What do you think?
Rate this book
New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living
The decluttering craze meets a passion for sustainable living and interior design in this gorgeous new book for readers of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
This book promises an opportunity for self-reflection and lasting change, by getting to the bottom of why we've accumulated too much stuff in the first place, therefore allowing us to transform our lives. Professional decluttering and design team Cary and Kyle of New Minimalism will take you through every step, from assessing your emotional relationship to your stuff to decluttering your home to then turning it into a beautifully designed space that feels clean and tidy without feeling sparse or prescriptive. And all of this without filling up a landfill--you'll find resources and strategies to donate and reuse your stuff so you don't have to feel guilty about getting rid of it!
This book promises an opportunity for self-reflection and lasting change, by getting to the bottom of why we've accumulated too much stuff in the first place, therefore allowing us to transform our lives. Professional decluttering and design team Cary and Kyle of New Minimalism will take you through every step, from assessing your emotional relationship to your stuff to decluttering your home to then turning it into a beautifully designed space that feels clean and tidy without feeling sparse or prescriptive. And all of this without filling up a landfill--you'll find resources and strategies to donate and reuse your stuff so you don't have to feel guilty about getting rid of it!
207 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2018
244 people are currently reading
1747 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
February 18, 2018
I confess I will never have a drawer with just 6 items in it, except when my husband has taken the other 30+ items out and left them all over the counter.
June 17, 2018
This book provides a balanced and helpful take on minimalism. Rather than encouraging readers to eschew things entirely, this book emphasizes self-understanding and practical tools to determine what "enough" is for your lifestyle. One thing I prefer about this book in comparison to others is that it directly addresses the history of consumerism and how personality differences affect people's relationships with their tools, toys, and memorabilia. This makes it much easier for a reader to understand why clutter reflects disordered priorities, and encourages them in how they can work with their tendencies and preferences to discard clutter while still maintaining and enjoying the things that enhance their lives.
In addition to offering decluttering guidelines, this book also contains a section on interior decorating. I found both helpful, and appreciate how thorough, inclusive, and applicable the book is. Instead of trying to impose a particular organization system, it gives readers the ideas, encouragement, and practical advice necessary to make good choices about their stuff. I have already implemented some of the authors' advice, and will recommend this book to others.
In addition to offering decluttering guidelines, this book also contains a section on interior decorating. I found both helpful, and appreciate how thorough, inclusive, and applicable the book is. Instead of trying to impose a particular organization system, it gives readers the ideas, encouragement, and practical advice necessary to make good choices about their stuff. I have already implemented some of the authors' advice, and will recommend this book to others.
March 19, 2018
PHEW, what a read. Since starting this book, I've already implemented a few decluttering tips, specifically in my wardrobe and home office/paper items. I still have a ways to go, but I feel like I have the tips and tools at my disposable to make it happen and change by mindset from a consumable one to a more purposeful one.
December 1, 2020
This book is all about the idea that you can’t buy your happiness.
New Minimalism is the philosophy that your time is better spent experiencing life with people than it is spent looking for, managing, organizing, cleaning, and purchasing and (subsequently returning) things.
It’s about being conscious of our consumer-based lifestyle and the weight and heaviness associated with all this “stuff”. It’s something I’ve been personally experiencing this year as I enter retirement and feel somewhat burdened by all my “stuff”. So I purchased this eBook through BookBub as a way to help me unclutter my home.
New minimalism is a middle path between traditional minimalism and over-top consumerism.
This book is about finding your own wonderful unique middle path. It’s about keeping just the right amount that is right for you at this time in your life. Decluttering and redesigning your home. Cultivating a simpler life. It’s also a form of environmental activism.
You also choose to buy less. You focus on purchasing quality and long-lasting goods
Decluttering is about separating your identity from your things. Releasing who we think we should be and embracing the fullest, truest, most loving version of who we actually are.
