Subtraction

One of the drawbacks of living in a little space is that sometimes you start to feel overwhelmed with “stuff.” I love having a small space (less to clean! cozy!), but I find so many decor items that I love through mediums such as blogging, magazines, Pinterest, etc-and unfortunately there just isn’t space for all of the items I discover and want! Sometimes I have to force myself to stop decorating, because ultimately, less is more-and it’s better to have space to b-r-e-a-t-h-e. It doesn’t seem like much, but here are a few very small subtractions I’ve made recently that have made a BIG difference to the way my apartment feels. It’s just like a breath of fresh air.
I happened to read somewhere that the more of a space’s floor you can see, the bigger it feels, so I decided to do away with a few area rugs.
Bye-bye, rug. But I’ll NEVER do away with my striped Dwell runner! Never!
I had another one of these rugs by my vanity (sometimes I go crazy over things and it’s like, I must get it in multiple colors!):
I removed the rug, the garbage pail which I never used, and the wall hooks with the necklaces.
Every time I glance over there now, it just feels so much more light and spacious.
Next I subtracted a few pillows:
Bye-bye, Euro shams:
Much better! It was ridiculous having 6 pillows (four is much more reasonable, right? Even though I only actually use one…) This looks simpler, lighter, cleaner. Sometimes it’s the littlest changes that make the biggest impact.
Have you made any subtractions recently? (Or any fabulous additions?)

Leave a Comment

  1. I think all of your changes are for the better! I have to do this myself {and keep myself from buying another picture frame…way too many of those}. Currently working on our dining room and subtractions were key in there!

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  2. I love all of the changes girl (and the kitchen cabinets aren't even that bad!). I'm so glad you kept your dwell runner though. It's perfect.
    Tiffany
    thedesignerlifestyle.blogspot.com

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  3. I love doing this in my apartment too. I too feel like I have just too much stuff.
    and your so right … it does make such a difference to edit every once in a while.
    Your place looks great!

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  4. It is seriously amazing how much the space changed from just removing a few simple things. It looks great love!

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  5. Leslie wrote:

    I love your changes to make your space look a bit lighter. I definitely struggle with all of our belongings in a relatively small space.

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  6. Viviana wrote:

    You have a lovely apartment!! The changes you made really made a difference 🙂

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  7. I love the changes! And my favorite things were your bed (loooove that headboard) and the striped rug! Your apartment is so cute!

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  8. Victoria wrote:

    Awesome suggestions! You are inspiring me to go subtract a few things from my apartment! I do love that stripped runner though, never get rid of it!

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  9. I definitely feel overwhelmed with stuff in our apartment sometimes, but I LOVE purging things I don't need. Maybe it's time to give everything another once over to see what I can remove for more space!

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  10. I love the ways you scaled down. They definitely added a lot to the overall clean vibe! It all looks great!

    Published 3.1.12 · Reply
  11. Lisa Marie wrote:

    Love it. Love your style. Such an uber cute apartment!!

    Published 3.2.12 · Reply
  12. Aida wrote:

    My dear,
    I found your blog by chance, while peeking others and I decided to check it out! I’m glad I did it, because I am really delighted with yours. It's beautiful, well structured, interesting… and it has completely got me hooked. I think we're going to get along just fine! 😉
    I'd like to invite you to follow each other. I’d be very pleased.
    I wish you lots of success and will surely come back often
    kisses

    http://cottoncandy-peaches@blogspot.com/

    Published 3.2.12 · Reply
  13. Karla wrote:

    I actually just removed 2 pillows from my bed as well!.. it feels good!
    I love how your vanity turned!
    Recently I started a 100 things de-clutter and there I got rid of a lot of stuff!
    Love your new blog design!!
    have a wonderful weekend!

    Published 3.3.12 · Reply
  14. Mae wrote:

    I love this idea! it's wonderful, you've inspired me to do the same. and your home is just lovely!
    xx

    Published 3.3.12 · Reply
  15. Laura wrote:

    I love your apartment and I completely agree – I love when a space feels clutter free! 🙂

    Published 3.3.12 · Reply
  16. Dorothy wrote:

    Love the changes, it looks larger, brighter and very pretty as always.

    Published 3.5.12 · Reply
  17. The changes look great!

    Published 3.5.12 · Reply
  18. Love the updates you made! It's funny how tiny little changes make such a huge difference!! And having the eye to decipher that takes major talent! 🙂

    Published 3.9.12 · Reply
  19. things are looking SO great here, Jackie!

    Published 7.26.12 · Reply
  20. Rachel Machen wrote:

    Love this post! I was just talking about doing the same thing to my apartment today. I'm dreading the editing process but know it must be done. Any suggestions of how to know whether something g should stay or go??

    Rachel
    http://pinkflamingostyle.blogspot.com

    Published 10.16.13 · Reply
  21. Thanks Rachel! I always enjoy the editing process because if I get rid of old stuff, I feel a little more justified in buying new stuff! (hah, that is probably bad). Anyway when I try to edit I just ask myself the two classic questions: Is this something useful? If yes, I need to keep it, if no, then I ask myself is it beautiful and/or something I LOVE (really LOVE). If the answer is no, it has to go! Sometimes it's easier said than done, but it feels great to unload stuff that I'm just sick of (like those rugs in this post). Also sometimes just removing a thing temporarily and seeing if the space looks better off without it can be a useful editing tool as well.

    Published 10.17.13 · Reply