To think that a minimalist home means the person has minimal emotional baggage and unresolved issues, so they don’t need lots of stuff with emotional attachments?

[WryJadeWren]

Inspired by the other thread…

I believe a minimalist living space reflects someone with a clear mind and emotional clarity, someone who’s worked through their issues and doesn’t feel the need to hold on to material possessions for sentimental reasons. On the other hand, people who live in clutter or are hoarders are often holding onto things because of unresolved emotions or relationships. They tie meaning to their possessions as a way of keeping hold of the past and often struggle with letting go due to emotional or mental exhaustion. It seems like clutter is more about emotional baggage than about a lack of meaningful connections.

Lots of hoarders keep new stuff, not just stuff with sentimental attachment.
The hoarder I know actively acquires new stuff. If he gets a new hobby he buys ALL the kit anyone could possibly need for the job, then never actually does the hobby. He starts/doesn't start a new hobby every six months. He has 6 sheds in his garden that you could not fit another wafer thin mint in.

@WryJadeWren I see the extremes and everything in between. If you feel comfortable in your space and can afford to be warm/cool enough then it's the right place for you in my book.
I find peoples 'stuff' very useful as I need to make a connection quickly, so I read room's, minimalist's rooms are harder to read

My life is hard in many ways and for many reasons. My living space cannot be cluttered, or I cannot function or relax.

I know two minimalists both had terrible relationships with their parents (one abusive, one neglected/boarding school type).

Any sort of extreme tends to highlight issues

You clearly never met my grandma.

never seen a more minimalist house.
she was incredibly anxious.

There's a balance IMO. Too much tat and clutter is chaotic and nothing around looks unlived in and soulless.

Nope.

I see homes filled with books, antiques, art and beauty (not ‘clutter’ or mess) in the homes of some of the most interesting, intelligent and characterful people I have ever met.

Mine is just a mess! That’s a whole different conversation!

To add…

Homes like that tell a story of the people who live there. What brings them joy. Tales of travel and fun and a life well-lived.

This.

I’m the same. No psychological issues re possessions. I just don’t like clutter & mess, that’s all. Also, I have zero interest in interior decor so I’m not interested in buying & filling my home with unnecessary stuff for aesthetic reasons.

I was born in the 1950s. We weren't poverty stricken but we didn't have much money to spare. So we were brought up as my parents had been , not to throw stuff away " because it might come in useful".

And similarly we treasured any thing nice that we were given or the family bought because it was special to us.

And the habits of my childhood have stayed with me to a great extent.So I have a lot of stuff. It's either useful, potentially useful, or it's treasured.

But I'm also very meticulous about tidiness and everything in it's place.

I respect other people's taste and right to live in a minimalist home. But I find such environments boring and characterless.

What an odd idea. I neither live in minimalism or clutter, but I do subscribe to the idea that everything in your home should be useful or promote joy. I also like pattern and colour. Some people think my home is a lot. I think it makes me happy which is what is important to me.

I think it’s only your opinion and isn’t necessarily true. I actually might think for example that someone who has anxiety about having lots of items has terrible associations about objects being strongly linked to their identity or value; so they choose to have no possessions!
Equally someone who has lots of possessions might be really happy in their own identity and life path and just enjoy all the things they surround themselves with…

So actually I thought your strong thoughts on the matter say quite a lot about you & your areas of anxiety!

I think it’s only your opinion and isn’t necessarily true. I actually might think for example that someone who has anxiety about having lots of items has terrible associations about objects being strongly linked to their identity or value; so they choose to have no possessions!
Equally someone who has lots of possessions might be really happy in their own identity and life path and just enjoy all the things they surround themselves with…

So actually I thought your strong thoughts on the matter say quite a lot about you & your areas of anxiety!

^This!

There’s a big gulf between the spectrum of average people who like their homes quite minimal, and average people who like stuff and a more “busy/cosy” look to their homes; and the extremes, which are both probably not that normal.

I tend to like quite minimalist environments, and love looking at some white box John Pawson-style decor in a magazine; but in reality living like that would require quite an extreme, ascetic or OCD personality. I’d like a bit more of my things around me than that - books, art, a few nice objets and so on!

There’s also a big difference between a bit cluttered, and hoarding behaviour. IMO the kind of houses you see on, say, Sort Your Life Out are often clutter, but not genuine hoarding, which is a serious psychological problem.

The extremes both seem to me to be linked to psychological and emotional issues. Whereas the spectrum in the middle is just normal levels of preference in decor and living style — these are also heavily inflected by income, social class, stage and age of family and kids, physical health vs disability, and so on; but don’t seem especially significant to me in terms of emotional adjustment per se.

I don’t agree. I am an obsessive declutterer. I would have a very minimalist living space if it weren’t for the fact I share it with two teenagers, a husband, two cats and a dog, none of whom share my vision for a clutter-free space. But if I ever end up living alone, I will be keeping my space very minimalist. This is not in any way because I have worked through my issues- I am as messed up as the next person. Clutter makes me anxious. When I have my lunch, I often clean the kitchen first (after the teens have been making toast and not adequately cleared up after themselves) because I can’t relax and enjoy a meal if I am distracted by mess. In fact if I am going to sit down or relax in a room, I very often tidy and clean it first. I don’t think that is a particularly normal or neurotypical way to be 😬😂

Overly minimalist always gives me the creeps. However beautiful the house, if it looks and feels like a show home I always assume it's owned by a control freak and no one is allowed to breathe there.

I love homes that have a bit of current, relevant clutter: seeds sprouting in pots on the window sills, books that are currently being read left lying around, maybe the evidence of an art or craft project in a corner somewhere, fresh baking cooling on a rack, cats or dogs curled up in the corner, muddy boots in the porch, musical instruments on display, sports equipment in the hall, slightly dog-eared but well loved artwork or Lego creations by DC on display. To me, these suggest a happy, busy life. The houses that most give me the creeps are ones where there are children but no sign of toys or children's art work anywhere. As if childhood itself is too messy to be tolerated.

I find minimalist homes so soulless. A bland plant, a bland print on the wall etc. I like more bohemian hones when you can the personality of the inhabitants in the belongings.

In minimalistic I guess. I don't hoard clutter. I don't have tons of stuff but I have enough to keep my cupboards semi full? I don't have baggage but I do have major OCD!

I live in clutter because I have 7yr old twins and don’t have time to declutter!

I’d say the opposite is true.

I am a minimalist (less so now I have a family, but still constantly getting rid of things we no longer need & attempting to stem the tide of grandparents' plastic offerings). I think it stems from neurodiversity to be completely honest. I hate being in places that are too colourful, cluttered, dusty etc. Literally makes me have a panic attack! I need organisation and tidyness to feel calm.

Same. I can't cook without cleaning the kitchen, or bathe without cleaning the bathroom! Desk must be tidy in order to work etc. etc.

I end up with lots of things because I either think they’re useful and I value convenience/preparedness, or because I like the way things look and to decorate.

But I also have a chaotic mind so idk! Maybe there’s some kind of correlation there.

No, the minimalist houses I know of - well one is a mindfulness expert so you may have a point, but there are control issues

The other is ex military and I think learned about keeping things ship shape there, came from a childhood of hoarding