It’s about being conscious of how advertising triggers our reptilian brain and makes us feel that we are lacking something. Question everything you buy. Ask: Can I live without this? Will this really bring me happiness?
After you have decluttered a good rule to follow is: one item in, one item out.
The authors of the book have found that people who have recently undergone a major life transition or those who experienced a deep shift from what used to be to what is now tend to have the clearest vision of what is important in life. Stuff is worth little, if anything at all, when we are stripped bare in front of life’s big events.
The first question they ask a new client is “Why? Why are you choosing to do this? Why is now the right time to take on a complete decluttering project? Why do you think you haven’t been able to do this on your own? Why is this so important to you?”
Often the answer is that when they walk in the door of their home they want to feel relaxed, , peaceful, calm, rejuvenated, grounded, inspired, energized, balanced, creative, etc.
These questions of how you now feel and how you want to feel is motivation for deciding what to keep or take out of your home.
Often, we hang on to items because: “I might need that” or “this cost a lot” or “one day I’ll have the time to finish the project.” But this is often based on fear and you cannot create a calming inspired home from a place of fear.
They also remind us that our memories and experiences are separate from our possessions. When deciding to part with an item of sentimental value, take a moment to “bless and release” it. And to start “collecting memories, not things”.
Do you need it right now? The idea of keeping something “just in case.” Using phrases like: “I might” or “I could”.
They remind us to leave space for yourself to grow. For whenever we hold on to items “just in case,” we’re locking our future self into a certain way of being. When you hold onto old items “just in case,” you’re committed to staying in place—to having those exact same interests, living in the past.
When you let go of those items you are giving yourself permission to be flexible, to grow and change.
Any project that is incomplete is telling you something: either it is not a priority or you are being unrealistic with your time.
This book is an easy read and gives lots of helpful hints on decluttering all areas of your house.
So, if you want to become more mindful of how full your home is or you’re looking for some help in the process of decluttering and redesigning your home this book might be just what you need.
New Minimalism is the philosophy that your time is better spent experiencing life with people than it is spent looking for, managing, organizing, cleaning, and purchasing and (subsequently returning) things.
It’s about being conscious of our consumer-based lifestyle and the weight and heaviness associated with all this “stuff”. It’s something I’ve been personally experiencing this year as I enter retirement and feel somewhat burdened by all my “stuff”. So I purchased this eBook through BookBub as a way to help me unclutter my home.
New minimalism is a middle path between traditional minimalism and over-top consumerism.
This book is about finding your own wonderful unique middle path. It’s about keeping just the right amount that is right for you at this time in your life. Decluttering and redesigning your home. Cultivating a simpler life. It’s also a form of environmental activism.
You also choose to buy less. You focus on purchasing quality and long-lasting goods
Decluttering is about separating your identity from your things. Releasing who we think we should be and embracing the fullest, truest, most loving version of who we actually are.
It’s about being conscious of how advertising triggers our reptilian brain and makes us feel that we are lacking something. Question everything you buy. Ask: Can I live without this? Will this really bring me happiness?
After you have decluttered a good rule to follow is: one item in, one item out.
The authors of the book have found that people who have recently undergone a major life transition or those who experienced a deep shift from what used to be to what is now tend to have the clearest vision of what is important in life. Stuff is worth little, if anything at all, when we are stripped bare in front of life’s big events.
The first question they ask a new client is “Why? Why are you choosing to do this? Why is now the right time to take on a complete decluttering project? Why do you think you haven’t been able to do this on your own? Why is this so important to you?”
Often the answer is that when they walk in the door of their home they want to feel relaxed, , peaceful, calm, rejuvenated, grounded, inspired, energized, balanced, creative, etc.
These questions of how you now feel and how you want to feel is motivation for deciding what to keep or take out of your home.
Often, we hang on to items because: “I might need that” or “this cost a lot” or “one day I’ll have the time to finish the project.” But this is often based on fear and you cannot create a calming inspired home from a place of fear.
