1) I am not very photogenic
2) I do not like to "expose" myself....
3) I do not have a good camera
but then I realised that no one, or almost no one, thinks they are very photogenic!
my iPhone takes very decent pictures!
AND, as for not liking to expose myself, should have thought about this before I wrote "Life Happens" and started writing on this blog... quite frankly, by doing so, I am an open book so who cares about a few pictures???
So I decided I will start now... I know I already did a few post with my clothes... but I will do it more and more...
Today I will post picture of my home... I have been asked quite a few times what a minimalist home looks like... well today you'll see one... well you'll see mine!
It does qualify as minimalist according to my criteria... many not yours.... or every one's.... but I am happy with it! I like to look back and see the difference.... before and after pictures would have been nice but I moved so often in between that it would not make much sense... :-)
I did not include pictures of my son's room, not because it is not minimalist, he's doing quite well for a 12 year old boy, but only because I did not ask his permission and now he's on Holiday with his grandparents... To me, respect and privacy are VERY important!!!
This is my kitchen - where I spend most of the time I am home... and not sleeping.... I have a new found passion for "cooking" or rather preparing healthy meals (does not always involve cooking!)!
Back door and dryer.... along with my tea service and Gertrude - which you can see very well... it's a drawing of a cow... I think it goes well in a vegan home!
Huge pantry, fridge, stove, table with 3 chairs. Those 3 chairs will eventually be painted the same green as the background to Gertrude. The stove/oven is the least expensive we and simpler we could find... it doesn't even have a clock or a timer! Nothing digital!
The electric panel will be hidden eventually- still did not find the perfect material to do so.
My meal prep area.... and you can see the juicer... kind of... the only appliance that stays on my counter at all time!!! The other things you can see on my counter at all time are a glass jar of room temp water and a bowl of fruits!
Finally, the washer, a better view of the juicer and in between a piece of wood furniture that my parents used to have to put their vinyl in... it dates back.... I use it to put my cookbook! And this too will become green like Gertrude's background and the chairs! More to come on that once it is done!
Now let's have a look at my bedroom:
My husband's meditation chair... and my self made Buddha frame
My grandfather's drawer set... it dates back from 1930 something... I love it!
Keyboard, cat bed and electric fire place - personally I would do without the fireplace... my son's favorite!!!
Wedding gift... that contains the few books I still have, Ganesha, crystal salt lamp, prayer bowl, Buddha, crying yogi. The painting on top, right side was done by me 20 years ago! And the certificate on the left is that of my husband's Reiki master course!
Elephant tapestry - hand made in India - Fairtrade, the black piece of furniture hold incense and my son's XBox games and DVDs... The desk is used by my son and I to do his homework... and my work... It's from my dad.... he got it for his 12th birthday! He's now 67! You do the math! The drawing behind are my son's... I framed them as motivation!
Rocking chair - painted by me... a gift from when I got my son! purple chair - found in the garbage of neighbours! Fake plant... a gift.... Another view of the incense and DVD armoire... it also had the iPod/iPhone docking station to play music...
Couch... and hand painted table and chakras flag
And my least favorite thing.... the TV... yes we still have one... even thus I'd love to get rid of it! My son would probably not appreciate.... and I respect that.. but it is not always on... time on it is calculated... and Xbox 360... then again with limited access to game time!
So there you... you've been inside my home... tiny 800 sq ft home! My minimalist home... I don't think I could do with less at this moment... we'll see as time goes by what happens...
Don't forget to check out my Facebook page.... or personal profile... connect with me on twitter or google +...
love and peace,
nath
xox
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I love this post! Your home sure is a minimalist one!
ReplyDeletethanks Rita! quite frankly, sometimes I still think there is lots of stuff showing... but I look where I come from and I made huge progress...
Deletemy next step would be to have huge wall unit where you put all your clothes and hide you bed and working station... and move into a 1 bedroom place where my son has a bedroom and my husband and I have the living room as a bedroom also... I have seen great wall units manufacture here in Montreal... but they are quite expensive... but considering the fact that we may save 150$ per month on our rent, it pays off quickly... but I am not there yet.. all in due time! :-)
Love your post. I am aiming for this level of minimalism! I have come a long way but still more to go. You are an inspiration.
DeleteThanks Karen! Actually, looking at this now I can see that I have decluttered some more over time.... Hang in there... it takes a while... it took me years to get there and I can now say that it is a continuous process because there will always be stuff you no longer need... love&peace xox
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