How to Embrace Minimalism in Your Tiny Apartment

Creating a truly minimalist space will most likely require several layers of changes around your home. But no need to panic! We'll take you through it all step-by-step. One of your first assignments is to start getting serious about your lighting fixtures. If you have any builder-grade fixtures in your tiny space right now, it's time to ditch them (even if you're renting, you can simply switch out your new fixtures when you leave and put the originals back). Choose unique, stand-out fixtures for each room or space in your home. Even if you have to budget out purchasing them one by one, this will be one of the biggest changes you can make.

If you do nothing else on your minimalism journey, do this: ruthlessly curate and edit all of the objects in your home. There's nothing that will shift your space from minimalist to chaotic more quickly than layers upon layers of tchotchkes. Tackle all the areas of your home you can: shelves, coffee and side tables, consoles—everywhere you have stuff on display. Ask yourself: "Do I absolutely and completely love this item?" If your answer is "I'm not sure" or "no," then you need to sell it or donate it pronto.

In smaller spaces where you're looking to up your minimalist vibes, embracing symmetry is a great way to get that ball rolling. This doesn't mean that everything in your apartment or home needs to be matchy/matchy, but clean, symmetrical layouts like this one can help bring a sense of calm and order to a room. If you're struggling with figuring out how to do this, it sometimes helps to get on a chair or ladder to look over your space. That bird's-eye view can help you sort through which lines and angles are working and which are not.

This tip seems sort of silly, but I promise you it can make a gigantic difference when you're working toward bringing that minimalist nirvana. Just completely clean off your kitchen counters. So many of us (my hand is raised high here!) are used to using our kitchen counters as another designated storage spot. So, even when our kitchens are sparkly clean, they still can look cluttered and messy. Get vigilant with yourself and commit to getting all that stuff on your counter put away or donated (if you don't use it anymore).