They also remind us that our memories and experiences are separate from our possessions. When deciding to part with an item of sentimental value, take a moment to “bless and release” it. And to start “collecting memories, not things”.
Do you need it right now? The idea of keeping something “just in case.” Using phrases like: “I might” or “I could”.
They remind us to leave space for yourself to grow. For whenever we hold on to items “just in case,” we’re locking our future self into a certain way of being. When you hold onto old items “just in case,” you’re committed to staying in place—to having those exact same interests, living in the past.
When you let go of those items you are giving yourself permission to be flexible, to grow and change.
Any project that is incomplete is telling you something: either it is not a priority or you are being unrealistic with your time.
This book is an easy read and gives lots of helpful hints on decluttering all areas of your house.
So, if you want to become more mindful of how full your home is or you’re looking for some help in the process of decluttering and redesigning your home this book might be just what you need.
January 7, 2018
This book is well written.. and does inherently meet what it promises to bring forth. However the general language there within is relatively pompous and as such does influence the reader to disagree with the authors general argument.
February 3, 2022
Although I don’t consider myself a minimalist, i found this book informative. I like that it is not very extreme on minimalism, but still minimal enough to give you order in your life. I began decluttering my home two years ago. I have a continual “get rid of” pile going and donate it all about once a month. I love the feel of clean crisp space.
I don’t plan to do a complete purging of every room and drawer in my home, but this book gave me many ideas on continuing my journey to minimize my life and home. I like what was said in this book: - when we cultivate space and calm in our homes, we cultivate space and calm in our thoughts, our internal dialogue.
I don’t plan to do a complete purging of every room and drawer in my home, but this book gave me many ideas on continuing my journey to minimize my life and home. I like what was said in this book: - when we cultivate space and calm in our homes, we cultivate space and calm in our thoughts, our internal dialogue.
April 25, 2018
Not really groundbreaking and nothing that hasn't been said before. Stick with Marie Kondo.
August 28, 2019
3.5 stars, rounded up
Method: Americanized Marie Kondo (decluttering by entire categories, but minus Shinto background and specific recommendations for clothes folding)
Pluses:
- Not about paring down to arbitrary number of items, gets you thinking about a more personalized "what's enough for you"
- Encouragement to thoughtfully donate your castoffs rather than just "discard as efficiently as possible i.e. trash everything"
- More emphasis than Kondo on environmentalism/sustainability and future curbing of shopping
Minuses:
- Feng shui and "toxins" *eyeroll* - though feng shui was only a few off-hand mentions relating to under-bed storage
- Clients are all northern California hipster types, no one had resistant families
- Text tries to be mindful of different types of families (mentions children, etc) but photos are extremely bougie/standard upper-middle-class minimalist with white walls, single vases on nightstands, etc
Method: Americanized Marie Kondo (decluttering by entire categories, but minus Shinto background and specific recommendations for clothes folding)
Pluses:
- Not about paring down to arbitrary number of items, gets you thinking about a more personalized "what's enough for you"
- Encouragement to thoughtfully donate your castoffs rather than just "discard as efficiently as possible i.e. trash everything"
- More emphasis than Kondo on environmentalism/sustainability and future curbing of shopping
Minuses:
- Feng shui and "toxins" *eyeroll* - though feng shui was only a few off-hand mentions relating to under-bed storage
- Clients are all northern California hipster types, no one had resistant families
- Text tries to be mindful of different types of families (mentions children, etc) but photos are extremely bougie/standard upper-middle-class minimalist with white walls, single vases on nightstands, etc
January 29, 2020
This was a book that gave examples, explanations, and insight into new minimalism. The authors describe 4 archetypes and then explained how each one will reflect your attitude when decluttering certain portions of your space. The breakdown was clean and concise, flowed well, and wasn’t difficult to get through. Always a plus. They also have references on how to make your own cleaning products and resources for donating items. Very helpful book. I read this shortly after reading Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasaki and they paired together nicely. He provides a helpful list of items to declutter and theirs were approaches that best work with your archetype.
