the cozy minimalist

 Last week I checked The Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith out of the library. I wanted to see if it was the kind of book I could buy my good friend, Danielle, for Christmas. In the process of deciding, I read it cover to cover. 

I was at Danielle's house a few weeks ago, she has stacks of books. Some from the library, but mostly her own. I found a library book, Remodelista by Julie Carlson, on the top of a pile. I was intrigued, so of course I checked a copy out of my library, too. 

Let's contrast for a minute - Remodelista is very clearly a plastic avoiding book. There is a sustainability edge to it that I really appreciate. In the Cozy Minimalist Home, Myquillyn doesn't really mention suitability or green living at all. Myquillyn does suggest spending more on pieces that you will keep for a long time - which I think is a step in the right direction. However, she did spent much of the book lamenting her old ways of thrifting and finding good deals (and buying too much stuff) 

That being said, both books recognize the benefits of an uncluttered environment that is designed to suit the needs of the people living it. 

Best tip from The Cozy Minimalist Home: Work room by room, and take everything you can out of the room you are working on, and put less back in a specific order. 

Best tip from Reorganista: Baskets

Suffice it to say, my bedroom has undergone quite the transformation- we bought a $75 9'x12' wool rug off Craigslist and we now have a loveseat - in our bedroom! That is a dream. It is a $17 loveseat that my partner's daughter bought from Goodwill a year or two ago that she doesn't want anymore. Also, she had bedbugs during that time, so it's a risk (don't worry, they're gone. I know it.) 

The biggest change - and I mean the biggest - is somehow through the process of putting the rug down - my partner and I switched sides of the bed. I am now a person (or will be after tonight) who sleeps on the right side of the bed. Never have I ever. 

There are more changes to come, a coat of paint, and that loveseat needs to be reupholstered. For now the change has been good and since all of this reading and reorganizing was to distract me from angst around the 2020 election, I'd say it's been worth it.