Minim haus

I've been thinking lately about the idea of a minimal house— the simplest home you could live in, long term, while feeling that it meets your needs: sleep, washing/toilet, cooking, eating, relaxing and working. Plus of course, storage of the basic hardware of living. Not millions of gadgets and appliances, but the "essentials".

How big would it be? How would you lay it out? What are the "essentials"? For "simple", or rather traditional living, there are all kinds of tools for creating various foods: preserving, grinding, crushing, steaming, etc, but many of them can start to resemble an older version of modern appliance bloat. So how much do you cull? Is a refrigerator essential? (We have lived without one for three weeks, although the Belgian climate makes this more viable).

Kitchen: a few pots, a frying pan, knives, cutting board, baking tray, casserole dish 2 mixing bowls, jars, pestle & mortar and a small rack of utensils will cover most of your cooking needs, perhaps with a stick blender/food processor combo to allow for whipped and pureed foods.

An office, as far as I am concerned, only needs a writing/drawing desk (which might double as a kitchen table), a drawer full of stationery, a lamp and a laptop.

For dining: table, chairs, cutlery, tumblers, wine glasses, mugs, maybe a couple of serving dishes for salad.

Bathroom: the things you would fit in a travel toiletries bag, towels, flannels, washing machine, basic cleaning supplies.

Lounge: couch, lamp, a crate for a coffee table, book case.

Bedroom: bed, basic cupboard/wardrobe/drawers, some kind of bedside surface, lamp, bedding.

Other: shoe rack, broom, mop,cloth, coat rack, plant pots, compost bucket.

The thing is, it's not the amount of stuff that makes a home functional and livable, but rather the quality, arrangement, accessibility, and light. The feng shui, if you will. Gadgets and things might be handy on the rare occasion you use them, but most of them don't bring contentment or happiness.

So here is a sketch of a basic "Minim Haus", partly inspired by a 1950s affordable house layout by Harry Seidler. It is narrow, with a raked ceiling that makes it increasingly cosy in the more private spaces.

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