June 4, 2018
When the number of items in an area suits the space, you will find that organization simply emerges.
I can determine if each item stays or goes based on:
- the values I would like my home to support.
- how I want to feel in the space. For example, joyful, calm, inspired.
- do I want this in my life any longer?
The average Am. home contains 300,000 items.
Similar to a juice cleanse, decluttering is about resetting, perhaps experiencing the slight scarcity that we are programmed to be afraid of, and then finding balance again.
"Extra projects are constant reminders of all the things you should be doing but aren't. The constant pressure to be doing something else is not good for yr psyche nor is it good for focusing on the task at hand. We encourage you to take this opportunity to wipe the slate clean and remove all those half-
finished projects from your home, and from yr mind. Just imagine the feeling of freedom that will ensue."
Find the amount of stuff or obligations that is just right for you--meaning the amount that suits you, supports you and brings you joy. Useful and beloved items add to the joy and beauty of life. The key is to find a balance that is just right, where your home and things support the pursuit of your best life--nothing more, nothing less.
I can determine if each item stays or goes based on:
- the values I would like my home to support.
- how I want to feel in the space. For example, joyful, calm, inspired.
- do I want this in my life any longer?
The average Am. home contains 300,000 items.
Similar to a juice cleanse, decluttering is about resetting, perhaps experiencing the slight scarcity that we are programmed to be afraid of, and then finding balance again.
"Extra projects are constant reminders of all the things you should be doing but aren't. The constant pressure to be doing something else is not good for yr psyche nor is it good for focusing on the task at hand. We encourage you to take this opportunity to wipe the slate clean and remove all those half-
finished projects from your home, and from yr mind. Just imagine the feeling of freedom that will ensue."
Find the amount of stuff or obligations that is just right for you--meaning the amount that suits you, supports you and brings you joy. Useful and beloved items add to the joy and beauty of life. The key is to find a balance that is just right, where your home and things support the pursuit of your best life--nothing more, nothing less.
February 14, 2019
Vague and conflicting advice. 'Don't let your stuff identify you' vs 'make these mindful choices so your stuff represents you.' And 'Clean is good, sterile is bad' next to a photo of a bathroom squeaky clean and shiny white. Photos have lots of throw pillows and weird art.
I guess the thing is that these books tend to be written by ppl who have started from big problems and they're aimed at, as my husband said, the low-hanging fruit. It's easy for this team to tell a client to discard expired medicines and dusty catalogs, not so easy for them to find any way to help someone like me.
But still, this is another one I just cannot recommend, even to beginners.
I guess the thing is that these books tend to be written by ppl who have started from big problems and they're aimed at, as my husband said, the low-hanging fruit. It's easy for this team to tell a client to discard expired medicines and dusty catalogs, not so easy for them to find any way to help someone like me.
But still, this is another one I just cannot recommend, even to beginners.
January 28, 2018
I appreciated the measured simplicity of this book in its content and presentation. Having moved recently, many of the decluttering, purging, and donating strategies were fresh in my practices and yet in establishing a new home, it is nice to be reminded of how to design and live in an intentional way. When often you can skim this type of text, I read it carefully and enjoyed it cover to cover.
February 25, 2018
The strategies touted in this book follow closely what you find in the Kondo books, but the ways they implement them are more practical. This takes into account that most of us live with other people and pets. There is also an emphasis on environmental concerns and intentionality. The last chapter also has a lot of great design advice, and the book overall has some beautiful photos.
March 10, 2018
'Your external space affects your internal state of mind', an inspiring take on conquering clutter,reorganizing, starting afresh and light, with emphasis on recycling, reusing and donating and thus reducing the environmental footprint. Thanks Sachlene for the recommendation, appreciate it and sincerely hope it will make all the difference in my home and life.
