Hello Hive,
I re-watched the Minimalists documentary on Netflix for the 3rd time. The show brought out this impulse to remove all of the existing artwork hanging in the living room of the fully furnished tiny home we're renting. Given an artwork that sparks joy, I don't mind having one to accentuate a space but the loud colorful images at home bother me every time I see them. Firstly, they're not necessary. Secondly, they're oddly placed. Lastly, they are dust collectors that only create visual noise.
I took them down twice but my husband insisted that I should leave them alone.
Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist defines Visual Noise as "any random visual stimulus which has a negative effect on our brains."
Visual noise can also be referred to as visual clutter. Unconsciously, all of the visual information fed into our brains can cause fatigue when there are too many stimuli. The distraction makes it more difficult to focus. It may affect our learning ability and could cause migraines to those suffering from it.
Out of sight out of mind.
Marie Kondo mentioned this in her book, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing - "By eliminating excess visual information that doesn't inspire joy, you can make your space much more peaceful and comfortable."
In my opinion, the kitchen is the hardest to control when it comes to visual stimuli. The jar labels, the clutter, the kitchen tools that hang on the walls, the unwashed items in the sink, and the appliances that occupy our kitchen counter all create visual noise.
Our present 4.8 sq.m kitchen is currently a disaster because it's so tiny, we have limited storage space, thus we have no choice but to expose most items. I enjoy cooking international dishes thus have a huge collection of spices and condiments. Embracing minimalism doesn't mean one should sacrifice making delicious homecooked meals. By de-cluttering, it leaves more space to effectively work in the kitchen.
I have already downsized so I think our family of 3 has reached the bare minimum. That's okay, we've learned to accept it. Well if this were my permanent home, I would have remodeled it already, but to accept it is the cheapest alternative.
For this post, I'll use the kitchen from our previous home which we call "The Yellow House" as an example.
I re-use glass jars and plastic containers hidden inside cupboards
The goal is to inexpensively de-clutter, minimize, and free up space, particularly the kitchen counter from visual noise. There's a difference between tidying up and minimizing.
Evaluate the kitchen items we own.
Once we start exceeding 8 plates, we should start questioning how often we entertain and if we need these extra plates. Are there kitchen gadgets we bought and never used? Are we ready to discard items that don't function or have them repaired?
Create a pile to keep, to throw, and to give away or sell and evaluate each item's value and cost.
Time, energy, and money were spent on purchasing these items. We should weigh whether keeping each item adds value to our lives. For the items we intend to keep, we need to decide for each whether we should leave them where they are or relocate them to a different place.
For gifts, with or without sentimental value, you've all probably seen the #KonMari method on Netflix so you know the drill.
Alphabetized spices hidden in the drawer next to the stove
Observe the way you operate and move within the kitchen
I like segregating the kitchen into zones. It is important to strategically place items in your cupboard within reach and which requires less effort to be able to function effectively.
The topmost shelves should carry items one rarely uses. The spices should be situated within the cooking zone as well as pots, pans, and cooking tools. Knives, a chopping board, and all of the other special kitchen tools are all in the preparation area.
I also designate a beverage corner which in this scenario is best placed next to the water dispenser and the fridge. The beverage area is closest to the open dining space so the person preparing the food is not bothered by the other who is making coffee, especially when entertaining. I adhered to the same principle in my current tiny kitchen and it works.
Kitchen Cupboard Uplift
When we moved to the yellow house, the kitchen cupboard above the built-in stove had clear glass cabinet doors. That space is best for storing sauce bottles used for cooking (oil, soy sauce, etc). Unfortunately, the thin clear glass on the cupboard meant exposed bottle labels visible upon entry. This would create visual chaos.
I could remove the bottle labels but I didn't want to do that every time so a faster and more aesthetic solution would be to apply a frosted glass film sticker to the existing glass panels on the overhead kitchen cabinet.
Since we had a leftover frosted film that we bought from Wilcon Depot, we can use that to create a frosted glass look.
At that time Ikea was not yet available in the Philippines. During a trip to Japan, I bought a colander (Grundvatnett) for the sink that I use as a dish dryer. Once dry, I keep the dining ware immediately inside the cabinets. I'm not a fan of the exposed dish rack on the kitchen counter because they create visual clutter.
There was a time when we were living with a suitcase each when we rented space while living on Bantayan Island for 2 months. We had a communal kitchen in the compound where all tools are shared. That is another option in minimalist living.
There's no one-size-fits-all in a minimalist lifestyle. It's up to you to find what suits you and your family's lifestyle and preferences.
Hope this post helps you in your next tidying up, downsizing, and organizing project. Thank you for reading!
"I am an old soul who simply loves coffee, who finds joy and beauty in both tangible and the unseen."
Curiosity and imagination lead to unexpected experiences. Interested in Nature, Places, Roads Less Traveled, Minimalism, Authentic Living, Anything French, and International Cuisine. Feel free to follow her, re-blog, and upvote if you enjoy her content.
