7 Things You’ll Never Find in a Minimalist’s Living Room

The living room is often one of the most multi-functional rooms in the house. It’s where we can gather and socialize with guests. It’s where we read or watch TV during a night in. It may even be the place where you work from home from time to time. Because this room serves so many purposes, it can quickly become cluttered with excess items that are left behind or stored there somewhat mindlessly. This cluttered and overstuffed appearance can take away from what is, ultimately, the main goal of a living room—which is to be a relaxing and inviting space. So, if you want your living room to take on a more pared down and intentional look, turn to the minimalists’ approach. For some advice on editing down, we asked several professional organizers and designers about the things minimalists would never keep in the living room.

Lots of Framed Pictures

We’d never want to tell you to get rid of those framed family photos you love, but if you want a less busy-looking living room, then you may want to curate your collection.

“If you’re a minimalist like me, all my living spaces are super curated,” says Ashley La Fond, founder of home organization company Of Space & Mind. “You’ll never find a ton of photo frames.”

Carol Appelbaum, founder of Luxury Pro Organizer, agrees that you won’t see a bunch of personal picture frames covering the shelves or walls in a minimalist’s living room. “Too many decorations can make a room feel cluttered and take away from its main purpose,” she says. You don’t have to get rid of all your cherished family photos, of course, just pare down your collection to showcase your favorites.

Piles of Mail

“A minimalist living room isn’t the place for piles of mail or random clutter—it’s about keeping things neat and stress-free,” says Jenny Dietsch, a certified professional organizer. So, try to adopt the habit of putting things away right when you enter the home with them, rather than leaving them on the coffee table or living room console. “Open your mail, file it within a day, and put things like keys, glasses, and purses in their spot right when you get home,” Dietsch says. “It’s so much easier to put away one thing now than deal with a mountain of stuff later.”

Extra, Unnecessary Furniture

As much as you might like that cute side table or decorative stool, think twice before you add extra furniture to your living room that doesn’t serve a clear purpose.

“Another big no-no [in a minimalist’s living room] is unnecessary furniture,” says Isfira Jensen, CEO and principal interior designer at Jensen & Co. Interiors. “Pieces like extra side tables or plain ottomans which serve little to no functional purpose are often excluded.”

Shirin Sarikhani, an interior designer and home stager, agrees, adding that a minimalist’s living room also likely wouldn’t have oversized entertainment units or bulky furniture that take up an unnecessary amount of space.

Visible Cables and Wires

Visible cables and wires can quickly make a room look more cluttered and chaotic. Sarikhani says that cables and wires, along with visible phone chargers and power strips, wouldn’t be found in a minimalist living room. A cord storage box and cable clips can help.

Small Decor and Tchotckes

“As a rule, minimalists tend to avoid things that are going to create a lot of visual noise in a space,” says David Hurless, director of operations at storage service Stor-It. “The first thing that comes to mind is any kind of extra decor, like small little knick-knacks.

If you’re going for a more minimalistic look, Jensen explains that decorative accessories can be used with reservation. “The use of a single book or vase on a coffee table can bring visual interest to the space without creating visual clutter,” she says.

An Excess of Blankets and Pillows

Speaking of visual noise, all those cozy blankets and pillows can quickly clutter up the appearance of the living room. “I am all about being cozy, but too many [blankets and pillows] can make a space look messy,” La Fond says.

“We’re all about having nice blankets and pillows in a living room, but it’s important that they have a home when they aren’t in use,” she adds. “Add a basket to store blankets—they make a nice display, and this way, they aren’t always draped on the couch.”

Items That Don’t Get Used in the Living Room

Another key to a minimalist living room is that everything within it should make sense for the room itself. “You’ll never find things in the living room that we don’t need while we’re in there,” La Fond says. “I am very bullish on things having a home where it makes sense and where you’ll use them.” That means that even if you have a roomy storage console in your living room, it’s not the place to store seasonal decorations or extra office supplies. Instead, use it for books you might read in the living room or remote controls and electronics you use in that space.