January 3, 2018
What a truly awful and sterile way to live!
January 28, 2024
Meh. Nothing novel or inventive here. If you bought this book, I’d recommend discarding it with the rest of the clutter you’re getting rid of.
August 20, 2018
This book about decluttering and design truly helped me as I got ready to move. I appreciated both their philosophy of stuff (don’t keep things that aren’t truly useful or bringing you pleasure; maintain your things so they’re easy to access) and their practical tips for how to go about decluttering (put like items together; choose your favorite 5 before you start going through things). I will never believe that keeping stuff under your bed is bad for your sex life, but overall I am a big fan of the approach these women advocate.
February 11, 2019
I was highly frustrated when reading Marie Kondo's book about tidying up. As someone who already lives with very little, it felt condescending, or potentially just childish as it was all very simple.
This book's strength is where Kondo's fail. It offers more thoughts on how to create, design, and live more intentionally in your home (none of that thanking socks as you fold them...) in a more realistic and understandable way. It gives tips on how to create more organic and sustainable every day practice, like cleaning or even thrifting to acquire some goods. It is more holistic about the whole aspect of the home and making the best of it. Will definitely buy as a guide for future and highly recommend it!
*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
This book's strength is where Kondo's fail. It offers more thoughts on how to create, design, and live more intentionally in your home (none of that thanking socks as you fold them...) in a more realistic and understandable way. It gives tips on how to create more organic and sustainable every day practice, like cleaning or even thrifting to acquire some goods. It is more holistic about the whole aspect of the home and making the best of it. Will definitely buy as a guide for future and highly recommend it!
*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
May 21, 2018
sound advice to me, but then you are preaching to the choir...now if i could only help the others in my house to understand the peace that does come from minimalism...but what to do when your husband is a frugal, practical sentimentalist...
February 27, 2019
This book is pretty much my philosophy on stuff and how to declutter. I liked the idea of archetypes, that everyone fits into a category in how they approach stuff that can be good and bad. It’s a little Kondo like, but instead of focusing on joy they help people decide what is enough of certain categories for their home and lifestyle. I also love the idea that a drawer is too full if you can’t close it with one hand.
Full review is here: https://minimalistcrafter.com/konmari...
Full review is here: https://minimalistcrafter.com/konmari...
January 27, 2025
”Lagom is the luxurious, independently determined, optimistic version of ”enough”. It’s softer, more fluid. It’s one’s personal best fit.”
August 1, 2022
Buying more stuff will not bring you happiness. Find your own definition of "enough." Conscientious living and purchasing brings peace of mind and is good for the environment.
March 19, 2024
Частина книги - це те що, я років із десять тому вичитала у Марі Кондо. Тобто контент не відрізняється різноманітністю. А те що пропонують авторки книги не зацікавило. Деякі рішення взагалі для мене дивні і не зручні. До прикладу, тут пропонують не прибирати шафу з одягом як окрему одиницю, а принести весь одяг, взуття і аксесуари в одну купу і розгрібати все одразу.
February 21, 2018
Strikes a good balance between stark minimalism and clutter. The authors aim for "just the right amount" so that your home isn't overfull, yet still looks like someone with a personality lives there.
I did have trouble identifying with the authors and with the clients they use as case studies. They were all a little too "California hipster" for me, and a number of the resources they tout, such as municipal composting, are not available in my area.
Still, this is a decent source of inspiration for paring down to a relaxing and livable space without making your home look like an operating theater.
I did have trouble identifying with the authors and with the clients they use as case studies. They were all a little too "California hipster" for me, and a number of the resources they tout, such as municipal composting, are not available in my area.
Still, this is a decent source of inspiration for paring down to a relaxing and livable space without making your home look like an operating theater.
