Carl Barenbrug

Product design, creative direction

Reductive Residence

“The home is what a bear would know as a cave. It's a space to be an animal, really. You can chew your bone in the corner and nobody will bother you. It's a laboratory for living—it's fluid.”

—Michele Oka Doner

Your home is your sanctuary, yet it's not a space that you should ever feel confined. It should never give you a sense of strain or anxiousness—rather, it should be a tranquil space that comforts you and helps you reset. It's a space you control (admittedly to varying degrees depending on your living circumstances). A space you can manipulate, curate, and clear-out.

Reducing what you own simplifies your home. It means having fewer things to clean, maintain, and replace. You may not want an easy life, but you're likely to want to live a simpler life, and the best place to start is where you wake up every day. Allow yourself to let go to regain control.

_This was originally published for Minimalism Life._

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