[VIDEO] Gentle Minimalism Home Tour

“I know not everyday is beautiful, but when we focus on the sunshine in our nest, gratefulness happens.” – Elizabeth, @sunshineinmynest

Elizabeth is a mom of two adorable little boys, ages 5 and 2, and her honest, cheerful outlook on life is evident in her home.

“Real life is pretty messy,” she explains. “But I don’t think that focusing on those messy moments makes us any happier. And so it’s okay to embrace and share those beautiful moments, but to admit at the same time that reality does really happen.”

Elizabeth and her husband moved into their home seven years ago. It was built in 1958, and they bought it from the original homeowners—so everything was original.

Meaning, that there was olive green carpet in every room and wallpaper on every wall. They’ve put a lot of work into their home to make it their own!

Elizabeth loves finding new ways to showcase the home’s unique qualities, while still sticking to a budget.

She adheres to what she calls “gentle minimalism”, a way of limiting their belongings, and simplifying life, without being too drastically restrictive.

Elizabeth loves sharing about this lifestyle; a way to make minimalism work for a family’s ever-changing needs. They try to spend a lot of time outside, keep their belongings to what’s really needed, and avoid too much screen time.

They remodeled their kitchen in January 2019. They replaced everything in this space themselves—buying their cabinets as remnants off Craigslist. Her husband and brother-in-law installed everything themselves.

In the master bedroom, Elizabeth and her husband have Jack and Jill closets, and she has embraced the space as the perfect fit for her capsule wardrobe.

She has 25 velvet hangers, and only hangs what can fit on those 25 hangers. Everything is mix-and-matchable. “It makes getting dressed really easy. Because all I have to do is grab a top and grab a bottom and then I’m dressed in the morning.”

In her son’s Keton’s room, she tries to keep things simple. Her goal with this is to make it easier for him to clean when there’s a mess — the space feels less overwhelming to a small child (and adults!). His books are kept neatly on a bookshelf and toys are in bins that they can rotate in sets.

In their living room, instead of leaving their T.V. out, they keep it put away in the closet. She says, “I find that it’s like having a little bit of check on myself. Since it’s harder for me to let the kids watch T.V., I let them do it less often.”