There are many benefits to having an organized home–it can promote relaxation, focus, and comfort–but sometimes getting organized can be difficult. When your home is filled with knick-knacks and clothes you no longer wear, it seems like no amount of organization can really unclutter it. There is just too much stuff. So what do you do? Well, you downsize! Simple living is about making your life streamlined and finding pleasure in the effectiveness of simplicity. It isn’t about taking away things. It’s about keeping the things that add value to life and not being weighed down by the scratchy unworn sweaters, ceramic frog sculptures, and kitchen gadgets and gizmos you never use anymore. Read on to discover a couple of easy steps to take to discover simple living.

Tips for a Minimalist Home

1. Invest in quality items

Instead of buying, for instance, a cheap black sweaters and replacing them over and over again when they invariably pill and snag and sag and shrink, invest in a quality sweater that with care can last for years. Apply this thinking to all other purchases you make. If you have to constantly replace cheap items you purchase, is it really saving money?

2. Keep multiple-purpose items

Ditch single-purpose products. These clutter items take up space and don’t do anything you couldn’t get done by some other means. Kitchen gadgets are particularly prone to clutter item-itis, with fantastically redundant kitchen mainstays like garlic presses (use a knife or a food processor) and margarita machines (it’s just a festive blender). Appliances and items should never only do one thing–of course, not to be draconian, there are obvious exceptions for things like fitted sheets and bath mats. Building a good range of quality, multiple-purpose items will save you the hassle of having to store a million different one-off gadgets.

When you live in a beautiful home like at The Yards, minimal living will make the clean lines and sleek finishes of your home really sparkle.

Image: Flickr