and that's really the the goal of the conversation is we
38:40
want to show you how to bring warmth and minimalism into a
38:46
space together because it doesn't necessarily have to be
38:49
cold. So no, it doesn't.
38:50
Let's bring up that dining room to look at that we have the soul
38:56
group is here and it's in a very minimalist environment, lots of
39:03
white walls and a white fireplace Mantel area, but the
39:09
furniture itself is really what sings here.
39:12
It's. Very warm.
39:13
The furniture is very warm. The environment is very, very
39:18
neutral. Yeah, it is.
39:20
It is a bit cold, but the furniture itself warms up that
39:24
space quite nicely. And this table, this I think
39:28
it's called the sole, the wood tone of that is actually it's
39:34
really beautiful in person. I feel like this picture washes
39:37
it out just a bit, but in person it's so warm.
39:41
And then the leather on the chairs is so pretty.
39:44
Even the metal is warmed up. And so, you know, if you like
39:49
the style, which this could go very that table and chairs and
39:53
sideboard could go very western. It could go in other design
39:59
styles, but it looks really nice, you know, in this very
40:03
minimalistic approach. Yeah, it just, I think it's a
40:08
good example of if you want a minimalist space, but you want
40:13
it to feel warm a lot of the times, then it will really
40:17
depend on what furniture you choose and making sure that
40:20
you're choosing furniture intentionally.
40:25
And because it's going to stand on its own and really be the
40:28
thing in the room that warms up the room because there's not a
40:32
ton of art in there. And the art that is in there is
40:35
pretty neutral. There's a lot of texture to it
40:38
to go and with. The dining set, too, it's very
40:42
textural. Oh yeah, the, the texture in the
40:44
dining set, there's like a wood inlay that looks like a sunbeam.
40:48
And all the different pieces of wood are different colors.
40:51
And, and so it is very natural. And so it's it's also a good
40:55
example of nature playing off minimalism to be the star.
41:00
Imagine if you were to take this dining table and the chairs and
41:06
put it in the Kanye's house. The picture you showed of the
41:10
dining room, I think it would look just as good in there, too.
41:13
Yeah. Yeah, we should do that just for
41:16
fun and. Yeah.
41:16
Can we come over and yeah, can we just like.
41:20
Hang out and put our table and chairs in there.
41:23
But the design of their table and chairs that was in that
41:26
space, I mean, you would look at that and go, that's a
41:29
minimalistic design. OK, so we're going to put that
41:33
in that house, but or in that home.
41:36
But if you were to walk through and you see this dining set,
41:39
maybe someone would go, oh, that's not minimalist, but it
41:43
could be if you put it in a space that's exactly, exactly.
41:48
So I would say go for what you like, go for the warmth that
41:53
you're trying to create and you can still put it in a
41:55
minimalist. That's very true, But then you
41:58
can go a little bit more. Let's look at the next dining
42:05
set. I feel like we need to look at
42:06
it, but it's. That could definitely go in
42:10
their dining room too. Yeah, and calling his dining.
42:13
Room, it's a very minimal dining set in the sense that there's a
42:17
lot of cutouts and so by nature there's just not a ton of
42:22
material. Well, in the soft shapes are
42:26
very minimalist in design. This is a great little set.
42:31
It's not little, it's it's not huge either, but.
42:33
It's a dining set that has curves and a lot of character,
42:38
but it's still very minimal. So it's a good example of how to
42:42
blend warmth and minimalism. It really comes down to, in a
42:46
lot of these examples, I think is texture and adding texture in
42:51
to, to bring that warmth. And then there's pops of green
42:55
throughout, you know, adding plants in the room.
42:58
Yeah, that definitely helps. That's a pretty minimalist
43:01
design in the kitchen. Yeah, it, it very much is.
43:05
Yeah, that's a very truly minimalist space.
43:08
But it yeah, it's not like cold the rug has it's like a fuzzy
43:14
rug even though it's white. And there's some high and low in
43:17
the rug. It's not just a flat pile.
43:22
Yeah, not a flat pile. Let's look at the living room as
43:25
an example of how to bring color in to a minimalist space.
43:29
This. Is a really good example of
43:33
minimalist design. Furniture that's designed that
43:38
looks minimalist, but then it's warmed up in the space with the
43:43
bookshelf and then the pieces in the background and the little
43:46
yellow pillow. Right.
43:48
So this is yeah, to me, I agree. And I think it's also a good
43:52
example of how you can have tchotchkes and art and like
43:57
decor pieces, but it's very intentionally selected.
44:01
It's not like the bookshelf is full of things filling up every
44:08
single square inch. It's like there's one thing and
44:12
one shelf and two things in another, but they're very
44:14
intentionally selected and and then it's, you know, bringing
44:18
color and can still keep it a minimalist space.
