Ready for some simple, minimalist organization ideas for the maximalist at heart? I’ve got you! Learn how to create a perfectly balanced minimalist home aesthetic for maximalists with these handy ideas!
Maximalists Craving Minimalism
While maximalists craving minimalism sounds like a huge oxymoron, it’s a real thing, you guys!
This may sound incredibly silly to most, but I love collecting, decorating, and displaying, and I also love clean and clear spaces.
All that said, at least half of my posts here on Life + Homeschool were written because I needed them just as much as you guys probably do.
This is one of those posts.
I crave simple, organized, functional spaces, but I also love growing my collection of themed and decorative items!
So, if finding a little minimalism in your maximalist lifestyle is what you need, stick with me, friend.
I’m on a mission to find that balance by utilizing a half-empty organization method and ditching what no longer serves a purpose in my current season.
Minimalist Organization Ideas
Before we jump in, though, I want you to know that these ideas likely aren’t for everybody — especially true minimalists.
So, if you stumbled upon this post hoping to find some amazing revelation that will help you finally become a minimalist, I totally apologize in advance because this is not that post.
However, if you are a stuff lover and want to minimize the appearance of said stuff while decluttering a little in the process, stick around!
These are what I like to call my top minimalist organization ideas for maximalists!
Respect Your Display Space
Before you can begin to create a more minimalist aesthetic in your home, you must first take a step back and truly acknowledge the amount of display space you have to work with.
Then, you must learn to respect that space.
Not sure how to respect your space?
Well, first, think about what that space needs to feel like or the purpose it needs to serve.
For example, when I was working on decluttering and half-emptying out my office nook, I knew that my bookcase needed to hold my craft stuff, my personal office supplies, and my favorite books.
Plus, it needed to function and look put together.
I used these picture ledges in my office nook to create display space for my pictures, seasonal items, and collections. These shelves are never overstuffed, and while not truly minimalistic, they are what I consider to be simple, homey, and put together.
This meant that I had to get rid of some things and relocate others.
The needs in your home are likely different than mine, but the process is still the same.
Next, you need to respect your space by being more selective in your collecting and strict with your purging and purchasing.
For example, I wanted to dedicate some of my office space to my Mandalorian collection.
However, I knew I had to be very selective in my purchases.
So, I grabbed a super functional and aesthetically pleasing wall shelf with very small cubbies.
This allowed me to maximize the number of items I added to my collection (meeting my shopping and collecting needs), while minimizing the size they take up (meeting my minimalist decluttering needs).
Not sure what I mean? Check it!
This shelf is probably a minimalist’s nightmare! However, to me, it’s a thing of beauty. This shelf holds a lot of my favorite things – from my collections to things my kids have given me.
Instead of purchasing full-sized Funko Pops and action figures, I leaned toward teeny tiny and mostly purchased Bitty Bops and LEGO mini figures instead!
Doing this not only made the maximalist-collector side of me happy, but it also left me with some empty space for seasonal decorations and possible future purchases!
Sure, I could own every awesome figurine and collectible out there, but I much prefer being selective, which allows my space to be cleaner and more functional.
Plus, in the end, it’s just stuff, you guys! I can’t take any of it with me when I leave this world, so do I really need to collect everything? Definitely not.
Swap Out Decorations
Sometimes, respecting your space means swapping out your decor on a regular basis.
For example, I have gotten to the point where I have too much LEGO to display at any given time.
So, I tend to build and display seasonally.
Then, I take the sets partially apart, storing them in storage pouches, and bring them out another time.
My botanicals come out for spring, winter villages for winter, and my Disney sets stay up over the summer.
All that said, I’m also currently obsessed with gnomes, and more recently, marshmallow mugs!
These items are slightly easier for me to swap out, as I purchased 2 interchangeable gnomes (one for my bedroom and one for my office nook), and their hats are the only thing I have to swap with each new season or holiday.
Same with the marshmallow mugs, you guys!
This is my new favorite thing! I’m going to have so much fun collecting new hats for these little guys.
While I love seasonal decor, you can easily do this with non-seasonal decor and collectibles as well.
For example, if you’re a huge action figure collector, you can swap out what items you display by schedule or with the seasons, even if they aren’t technically seasonal items.
Sure, maybe you own 300 action figures of the same character, but do they really all need to be displayed at the same time?
Probably not.
Try mixing up your display by bringing out a 1/4 of your collection at a time and swapping items with the seasons.
Not only can this keep the maximalist-collector side of you happy, but you can also enjoy a little bit of that minimalism you so desperately crave.
Plus, it truly can be a fun experience to redecorate time and time again, allowing each item to have its time to shine!
