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Thanks to Arhaus for sending me these products to review! All opinions are my own.
I've been loving the idea of cozy minimalism lately. It's not about paring your belongings down to the most sparse essentials (only one fork per person!). It's also not adopting some ultra modern style with no pillows or books. It's simply getting rid of the needless clutter that adds visual noise, so your home still feels like you, but with less individual items. One trick is to decorate with one or two large, beautiful items that you love, instead of a bunch of smaller items (especially if they're just random things you picked up from thrift stores). I've been going through and doing this in our home, and it really works. My house feels less busy and cluttered, and the decor looks so much more intentional and impactful.
Exhibit A: I've never been able to get my mantel to feel "right." I've tried so many combinations of small tchotchkes grouped together, but it's always looked messy. I finally cleared away all the random little things, and replaced them with a gorgeous tall vase from Arhaus. I added some fall branches clipped from our yard and a vase of dried wheat. On the other side, I stacked some pumpkins and placed another vase with dried billy balls. It's just right: simple and uncluttered, but still cozy and homey.
I did the same thing with our dining table. Instead of a bunch of candles or a grouping of little items, I put one huge chunky vase in the middle, stuffed with eucalyptus. It looks so much more substantial and high-end to me. And bonus, there's less items to arrange "just so" which makes it easy to maintain!
You may also notice that I changed our dining room! I mentioned my plans in this post, waaaay back in February. Seven months later, we finally got the black Windsor chairs and moved our dining room to the back half of the living room. Here, you can see how it all fits together. We're still planning to order a round table for our breakfast nook this month, and fingers crossed that it will be a keeper (you can see the first table we tried in this post). When everything is in place, I'll do a final update on our dining room situation. But I would say this room is 90% done! It finally feels RIGHT, hooray!
As for the "cozy minimalist" decorating trick...I'm doing the same thing with every surface in our house that tends to collect junk: nightstands, bookshelves, cabinets, kitchen counters, you name it. And you guys, it feels SO GOOD! Try it in your home! Clear away all the decorative clutter, leaving your surfaces clean and open. Then add in one large item, like a beautiful vase or lamp or sculpture (make sure it's a good size that fills the space well). If you feel like that's not enough, try adding one or two other items. On the bed, you could do one long lumbar pillow instead of a gazillion smaller decorative pillows. On the wall, maybe one large piece of art instead of a gallery wall that never looked quite right. You don't have to get rid of every collection of small items, but if there's an area that's always bugged you because it looked too busy, then it's the perfect candidate for this.
The nice thing about decorating with less stuff, is that you can get better stuff. If you're only buying one or two new things each season instead of fifteen little things, you can stay on budget without stocking up at Target and Ikea (nothing against those stores, it's just good to have other options so your home has a mix of high and low!). I totally recommend Arhaus for gorgeous decor that's substantial, excellent quality, high end, and still attainably priced. Some of my favorite items are below, and of course a pumpkin or some tall leafy branches work well for fall too!
Sources: 1. Circle Pillar Holder - $119 / 2. Eva Round Vase - $99 / 3. Paloma Vase - $19 / 4. Amador Vase - $99 / 5. Amelie Mirror - $399 / 6. Eva Tall Vase - $69 / 7. Charcoal-Embroidered Lumbar Pillow - $69 / Botanical Fern Print (20 x 40) - $129 / 6. Bezier Gold Lamp - $159
Let me know what you think! Does "cozy minimalism" resonate with you? Have you decorated for fall this year? What do you think of the new dining room arrangement? And have you ever shopped at Arhaus? I'd love to hear from you.
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Love the dining table...where can I find it??
Thank you! It's from Home Decorators Collection many years ago. I'm not sure if they still sell it! If you can find it I definitely recommend it...it's an awesome table that's held up super well and extends to fit 12!
I am also looking for modern black windsor dining chairs. Where did you order yours from? I love them!
Love it! Where is your table from? I didn’t see a link :)
Where is ur amazing herringbone patterned dining table
from?
thanks!!🙏