Well, thanks a lot for that Electrified...it's bad enough this thread on minimalism didn't continue, as it's an interesting subject that B&O definitely relates to (and one I was hoping would take off more), but now it's pretty well poisoned by your post, which is sitting there like a turd in a punchbowl.

I find it repulsive and I'm not only not Catholic but not even a believer. Before you give Wonderfulelectric too much grief take a look in the mirror yourself.

Jeff wrote:

Well, thanks a lot for that Electrified...it's bad enough this thread on minimalism didn't continue, as it's an interesting subject that B&O definitely relates to (and one I was hoping would take off more), but now it's pretty well poisoned by your post, which is sitting there like a turd in a punchbowl.

I wasn't the one bringing up the Pope in a thread about minimalism - and paid public respect to such a vile man and ditto institution. Ipoditiv was.

Jeff wrote:

I find it repulsive and I'm not only not Catholic but not even a believer. Before you give Wonderfulelectric too much grief take a look in the mirror yourself.

I wasn't the idiot who brought up the pope. Ipoditiv was.

It seems at this stage you're merely looking for excuses to take offense - even if it entails taking offense on behalf of others.

I take it back, you don't need a mirror, you need a colonoscopy.

Jeff wrote:

I take it back, you don't need a mirror, you need a colonoscopy.

I'm glad you went to the effort to prove my point.

I'm catholic. It's not offensive to me.... but let's just move on and not talk about religion or politics. 

On topic.

I have this lifestyle and it's a pain in the butt. The cleaner has to come twice a week, and as soon as you dump some mail on the counter, or leave your shoes in the hallway the entire effect is ruined. 

That said, when the place looks good, it really looks good. 

I think that the key to minimalism, besides not having a lot of things, is to have ways of hiding the titbits needed (afterall)  in everyday life. Places to hide keys, shoes, coats, bills, phone charger etc..

lukeswiss wrote:

I have this lifestyle and it's a pain in the butt. The cleaner has to come twice a week, and as soon as you dump some mail on the counter, or leave your shoes in the hallway the entire effect is ruined. 

That said, when the place looks good, it really looks good. 

Thanks for returning to the topic at hand. There is a need to have hidey holes for things, places to throw mail and such, but there's also a certain conflict between hiding them and forgetting to attend to them. As usual for a minimalist lifestyle, it requires some discipline.

In my house I have a large combined living area in addition to the tradtional living room, both of which are quite large. The area where most people gather and we tend to live is a combined dining room, kitchen, and sun room that has floor to ceiling windows. We tend to store things in a drawer at the end of the kitchen cabinets right next to the sun room, and previously my in-laws had a desk made up of a couple of short file cabinets with a board on them behind folding doors that line the whole side of the dining room. The left one used to be for the desk, the center one for a TV and stereo that connected to old ceiling speakers, and the right one for brooms, cleaning supplies, etc. I turned the left one into a large pantry, which the house really needed especially as I tend to have a lot of odd sauces and such around for various kinds of Asian cooking along with baking supplies, etc. I tend to cook more than my in-laws did. Then went to the grocery store every other day or so and I tend to keep more staples around and go twice a week for fresh stuff.

But I'm also regretting the loss of the desk area. Stuff tends to get piled on the counter top or the dining table or the coffee table in the seating area in the sun room. We have a room that's not far away that's going to be an office, a small bedroom off the library, but the problem will be disciplining myself, and especially my wife, to use it and not still pile stuff on the tables and counter.

To Jeff:

I totally agree. It will be a project of the next weeks to clear some surfaces in my kitchen, office and living room of all the clutter.

As somebody said: It starts with an empty desk, so you can start the next task, clean your desk for the following task ...

I hope it won't be a dream ...

I'm facing the problem of the fact that this house is still undergoing a lot of repair and restoration work (roof went on last weekend). I have three rooms getting new flooring, so everything for them is piled in the living room, etc. until I get the floors in and can move things back. Add to that the fact I've got tools laying around everywhere as I'm adding shelves, hanging pictures, lights, etc. and we oscillate between clutter and extreme clutter right now. We occasionally throw things in closets and entertain family members when they come over in the dining/sun room area so we get a glimpse of how the house will look eventually at those times.

The one bright spot so far is the master bedroom, it's about 80% done, so it is kind of a haven from the rest of the house at times.

Still and all, the glimpses of what it can be are making it worth the effort, it's being patient that's the problem. Kind of want it fixed right now, but it takes time to get contractors and work organized. I still haven't even unpacked the B&O, let alone got all the Masterlink cable strung. Patience patience I keep telling myself.

Jeff wrote:

I'm facing the problem of the fact that this house is still undergoing a lot of repair and restoration work (roof went on last weekend). I have three rooms getting new flooring, so everything for them is piled in the living room, etc. until I get the floors in and can move things back. Add to that the fact I've got tools laying around everywhere as I'm adding shelves, hanging pictures, lights, etc. and we oscillate between clutter and extreme clutter right now. We occasionally throw things in closets and entertain family members when they come over in the dining/sun room area so we get a glimpse of how the house will look eventually at those times.

The one bright spot so far is the master bedroom, it's about 80% done, so it is kind of a haven from the rest of the house at times.

Still and all, the glimpses of what it can be are making it worth the effort, it's being patient that's the problem. Kind of want it fixed right now, but it takes time to get contractors and work organized. I still haven't even unpacked the B&O, let alone got all the Masterlink cable strung. Patience patience I keep telling myself.

We moved to our present mid-sized apartment two years ago. Central heating system was renewed with stainless steel radiators etc and cable runs sorted out with ducts in the floors below the carpets. Sods law, no sooner were all the carpets fitted that we found we needed more cables which we had to fit In further ducting above the skirting boards. I am still doing work on fitting skylights for internal bathrooms etc and have the same problem of putting tools away (and then finding them again the next morning!)

About half a mile from our apartment, on the more expensive side of an adjoining woodland, a very large traditional house has recently been demolished and replaced with a modernistic house looking very much like yours Jeff! It has full height windows with a spectacular view across Liverpool Bay right along the North Wales coast. It's in a rural suburb originally full of 19th century merchant and shipowner retreats...... now gradually the big houses are being occupied by over-paid football players. 

Graham