Bathrooms can’t be that bad to make a shift to minimalism, right? 

I wanted to start with a space I thought would be fairly easy, so I chose the master bathroom storage areas.  I’ve often looked through them and thought to myself, “How can two people fill these drawers up so easily?”  I mean, what could possibly be in them to make them burst at the seams at all times?  Granted, they are just drawers, so things just tend to pile on top of one another.  This, in of itself, is already a major issue for me.  The next issue is that my husband and I don’t own this home, which will provide some difficulties with this challenge over the next year, but I’m still determined to get closer to my most minimal self.  

So, back to assuming this area would be easy… I was WRONG!  Full disclosure, I’m a makeup and skin care hoarder and had zero clue that was the case. As I sorted through each item and diligently placed them into my piles – keep, toss, and save for later – I realized I had already taken a wrong turn.  What in the actual heck was I doing? Save for later? That completely defeats the purpose of this challenge.  So after I finished the initial sort, I turned to that ridiculous save pile again.  Some of these products I had had for years!  After staring at them for far too long, I recognized that if I hadn’t used them thus far, I probably was not going to. If the product in question wasn’t serving me on at least once a week, to the toss pile it went. 

When I got to my husband’s section of drawers, I was surprised to find that he was even worse than me!  He must have had  fifteen nearly empty bottles of sunscreen and I questioned him on each one, they all seemed to be acceptable to hang onto!  Luckily for me, he’s completely on board with the whole minimal way of living and with an ever so slight tilt of the head that clearly sent the message, “Really Hun?,” he conceded.  When all was said and done, the drawer wound up with a mere four bottles in it! 

Once I finished with the elimination process, I could see what was actually needed and come up with a game plan as to how I would start storing things in a more efficient way. I was EMBARRASSED by how many duplicates of things we had!  So wasteful!  So, first design solution I committed to was to not having layers of items so that we could more clearly see what we actually have instead of buying more without finishing what we still have.  I decided dividers in the drawers were going to be my ticket to have a cleaner  and more user friendly system in our vanity. I drew up my plans and off to Home Depot I went! 

I got lucky and my sweet father-in-law happened to be in town this past weekend, so he, along with my sweet pups, helped me cut and paint my new drawer dividers.  Easy and extremely affordable! 

Overall, this kick off project was a little more challenging than this Interior Designer expected.  I found myself trying to justify items a lot more than I expected.  In the end, coming up with a design solution was satisfying and I feel incredible ridding my home of so much unnecessary baggage!  For not owning the home and being able to just rip out the vanity entirely, I’m happy with the outcome we came up with an the amount we were able to offload. 

Although I won’t be bringing much into the house, I will be searching out a few perfect accessories to finish off the bathroom.  Just a few details that make the space feel more like “us” and give it a sense of being finished.  The details, of course, are always my favorite part of the process! 

Just for fun, as the husband and I continue to search for the perfect home, I’ll give you a glimpse into the style of bathroom that makes my heart skip a beat! 

If you’re looking for a Design Team to help you pair down your living, or just need a little help with design projects around your home, we are here to help!  We’re always up for a good challenge!   Happy Designing! 

heather-scherie

To see more about my home and what inspires me, you can view my Pinterest Board. 

To read more about this Mission To Minimalism, click here.