Reference:
Inspired by my original post but mindfully re-written
Becoming Minimalist- Remove Possessions to Remove Visual Noise
Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Such an inspiration, we also have a little kitchen now and we have certain things out on display as there is just no space… but as said before in our next move we are down sizing more.
Your yellow houses kitchen was well designed and thought about to create calmness.
Hi Jackie, same 🙌! All we have now are open shelves so no choice but to have everything exposed. I tried to get rid of the labels and place grains and food where we could see them.
Lack of storage space is indeed a problem especially when there's no room to downsize further. Unless we change the entire cabinetry and create something that would maximize every nook and cranny. Maybe in the next home, we'll keep this in mind.
We all learn along the way and sometimes just have to adjust for the time being 😊
Next house, here we come… although that might still take a few months.
Exciting! A move is always a great opportunity to downsize. Yes, better kitchen for the next house, here we come! 😊
Oohh those labels can be really distracting. Love what you did with your kitchen. Those are noted. As for the artworks, I'm lucky the only one we have at home is that of a tree
Exactly. One of these days I hope I get to read Marie Kondo's books
Thank you, Arni, for another thoughtful post!
Hi Lavie, that's a lovely artwork, it brings nature indoors and creates a feeling of zen. I could stare at it and daydream while sipping coffee. Hope your Sunday is treating you well.
I love the way you did with your previous kitchen. Minimalistic living is the way to go for lesser noise, I also don't like too many stuff lying around.
And how awesome it is to have such a spice collection set!
Hello @ifarmgirl, thank you. I do miss working on huge counter space. I love perusing at the spice section of the supermarket internally debating whether I need them or not haha.
My 7yo daughter on the other hand loves to hoard stuff so we let her do that, provided that her stuff remains in her room. Balancing the preference of each member of the family is quite tricky best resolved by compromise. How is it at home? Which family member is the most inclined to a simplified lifestyle?
It's a nice collection especially that you love cooking international dishes :) And it sounds your little girl loves to collect stuff too hehe.
The husband loves to buy things and kitchen stuff. He's fond of cooking and easily drawn to kitchen things but usually end up not using most of what he buys, lol! I prefer lesser mess and keep things inside cabinets. He is quite the opposite, he likes to have them out :D
I know friends who find comfort in having things out in the open where they can see them, I suppose he's one of them. It's interesting to see the dynamics of the family when it comes to handling material stuff inside the household.
I think so too and we just have to make some adjustments although our views may differ from what they think :)
Hello Arni,
I smiled when I saw this.
I used to love to see pictures hanging on the wall, but since recently (maybe being in my small living space), I see no purpose.
There's a picture hanging on the wall of my tiny kitchen, yet there's nowhere to hold a paper towel (something that needs to be fixed, to prevent it from falling off when the boat rocks). I've used a fine belt to attach the paper towel around the frame, temporarily.
I love the look of that organized, clutter-free kitchen. My mind is at ease instantly, and I can see myself wanting to spend an hour or two, binge prepping, and cooking, while meditating at the same time.
I would kill to have all those spices; I've always like the alphabetical order of my spices, to lesser frustration when I need to grab one quickly.
I love what you've both done with the frosted glass. It's easier on the mind. I mean you'll have to open it anyway, right? So why make it transparent?
You are absolutely right; There's no one size fits all!
Very nice post:)
Hi Camille, to the many afternoon coffees that flowed into wine evenings we spent here. 😊 Such great memories in this open kitchen! You used to have a huge spice rack. Are you limiting your spices in the boat? Oh yes, the alphabetical order of the spices saves time and frustration haha. Less stress and easy to see which one needs refilling.
Our present overhead cabinet is transparent. I'm tempted to apply frosted glass stickers on them but Yohann wants me to drop the idea until we have a clue what the rest of the year is going to be like for us.
Yes, I have so many fond memories of that kitchen 😍
We only have a small stock of spices because of limited space, and also due to us visiting smaller supermarkets chains close to the towpath and canals.
I think Yohann is right. Leave all renovations for now, as you don't know what decisions you might have to make, or what opportunities might present themselves.
I haven't seen your current kitchen, but I believe it's light and airy enough?
I hope the weather is still mild, as those dry hot months will be coming up soon:)
Ah I see. It's a bit darker than the previous one and really cramped. We had to be extremely intentional on the items we keep plus it came with existing utensils that we chose not to use that take up space. I'll try to take a picture of it and send them to you when there's daylight. Or maybe share it here in the comment section when I'm feeling bold enough haha.
Yes, it would be nice to see it. I remember it being darker from what I remember of Kate and Paulo's flat.
Haha, a picture would be good;)
I will take a picture of it tomorrow and share it with you 😀
When our present kitchen and dining are tidied up, 😊 here is the photo as promised. As much as I'd like to have the fridge and beverage corner together it's not possible but the right side is a breakfast station. Cook and prep area at the center and the left side cabinet serves as a pantry. Hive blogging is happening there on that dining table with a cup of coffee. 😁
Hehe better to leave it all on the counter for easier access if you ask me. J/k
Oh dear 😱 haha 😁 We used to have this in the orange house above the stove, it's exposed.
Good access is important too, less stress.
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