44:22
Not everything has to be neutrals.
44:24
You can bring in a pop of blue or yellow and still achieve that
44:27
minimalist look just because of the clean lines and and the
44:31
surrounding design. I feel like this room is it
44:36
gives off the feel of minimalist but isn't as paired back as like
44:45
Kanye's living room right? This is a very livable
44:50
minimalist design. Right.
44:51
Where I can picture, you know, you see in the background
44:55
there's a record player with records on the floor and that
44:58
doesn't look out of place. You know, like things can be,
45:02
you know that you can have cups on the coffee tables and you can
45:06
have like things going on in that room without it messing up
45:10
the overall aesthetic. It's a livable room, but it
45:14
keeps its neat look because of the way it's set up and how
45:18
minimalist the design is. It almost like gives you the
45:21
space to live within it. Yes, but you could also take
45:26
some of the pieces out and it would look just as good too.
45:29
Right, so if you want to see what we're talking about, we're
45:34
on YouTube looking at some Furniture Row examples.
45:38
But do. You remember the name of that
45:40
sofa? The Jasper.
45:42
The Jasper. What I love about the Jasper is
45:47
I just. I liked how low it it was.
45:50
It's not like this overly large sofa, but the the coffee table,
45:57
I like how it was. It had two purposes.
46:00
It's a table, but it's also an extra seating space.
46:03
Did you notice? That, yeah.
46:05
And that's the other thing with minimalism is having pieces that
46:08
can double function, whether it's like they provide storage
46:13
that you can easily put things in, or they're a coffee table
46:16
and an Ottoman, which requires you to buy less and have less in
46:21
your space. Yeah.
46:23
I thought it looked really good. It's a nice little set.
46:26
I know, I know, I agree. And it's comfortable.
46:28
It is. I sat on it.
46:29
I have too. It's it's like one of our little
46:33
design stars right now. I love it.
46:37
Well, yeah, I think this has been like actually a really good
46:41
conversation. At first when we were talking
46:43
about minimalism, I was like, is that gonna be boring, you know?
46:47
But I think it. Doesn't have to be I.
46:49
Think it's what we need right now.
46:51
We need a little bit of decluttering in our lives and
46:56
simplicity and making things simplified in the midst of
47:00
complications. And and so it's been it's been
47:03
good to unpack. It would be fun to see pictures
47:07
of before and after, like with Kanye and Kim's house, like
47:11
anyone listening. If you want to take the
47:14
minimalist challenge and send us before and after pictures, I
47:17
think that'd. Be fun to see.
47:20
There's a lot of them out there too.
47:22
Like there's all sorts of documentaries and like just
47:27
books about minimalism. I read 1 called the No New
47:31
Things challenge and. Was that for a year like and for
47:35
a month? Yeah.
47:36
But it it just like gets you thinking about what you
47:38
currently have and what you could use that you currently
47:40
have. And it was just a really good
47:42
exercise for me to be more intentional about what I bring
47:45
in. Oh.
47:45
So you did though. Yeah, I mean, like, I don't know
47:48
that I was super strict about it, but yeah, I, I did it.
47:53
I, I, I read the book and that really changed my mind about
47:58
being open to minimalism or just like anti over consumer and
48:05
being just like really intentional about what I do buy
48:08
and buying like nicer things, fewer nicer things, which I
48:12
didn't used to do instead of more cheaper things.
48:17
So that that's been just a good thing.
48:20
Yeah. That's a good.
48:20
Challenge. We would love all your feedback
48:23
on minimalism and just comment wherever you're listening to
48:30
this episode and engage in the conversation.
48:33
And if you have questions about how to minimalize a space or how
48:36
to decorate a space to be warm and minimal, we'd love to.
48:40
We have a pretty responsive social team so you will get an
48:43
answer for sure. We should pose our own little
48:47
challenge too, like the pictures, if they would send us
48:51
some pictures, but also just really look at your space and
48:55
clear off 11 area in your home. Just clear it out and then only
49:01
put back the things that you really are going to use.
49:03
Marie Kondo, you know, bring back the things that bring you
49:07
joy, you know? But I'm sad because this is our
49:12
last episode of the season. Don't be.
49:15
Sad we're coming back we're. Coming back mid-october, so look
49:19
out for some new episodes then that are going to be really
49:26
great for, you know, design conversations that are happening
49:31
later in the year into the fall. Keep it going, keep the
49:33
conversations going. Be a little bit more fall,
49:36
wintery, seasonal. So you might be a lot of changes
49:40
on our sets too. But in the meantime, just yeah,
49:44
talk to us. We'll be we'll be on socials,
49:47
we'll be in the comments. So we look forward to seeing you
49:51
soon. See you later.
49:53
See you later.