I’ve always been enamored with hotels. Even the mid-range ones seem special too me. I feel like a kid when I first enter one, even on a business trip. Taking a quick run and bounce on the bed, I immediately feel refreshed. There is something about a sparse space of which I am clearly fond.
My admiration of hotels is part of my love of travel and trying new things. But it wasn’t until I launched Less = More full-time and began AirBNB’ing my place that I saw the close connection between luxury and minimalism. Now, I see more clearly how I like my space to be hotel-like (but with a bit more personalization). I feel relaxed returning home from a trip or even just a long day out for this reason. Why shouldn’t our homes feel luxurious in this way?
I recognize that luxury and minimalism are two words that don't tend to pair. But once you move past the old construct that having less stuff is living without or a sacrifice, it becomes evident that you are left with the most meaningful, needed, and higher quality items. You’ll view the removal of things as doing away with junk and the best stuff will become prominent. This creates a path toward a more open and relaxed space, bringing luxury and minimalism together.
Luxury and chaos are two words that don’t tend to mix, and for good reason. If you don’t live a simple life, and it is full of disorder, how can you enjoy or even see the beautiful and luxurious things that you own? An unmade bed with clothes scattered on the floor. Mail, some opened some not, splattered on a kitchen table. Broken things that need fixing. Unopened boxes with new items gathering dust. You can have a home filled with many “luxury” items, but if you treat your space this way, it’s not going to feel special.
The steps to achieve a home that evokes luxury begins with paring down the stuff you own. As you get rid of something, consider the luxury you will gain. When you are doing away with things you don’t need think about the times you’ve been away and never once missed these items. Think about how you would feel if you saw these items in a hotel room. Think about what would be worth giving up if you could feel like your home was a haven each time you stepped in. The idea is not to embrace the austere but, rather, to embrace elements of luxury that would make your home feel like the best aspects of a hotel.
Perhaps start with one room in your home, like your bedroom, to focus on the more immediately attainable. Then, in my next post, I’ll walk you through some easy ways to bring additional luxury into your space.