February 15, 2021
nicely designed book, not sure that the content was particularly insightful for me,
seems to want to systematize everything, and did get a bit repetitive
seems to want to systematize everything, and did get a bit repetitive
July 17, 2019
I really love this book! The NEW MINIMALISM: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living by Cary Telander Fortin and Kyle Louise Quilici is, first off, simply beautiful to look at, with a lovely design and photos that capture the essence of minimalism. I found I breathed more easily as I went further and further into the book. I could imagine myself sitting in the living room or at the dining table shown in the photos because of the warm inviting ambience. I also like how the authors describe coming to a place of adopting this way of life and how they met at a yoga retreat, where they realized how sympatico their ideas were, especially at a time when minimalism was not as big a movement. And I appreciate how they work with clients, the process they lay out in this ever helpful guide, which is to focus on what you do want in your life and what is important to you, then to create a personal space that supports your deepest desires and values. 5/5
Thanks to Sasquatch Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
Pub Date 02 Jan 2018
#NewMinimalism #NetGalley
Thanks to Sasquatch Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
Pub Date 02 Jan 2018
#NewMinimalism #NetGalley
May 17, 2020
This is pretty much a ripoff of Marie Kondo while trying to frame the ideas as their own as "New Minimalism."
It calls out the idea of "sparking joy" but then goes on to talk about thanking objects before letting them go, along with tidying by category.
Obviously a lot of books and writing aren't totally original and draw on other inspiration, which is totally fine! Repackaging ideas in ways that are useful for different audiences -- in this case Americans who are allergic to animism -- is absolutely valuable.
But it's not ok to do so without citing that inspiration, low key calling it out, and then trying to capitalize off of it as your own, which this book aims to do.
It calls out the idea of "sparking joy" but then goes on to talk about thanking objects before letting them go, along with tidying by category.
Obviously a lot of books and writing aren't totally original and draw on other inspiration, which is totally fine! Repackaging ideas in ways that are useful for different audiences -- in this case Americans who are allergic to animism -- is absolutely valuable.
But it's not ok to do so without citing that inspiration, low key calling it out, and then trying to capitalize off of it as your own, which this book aims to do.
April 20, 2018
The perfect little guide to declutter, tidy up, and design our spaces! Absolutely recommend it to anyone looking to add minimalism principles. Similiar to the Kon Mari books, but more practical and easier to implement. Makes me want to declutter my already minimalist home again!
August 13, 2018
So so good! Everyone needs to give this a pass to consider how they are living. I'm in awe of the clarity that comes with decluttering and purging.
May 9, 2025
This book made me so angry I created a goodreads to leave a bad review, if that's any indication.
I was skeptical of this book at first, with its high-res photos of some of the ugliest and most coldy uninviting rooms I've ever seen. I like minimalism and this was still a little too much for me. Perfectly styled seas of blown-out white walls that even the professional photographer couldn't adjust his camera to intake adequately. When i turned to the kitchen showcase and it featured a drawer with with 6 items in it all floating aimlessly in cheap pale wood, I laughed out loud. No one who cooks uses this kitchen, I thought. It's the culinary equivalent of a carpeted bathroom with an empty medicine cabinet.
The kids room nearly broke me. It looked like a padded cell in a mental hospital. If I was a child growing up here, I would enter adulthood forking over all my saved money not spent on "consumerism" on therapy, describing through tears shuffling around the same snow globe and three wooden blocks between corners of a fluorescent room.
But this is pretty typical of the genre, though worse than most. What enraged me enough to leave a review was as I was actually turning through and reading the book, something bothered me - it was incredibly familiar. Apart from the added "woo" of assigning personality types and trotting out pseudoscience about one's "lizard brain," it felt like I'd read this book before. The only organizing book I'd read more than once was Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, so this was weird to me.
