Contented Chic: My Journey to Less Stuff and More Style

It's no secret to me or my family members that I need to live in an environment that's both peaceful and harmonious...oh and beautiful, duh! I am, after all, an Interior Designer. But the truth is that as I began to decorate my home to be more pretty, I found that it came with more stuff. And more stuff, typically meant more stress. I don't need 43,000 knick-knacks on my bookshelves to collect dust every week. I don't need a cute coffee bar that's just another thing to clean. And I for damn sure don't want to move 18 million pillows off my bed every night just so I can just plop on my bed and fall asleep! But that doesn't mean I want a home that's devoid of personality, beauty, and warmth. In my search for style and how to live better with less stuff, I came across a lot of minimalist living tips. But I didn't want a home completely without things. I like things - especially pretty things! I just don't like the constant maintenance of things. Thus my goal became to have a contented chic home. A home that had less stuff (and less stress!) but more style!

First, let me tell you about my home. The 90s catmom chic home you see below started my journey to a contented chic life. This was the first house I moved into with my husband after we were married. The home is an early 70s ranch that had last been redecorated by (you guessed it!) a 90s CatMom! My husband had been renting the home for a number of years with a number of different roommates. Each previous tenant had seemed to come in, dump their stuff, and leave it all behind when they moved out.

I spent the first month of my married life lining up boxes for Goodwill and trash bags for the dumpster. I couldn't unpack, let alone decorate, my new home because it was so cluttered with stuff! Stuff that wasn't mine in the first place. Stuff that I didn't know what to do with. Stuff that I felt like I was drowning in. It's been almost a year and I'm still getting rid of stuff. Stuff that is constantly taking up space in my home and my mind. Stuff that causes me stress because I have to constantly care for it and maintain it.

After about 6 months of living in the house, I had stripped the place down to where you could see the carpet and walk in the rooms again! But I still wasn't happy. Each room felt bare, empty of personality, and lacking style. I wanted to update the outdated wallpaper and get rid of the hand-me-down furniture. But I felt ungrateful for wanting new stuff when I had enough. I had a chair to sit on. I had a bed to sleep on. I had everything I could need, and yet I still felt embarrassed and stressed about my home. Living a minimalist lifestyle just wasn't going to suit me. I wanted a warm environment without all the clutter. I wanted a minimalist mindset yet with chic style. I wanted to live happily and freely in my home.

This is the part where I started thinking about living with less stuff but adding more style! I wanted to be content in my home and grateful for what I had and yet add my style and personality where I could. I wanted to live a simple and peaceful life yet one that had character and warmth too! This is where the idea of contented chic was born.

I realized it was ok to want my style in my home. I learned it's ok to want a home that reflects my personality. But I also recognized that I can be thankful for what I have and stop comparing my home to those $90k renovations I see on TV and Pinterest! My goal became to do the creative best with my life and my home. I measured my own actions instead of comparing myself and my home to others. And I started to be thankful for the "not perfect, but in-progress" state of my home.

If I'm completely honest, my home isn't really about looks. Yes, I like all the pretty things! But when I decorate my home, I actually de-stress-orate my home. I look at the areas of each room that cause me or my family stress - the piles of shoes, the stacks of paper, the clutter here and there. Then, I creatively problem solve to set up systems and storage to easily handle those stressors.

By way of example, I'll tell you about the mail in our house. My husband can't stand mail. He hates it and he ignores it. When I moved in there was a stack of mail a foot high with 3-year-old bills and promos my husband had just piled up and ignored. Paper stressed him out. Paper overwhelmed him. So he just piled it away because he couldn't deal with it. Now, whoever brings the mail in puts in a pretty little box I have by our front door. I see it and deal with it - bills go on the refrigerator to get paid. Junk goes in the trash can. Easy peesy. We've set expectations for where the mail should go, who will deal with it and when. That way he and I don't get stressed because we can't find a bill or there's piles of mail all over the house!

While I de-stress-orate my home, I also add lots of style and personality. My husband and I decorate with toys and handmade art. We hang personal mementos and handwritten notes up rather than dollar store type decor (although you may see some of that too!). Our home isn't perfect and it isn't magazine quality, but it makes us happy. We're happy living a simple life that has less stuff and more style.

If you'd like to see the progress on my 90s Catmom Chic house, check out my One Chic Change Category for before and after room makeovers. Or read any of the posts below!

Front Porch Makeover: Before & After

Hall Entry Makeover: Before & After

Living Room Makeover: Before & After

Home Office Makeover: Before & After

Do you struggle with living with less stuff and decluttering? What are your best tips for a minimalist home design that also has personality? Share below and you might inspire or help someone else!