Pared Down

From capsule wardrobes to the KONMARI method and the tiny-house movement, MINIMALISM is one of the prevailing moods of our time. TAYLOR ROBERTS finds out whether having less is the key to a more fulfilling life

Mention ‘minimalism’ and most people’s first thought is of a sleek, Scandi-inspired living space, or some Pinterest image of a vintage clothing rail offering a dizzying choice of three identical white shirts and one shift dress.

Yes, minimalism can encapsulate decor and fashion, but as a concept it goes far deeper than aesthetics. At its heart, minimalism is about prioritising. It’s not a process of stripping away for the sake of stripping away, but about removing the extraneous in order to create space (literally and figuratively) for those things you really want in your life.

‘Minimalism is intentionality,’ says Joshua Becker, the founder of Becomingminimalist.com and the author of several books on the topic, including The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own. ‘It is marked by clarity [and] purpose. Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from [those things]. As a result, it forces improvements in almost all aspects of your life.’

So, ironically, minimalism is about having more, not less: more time, more space, more money, more travel, more friends over for dinner – in short, more of whatever brings meaning into your life. And therein lies the other important aspect about minimalism: it’s about you. While certain tenets (owning less stuff, for example) are universal, the end result of minimalism looks different for everyone. There is no one-size-fits-all minimalist living space, no prescription for what you should do with your resources once you’ve jettisoned all the physical and emotional ballast. You get to decide what living your best life looks like, which is what the philosophy is all about.