www.andrewmackay.net:

Look out Leo, here I come… just kidding. I’m not going to change my blog into a “simple living blog,” but if you’re looking for one, Zenhabits.net has a lot of great tips.

My wife and I have been cleaning lately. I guess it might be more accurate to say that we’re “decluttering our lives.”

It’s funny, part of the way I make my living is gainful employment in the art of placing words on a page (not writing, but designing the words of others into pages). For someone who doesn’t get Jackson Pollack, typesetting is the perfect art. There are rules, there are guidelines, and there is beauty in the end result.

In typesetting, where you don’t have text is almost more important than where you do. As I was reminded in a design meeting not too long ago, whitespace feels luxurious. When you see a wide margin (artfully wide, not awkwardly wide), you think “Ooh, they weren’t worried about stuffing every word possible onto the page. They were willing to spend more to make it look prettier.” You don’t think that? Well… I do. And I think there’s a subconscious level on which it communicates, as well. Your eyes feel at ease. You enjoy the experience more. It’s good art.

The principle crosses over to your house, believe it or not. White space feels luxurious. Clean, flat surfaces with nothing on them — intentionally — make a room feel big, clean, and comfy.

We found this very thing when we removed 4 pieces of furniture from our living room. It’s still a little crowded, but for us… it feels huge. It’s easier to clean, easier to dust, easier to look at. It’s just wonderful.

So, here’s a start: pick a room. Clean off every surface… don’t just move things around, really clean them off — throw it out, put it away, find a place for it. Now, if after that you still feel crowded, remove one item of furniture. See how it feels. I think that you’ll find what we found… you’ll gladly live without that piece of furniture in exchange for the big, beautiful feeling you get when you walk into the room.