Have Dedicated Storage Space
While swapping items out is one of my favorite maximalist-minimalism hacks, you must have dedicated storage space to do so!
Having a dedicated storage area to store off-season items and decorations is a must.
All that said, your storage space does not have to follow any type of half-empty mentality; it can be full, and that’s ok, but it also needs to function!
A storage space that is stacked and stuffed to the brim will not create a calm and minimalist aesthetic in your home.
It will only make the tasks of swapping decorative items out messy and frustrating.
Trust me, I’ve been there!
So, make sure you focus on complete organization, grouping like items, and labeling everything when creating your dedicated storage space.
I’m currently in the midst of my own decluttering challenge to downsize what’s in our storage room, making it more functional when swapping out seasonal items. I’m excited to share some more about that with you guys in the future!
Please know that if you are struggling with an overflowing storage area, you aren’t alone in this battle, you guys!
Purge and Declutter regularly
Maximalists who are yearning for a little minimalism in their life must declutter on the regular!
I’m currently organizing and purging most of my house using this half-empty organization method, and it’s working, you guys!
While I still feel like my home has a long way to go, I know purging and decluttering are the only ways to keep moving forward.
As you organize and reorganize, constantly ask yourself if you truly need these items, if they serve a purpose, and if they will help you create the minimalistic vibe you want in your space.
Living in a constant state of purging and decluttering will help you achieve the minimalist home aesthetic you are searching for.
Clear Surfaces DAILY
This is likely my best tip of all, you guys!
While our wall space and bookcases might never give off that true minimalist vibe, clearing surfaces every day helps keep the cluttered feel at bay in our home.
For example, my kitchen table is a unique, beautiful space, and it’s placed in our entryway, near our beautiful curved staircase.
To say I love this area in our home is a true understatement.
While it’s a lovely area, unfortunately, because of its location, it can easily become a catch-all spot where everyone in my home drops random items as they are coming or going.
From mail and laptops to their travel mugs and random tools that belong in the shed.
One of my favorite spots in our home is our entry! As people walk in, the above view is one of the first things they see. From the simple table to the winding staircase, + if you look carefully, you can even see a bit of my office nook on the other side of the stairs! That said, this area can become cluttered in a hot minute! Also, don’t mind the wood stacked up on the left side — all the pictures in this post represent my real life, and that wood has literally been there for months (it’s from a little building project my son and husband have been working on).
I’m going to be honest, this carelessness drives me absolutely bonkers and is a totally different battle in itself, but it was an easy example for me to use — likely because there are some random tools on my table right now, you guys!
The point is, if I allowed the stuff to continue to pile up in that area day after day, my entryway would quickly lose its clean and tidy vibe that I so thoroughly enjoy.
The same thing goes for coffee tables, kitchen counters, nightstands, desks, etc.
While a handful of decorations on surfaces are ok in my book, excessive stuff and collectibles are best kept elsewhere.
For example, lean on bookcases and wall shelves for collections and baskets for that extra stuff, leaving your desks, tables, and counters clean and clutter-free!
Speaking of baskets, this next one is a great one!
Use Hidden Storage
When all else fails, hide your extras.
This is seriously one of the best minimalist organization ideas, you guys!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying keep collecting gnomes to feed your obsession and hide them all in a basket when no one is looking.
I’m simply saying, if you don’t have the proper space and need more items than your space allows, hiding some of those non-decorative extras is an easy solution.
These baskets house our bottled supplements, and the round white container on the right holds our liquid supplements. This system works for us and looks much tidier than it once did!
For example, we take a lot of supplements in our home, and storing those on my kitchen counter would look like a cluttered mess, leaving me with the exact opposite home aesthetic that I’m trying to create.
So, I opted for these wicker baskets and round containers on my counter instead.
Does it look as minimalistic as a true minimalist’s home might? Heck no.
Does it look cleaner and more put-together than 30 supplements sitting on my counter would? Heck yes!
So, don’t go filling baskets with action figures and decorative items, but lean on them for those important extras you simply can’t part with during your current season — like homeschool supplies, toys, snacks, pet supplies, etc.
More Organization Ideas
If you have been following me at all, you already know that I’ve been on a huge spring cleaning and organization kick lately!
That said, for those of you who are new here, I have a lot of upcoming spring organizing fun on the agenda.
Feel free to bookmark this page for some upcoming posts or sign up for our newsletter below to get the dish firsthand (make sure you select real-time updates)!
Otherwise, you can simply check out the organization page here on Life + Homeschool to get your hands on the current available posts!
Either way, happy organizing, minimizing, and maximizing!