I paused in the middle of reading, located my copy of it, and compared the two. Sure enough, the "method" in new minimalism was mostly just a stripped down version of Kondo's, with less of the personal touch and with a lot of clickbait bs added. It was surreal, I'm suprised Kondo hasn't sued for copyright infringement, but I suppose you can't really copyright a "method." It's just incredibly dishonest. The fact that the authors of New Minimalism are two West Coast white women leaves a sour taste in my mouth, especially since they take a potshot at Kondo's method right in the middle of the book, the page after I stopped! They criticize her "sparks joy" technique specifically - the one thing they didnt crib for New Minimalism - after assuring the reader they aren't going to override your autonomy...by telling the reader most people don't REALLY know what they want. I guess it makes sense, since Kondo is all about creating a space you like and theyre all about Minimalism.
News Flash: most people don't want minimalism, they just hate cleaning. If the average person had to try and have kids with a living room filled with nothing but a tiny rug and a pale grey couch for two floating in the center of a room they'd scream. You should not have to convince your audience that they crave a space that looks like your 2001 Space Odessy Ikea showroom.
The authors are a psychology major and a design major who make money selling you an lifestyle most people will never achieve and probably wouldn't be happy with anyway, and they're perfectly fine "borrowing" some tips and tricks from Kondo without understanding why she connected with people in the first place. I might complete the book for a laugh, but right now I'm too angry to even look at the fricking thing. If you want a guide to creating a house filled with rooms and furnishings as white as the authors, go right ahead. Otherwise, skip this one.
I was skeptical of this book at first, with its high-res photos of some of the ugliest and most coldy uninviting rooms I've ever seen. I like minimalism and this was still a little too much for me. Perfectly styled seas of blown-out white walls that even the professional photographer couldn't adjust his camera to intake adequately. When i turned to the kitchen showcase and it featured a drawer with with 6 items in it all floating aimlessly in cheap pale wood, I laughed out loud. No one who cooks uses this kitchen, I thought. It's the culinary equivalent of a carpeted bathroom with an empty medicine cabinet.
The kids room nearly broke me. It looked like a padded cell in a mental hospital. If I was a child growing up here, I would enter adulthood forking over all my saved money not spent on "consumerism" on therapy, describing through tears shuffling around the same snow globe and three wooden blocks between corners of a fluorescent room.
But this is pretty typical of the genre, though worse than most. What enraged me enough to leave a review was as I was actually turning through and reading the book, something bothered me - it was incredibly familiar. Apart from the added "woo" of assigning personality types and trotting out pseudoscience about one's "lizard brain," it felt like I'd read this book before. The only organizing book I'd read more than once was Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, so this was weird to me.
I paused in the middle of reading, located my copy of it, and compared the two. Sure enough, the "method" in new minimalism was mostly just a stripped down version of Kondo's, with less of the personal touch and with a lot of clickbait bs added. It was surreal, I'm suprised Kondo hasn't sued for copyright infringement, but I suppose you can't really copyright a "method." It's just incredibly dishonest. The fact that the authors of New Minimalism are two West Coast white women leaves a sour taste in my mouth, especially since they take a potshot at Kondo's method right in the middle of the book, the page after I stopped! They criticize her "sparks joy" technique specifically - the one thing they didnt crib for New Minimalism - after assuring the reader they aren't going to override your autonomy...by telling the reader most people don't REALLY know what they want. I guess it makes sense, since Kondo is all about creating a space you like and theyre all about Minimalism.
News Flash: most people don't want minimalism, they just hate cleaning. If the average person had to try and have kids with a living room filled with nothing but a tiny rug and a pale grey couch for two floating in the center of a room they'd scream. You should not have to convince your audience that they crave a space that looks like your 2001 Space Odessy Ikea showroom.
The authors are a psychology major and a design major who make money selling you an lifestyle most people will never achieve and probably wouldn't be happy with anyway, and they're perfectly fine "borrowing" some tips and tricks from Kondo without understanding why she connected with people in the first place. I might complete the book for a laugh, but right now I'm too angry to even look at the fricking thing. If you want a guide to creating a house filled with rooms and furnishings as white as the authors, go right ahead. Otherwise, skip this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews